head to head · open source
Payload vs Dnn.Platform
Payload has 44,806 GitHub stars, 4,166 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Dnn.Platform has 1,140 stars, 789 forks, 331 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Payload leads on adoption by 3,830% (44,806 vs 1,140 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; Dnn.Platform is written in C# under MIT. Payload has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Dnn.Platform 69%. Payload was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (cms), 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 | Dnn.Platform | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 789 |
| 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 Dnn.Platform if
- You want the Dnn.Platform feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and Dnn.Platform 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 Dnn.Platform
Project Description DNN® ( formerly DotNetNuke® ) is the leading open source web content management platform (CMS) in the Microsoft ecosystem. The product is used to build professional looking and easy to use commercial websites, social intranets, community portals, or partner extranets. Containing dynamic content of all types, DNN sites are easy to deploy and update. The DNN Platform has been downloaded more than 8 million times and powers over 750,000 websites globally. A community of more than 1 million members forms a powerful support network. Thousands of free and commercial extensions, apps, and skins are a…
read the full Dnn.Platform overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or Dnn.Platform more popular?
Payload has 44,806 GitHub stars and Dnn.Platform has 1,140. Payload has the larger community by that measure.
Are Payload and Dnn.Platform free?
Both are open source. Payload is licensed under MIT and Dnn.Platform under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Payload and Dnn.Platform?
Payload is written in TypeScript and Dnn.Platform in C#. 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 Dnn.Platform?
Choose Payload if you want the larger community (44,806 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Dnn.Platform if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.