head to head · open source
Payload vs filament
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars, 4,384 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. filament has 32,397 stars, 4,237 forks, 26 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Payload leads on adoption by 41% (45,624 vs 32,397 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; filament is written in PHP under MIT. Payload has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, filament 13%. filament 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 | filament | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 32K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 4.2K |
| 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 filament if
- You want the filament feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and filament 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 filament
Build apps & admin panels fast, for your bright ideas. With a solid Laravel foundation and a polished UI, you can focus on what makes your product unique. Filament gives you UI components that you won't outgrow — a cohesive set of well considered building blocks that adapt as your application grows in complexity. Tables — Browse and filter large datasets with powerful columns, actions, and bulk operations. Forms — Build complex, reactive forms using a set of reusable, state aware components. Infolists — Render read only record views with structured layouts and custom formatting. Notifications — Trigger in app…
read the full filament overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or filament more popular?
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars and filament has 32,397. Payload has the larger community by that measure.
Are Payload and filament free?
Both are open source. Payload is licensed under MIT and filament under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Payload and filament?
Payload is written in TypeScript and filament in PHP. 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 filament?
Choose Payload if you want the larger community (45,624 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose filament if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.