head to head · open source
Payload vs primo
Payload has 44,806 GitHub stars, 4,166 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. primo has 2,370 stars, 572 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped today. Payload leads on adoption by 1,791% (44,806 vs 2,370 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; primo is written in Svelte under MIT. Payload has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, primo 24%. primo was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (cms, jamstack), 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 | primo | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Svelte |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 572 |
| 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 primo if
- You want the primo feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Svelte
- You evaluated both and primo 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 primo
Primo Primo is a CMS for developers who build sites for clients who need to manage them afterward. Your entire site stays in sync as both a database and a folder of files, so Claude Code, Cursor, and any AI agent can edit it directly. Your clients manage content visually in the browser. In active development since 2019. Self hosted by freelancers, agencies, and small teams. One click deploy: The shape of it One Go binary. PocketBase (SQLite) for storage. Svelte 5 for the editor UI and for the blocks you write. The same server hosts the CMS and serves your published sites — no external services, no separate fronte…
read the full primo overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or primo more popular?
Payload has 44,806 GitHub stars and primo has 2,370. Payload has the larger community by that measure.
Are Payload and primo free?
Both are open source. Payload is licensed under MIT and primo under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Payload and primo?
Payload is written in TypeScript and primo in Svelte. 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 primo?
Choose Payload if you want the larger community (44,806 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose primo if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.