head to head · open source
Payload vs intlayer
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars, 4,384 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. intlayer has 862 stars, 129 forks, 12 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Payload leads on adoption by 5,193% (45,624 vs 862 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; intlayer is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Payload has attracted 10% 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 | ★ 46K | ★ 862 |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 129 |
| 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 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
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 intlayer
Per component i18n AI powered translation. Visual Editor. Multilingual CMS. Docs • Next.js • React + Vite • CMS • Discord What is Intlayer? Most i18n libraries are either too complex, too rigid, or not built for modern frameworks. Intlayer is a modern i18n solution for web and mobile apps. It’s framework agnostic, AI powered , and includes a free CMS & visual editor . With per locale content files , TypeScript autocompletion , tree shakable dictionaries , and CI/CD integration , Intlayer makes internationalization faster, cleaner, and smarter . Keys benefits of Intlayer:
read the full intlayer overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or intlayer more popular?
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars and intlayer has 862. 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 (45,624 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose intlayer if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.