head to head · open source
Payload vs typo3
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars, 4,384 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. typo3 has 1,220 stars, 702 forks, 5 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Payload leads on adoption by 3,640% (45,624 vs 1,220 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; typo3 is written in PHP under GPL-2.0. Payload has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, typo3 58%. Payload was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (cms, content-management), 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 | typo3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 702 |
| 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 typo3 if
- You want the typo3 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and typo3 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 typo3
TYPO3 CMS TYPO3 is an open source PHP based web content management system released under the GNU GPL. TYPO3 is copyright © 1999 2026 by Kasper Skårhøj. This document provides a basic introduction to TYPO3. Getting Started TYPO3 requires a web server with PHP and a database. The backend is accessed via a supported browser. Please see the Installation Guide in order to set up a basic TYPO3 installation on your web server. What is TYPO3? TYPO3 is a free and open source Content Management Framework. It is released under the GNU General Public License. It can run on several web servers, such as Apache, nginx or IIS…
read the full typo3 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or typo3 more popular?
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars and typo3 has 1,220. Payload has the larger community by that measure.
Are Payload and typo3 free?
Both are open source. Payload is licensed under MIT and typo3 under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Payload and typo3?
Payload is written in TypeScript and typo3 in PHP. 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 typo3?
Choose Payload if you want the larger community (45,624 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose typo3 if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.