head to head · open source
Payload vs intlayer
Payload has 44,793 GitHub stars, 4,164 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. intlayer has 831 stars, 125 forks, 12 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Payload leads on adoption by 5,290% (44,793 vs 831 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; intlayer is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Payload has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, intlayer 15%. 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, content-management, javascript, nextjs), 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 | intlayer | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 831 |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 125 |
| 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 intlayer if
- You want the intlayer feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and intlayer 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 intlayer
Intlayer is a per component internationalisation (i18n) solution for JavaScript applications that is type safe, uses AI for translation, and includes a free visual editor and CMS, aimed at web and mobile developers building multilingual apps with Next.js, React, Vite, Vue.js, Nuxt, Preact, or Express.
read the full intlayer overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or intlayer more popular?
Payload has 44,793 GitHub stars and intlayer has 831. Payload has the larger community by that measure.
Are Payload and intlayer free?
Both are open source. Payload is licensed under MIT and intlayer under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Payload and intlayer?
Payload is written in TypeScript and intlayer 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 intlayer?
Choose Payload if you want the larger community (44,793 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose intlayer if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.