head to head · open source
Payload vs oqtane.framework
Payload has 44,806 GitHub stars, 4,166 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. oqtane.framework has 2,255 stars, 642 forks, 27 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Payload leads on adoption by 1,887% (44,806 vs 2,255 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; oqtane.framework is written in C# under MIT. Payload has attracted 9% 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 | ★ 45K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 642 |
| 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 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
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 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 44,806 GitHub stars and oqtane.framework has 2,255. 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 (44,806 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose oqtane.framework if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.