Directus vs Payload CMS
Directus
Open data platform wrapping any SQL database
Payload CMS
Next.js-native headless CMS and app framework
| Feature | Directus | Payload CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Low-Code | Web & CMS |
| Sub-category | App Builder | Web Framework |
| Maturity | stable | stable |
| Complexity | beginner | intermediate |
| Performance tier | medium | medium |
| License | BSL | MIT |
| License type | source-available | permissive |
| Pricing | fully free | fully free |
| GitHub stars | 30.0K | 32.0K |
| Contributors | 0 | 0 |
| Commit frequency | weekly | weekly |
| Plugin ecosystem | none | none |
| Docs quality | good | good |
| Backing org | Directus | Payload |
| Funding model | vc_backed | vc_backed |
| Min RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Min CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Scaling pattern | single_node | single_node |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| K8s native | No | No |
| Offline capable | No | No |
| Vendor lock-in | none | none |
| Languages | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| API type | REST | REST |
| Protocols | HTTP | HTTP |
| Deployment | docker | docker, npm |
| SDK languages | — | — |
| Team size fit | solo, small, medium | solo, small, medium, enterprise |
| First release | 2020 | 2020 |
| Latest version | — | — |
When to use Directus
- ✓ Primary: headless-cms
- ✓ Primary: data-management
- ✓ Primary: internal-tools
When to use Payload CMS
- ✓ Primary: nextjs-content-management
- ✓ Primary: headless-api
- ✓ Primary: admin-panel