head to head · open source
Payload vs Directus
Payload has 44,806 GitHub stars, 4,166 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Directus has 37,952 stars, 4,946 forks, 402 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Payload leads on adoption by 18% (44,806 vs 37,952 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; Directus is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. Payload has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Directus 13%. Directus was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (cms, graphql, headless-cms, javascript), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Payload | Directus | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 38K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 4.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Payload if
- You weight community size — 45K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Directus if
- You want the Directus feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Directus fits your workflow better
About Payload
Payload is an open source, MIT licensed headless CMS and fullstack framework, written in TypeScript and built to run natively inside a Next.js /app folder, aimed at developers who want a TypeScript backend and admin panel without signing up for another SaaS.
read the full Payload overview →
About Directus
Directus is an open source data platform that wraps any SQL database with a REST and GraphQL API layer and a visual management interface. It lives in the developer tools and frameworks ecosystem, specifically targeting teams needing a flexible backend for content management, admin panels, or custom applications without writing boilerplate code.
read the full Directus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or Directus more popular?
Payload has 44,806 GitHub stars and Directus has 37,952. Payload has the larger community by that measure.
Are Payload and Directus free?
Both are open source. Payload is licensed under MIT, and Directus has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Payload and Directus?
Payload is written in TypeScript and Directus in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Payload or Directus?
Choose Payload if you want the larger community (44,806 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Directus if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.