head to head · open source
Payload vs FluentCMS
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars, 4,384 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. FluentCMS has 569 stars, 107 forks, 39 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Payload leads on adoption by 7,918% (45,624 vs 569 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; FluentCMS is written in C# under MIT. Payload has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, FluentCMS 19%. 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 | FluentCMS | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 569 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 107 |
| 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 FluentCMS if
- You want the FluentCMS feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and FluentCMS 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 FluentCMS
FluentCMS: ASP.NET Core Blazor Based Content Management System (CMS) Table of contents Introduction Connect with us Features Supported Databases Getting Started Prerequisites Installation Component Library Documentation Contributing License Introduction FluentCMS is a modern Content Management System (CMS) built on the powerful ASP.NET Core and the innovative Blazor technology. FluentCMS assists content writers in crafting content more efficiently. Designed to be fast, flexible, and user friendly, it not only serves as a traditional content based CMS but also excels as a headless CMS, making it perfect for a…
read the full FluentCMS overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or FluentCMS more popular?
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars and FluentCMS has 569. Payload has the larger community by that measure.
Are Payload and FluentCMS free?
Both are open source. Payload is licensed under MIT and FluentCMS under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Payload and FluentCMS?
Payload is written in TypeScript and FluentCMS 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 FluentCMS?
Choose Payload if you want the larger community (45,624 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose FluentCMS if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.