Payload CMS vs Squidex
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Payload CMS
TypeScript-native headless CMS and application framework
VS
Squidex
Headless CMS, based on MongoDB, CQRS and Event Sourcing
| Feature | Payload CMS | Squidex |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 44,043 | ★ 2,509 |
| First released | 2021 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Contentful, Sanity | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Payload CMS if…
- Excellent TypeScript developer experience
- No vendor lock-in
Choose Squidex if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C#
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Payload CMS or Squidex better?
Neither is universally better. Payload CMS has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Payload CMS and Squidex free and open-source?
Yes. Payload CMS is licensed under MIT and Squidex under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Payload CMS and Squidex with Docker?
Payload CMS: yes. Squidex: check the project docs for container support.