head to head · open source
Payload vs Directus
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars, 4,384 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Directus has 38,799 stars, 4,991 forks, 402 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Payload leads on adoption by 18% (45,624 vs 38,799 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; Directus is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. Payload has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Directus 13%. Payload 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 | ★ 46K | ★ 39K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 5.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Payload if
- You weight community size — 46K 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
Explore the Docs · Community Help · Roadmap · View G2 Reviews [!IMPORTANT] Star this repo or keep an eye on it to follow along. Payload is the first ever Next.js native CMS that can install directly in your existing /app folder. It's the start of a new era for headless CMS. Benefits over a regular CMS It's both an app framework & headless CMS Deploy anywhere, including serverless on Vercel for free Combine your front+backend in the same /app folder if you want Don't sign up for yet another SaaS Payload is open source Query your database in React Server Components Both admin and backend are 100% extensible No…
read the full Payload overview →
About Directus
The Collaborative Backend for Builders & AI Connect any SQL database and get instant REST and GraphQL APIs, a visual management Studio, and a native MCP server for AI agents. 45M+ downloads · 500K+ projects deployed [!NOTE] Free for most organizations. Under $5M annual revenue and 50 employees? Directus is completely free. Apply for an Open Innovation Grant license and get a key in minutes. Learn more about our license. 🐇 Introduction Directus wraps any SQL database with a REST and GraphQL API layer and a visual Studio. Engineers control schema and access. Non technical teammates and AI agents work directly…
read the full Directus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or Directus more popular?
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars and Directus has 38,799. 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 (45,624 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Directus if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.