head to head · open source
Payload vs TinaCMS
Payload has 44,793 GitHub stars, 4,164 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. TinaCMS has 13,799 stars, 755 forks, 444 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Payload leads on adoption by 225% (44,793 vs 13,799 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; TinaCMS is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Payload has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, TinaCMS 5%. Payload was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (cms, content-management-system, 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Payload | TinaCMS | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 14K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 755 |
| 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 TinaCMS if
- You want the TinaCMS 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 TinaCMS 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 TinaCMS
TinaCMS is an open source headless content management system for Git based content stored in a user's own GitHub repository. It lives in the TypeScript, React, and Next.js ecosystem and is categorized under Content & Publishing / Content Management Systems. It supports Markdown, MDX, JSON, YAML, and other content formats, with visual editing as a central feature.
read the full TinaCMS overview →
More in Content & Publishing
Related comparisons
More Content Management Systems (CMS) projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Content Management Systems (CMS) field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or TinaCMS more popular?
Payload has 44,793 GitHub stars and TinaCMS has 13,799. Payload has the larger community by that measure.
Are Payload and TinaCMS free?
Both are open source. Payload is licensed under MIT and TinaCMS under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Payload and TinaCMS?
Payload is written in TypeScript and TinaCMS 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 TinaCMS?
Choose Payload if you want the larger community (44,793 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose TinaCMS if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.