head to head · open source
Payload vs FluentCMS
Payload has 44,793 GitHub stars, 4,164 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. FluentCMS has 566 stars, 107 forks, 39 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. Payload leads on adoption by 7,814% (44,793 vs 566 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; FluentCMS is written in C# under MIT. Payload has attracted 9% 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 | ★ 45K | ★ 566 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-03-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 107 |
| 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 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
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 FluentCMS
FluentCMS is an open source, MIT licensed content management system built on ASP.NET Core and Blazor, intended for .NET developers and content teams that want a self hosted CMS which can also act as a headless content backend.
read the full FluentCMS overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or FluentCMS more popular?
Payload has 44,793 GitHub stars and FluentCMS has 566. 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 (44,793 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose FluentCMS if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.