head to head · open source
Payload vs oqtane.framework
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars, 4,384 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. oqtane.framework has 2,259 stars, 641 forks, 27 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Payload leads on adoption by 1,920% (45,624 vs 2,259 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; oqtane.framework is written in C# under MIT. Payload has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, oqtane.framework 28%. 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 | oqtane.framework | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 641 |
| 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 oqtane.framework if
- You want the oqtane.framework feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and oqtane.framework 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 oqtane.framework
Oqtane Framework Oqtane is an open source Content Management System (CMS) and Application Framework that provides advanced functionality for developing web, mobile, and desktop applications on modern .NET. Oqtane allows you to "Build Applications, Not Infrastructure" which means that you can focus your efforts on solving your unique business challenges rather than wasting time and effort on building general infrastructure. Oqtane is "Rocket Fuel for Blazor" as it provides powerful capabilities to accelerate your Blazor development experience, providing scalable services and a composable UI which can be hosted on…
read the full oqtane.framework overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or oqtane.framework more popular?
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars and oqtane.framework has 2,259. Payload has the larger community by that measure.
Are Payload and oqtane.framework free?
Both are open source. Payload is licensed under MIT and oqtane.framework under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Payload and oqtane.framework?
Payload is written in TypeScript and oqtane.framework 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 oqtane.framework?
Choose Payload if you want the larger community (45,624 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose oqtane.framework if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.