head to head · open source
Payload vs vscode-front-matter
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars, 4,384 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. vscode-front-matter has 2,549 stars, 107 forks, 99 open issues and last shipped 22 days ago. Payload leads on adoption by 1,690% (45,624 vs 2,549 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; vscode-front-matter is written in TypeScript under MIT. Payload has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, vscode-front-matter 4%. 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, content-management-system), 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 | vscode-front-matter | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 2.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 107 |
| 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 vscode-front-matter if
- You want the vscode-front-matter feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and vscode-front-matter 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 vscode-front-matter
Front Matter A Headless CMS for Visual Studio Code 📢 2026 Open Source Priorities Update I love working with and creating open source products, but after careful evaluation and working with a coach, I've decided to focus my efforts on creating a better revenue stream. As open source isn't providing me a sustainable income, I need to focus my time and effort more strategically on how to make my work sustainable. Front Matter CMS will continue to be maintained as I use it daily. However, major changes will only happen if there's a personal reason, a company commitment, or significant community support. Feature…
read the full vscode-front-matter overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or vscode-front-matter more popular?
Payload has 45,624 GitHub stars and vscode-front-matter has 2,549. Payload has the larger community by that measure.
Are Payload and vscode-front-matter free?
Both are open source. Payload is licensed under MIT and vscode-front-matter under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Payload and vscode-front-matter?
Payload is written in TypeScript and vscode-front-matter 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 vscode-front-matter?
Choose Payload if you want the larger community (45,624 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose vscode-front-matter if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.