Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cosmic JS VS Payload CMS

Compare Cosmic JS VS Payload CMS and see what are their differences

Cosmic JS logo Cosmic JS

Cosmic JS is an API-first Headless CMS for building content-powered apps in any programming language.

Payload CMS logo Payload CMS

Headless CMS and Application Framework built with Node.js, React and MongoDB
  • Cosmic JS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-28

Cosmic JS provides a web dashboard to model and create content plus API Tools and Resources to integrate content with any website or app.

  • Payload CMS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-10

Built with React + TypeScript, Payload is a free and open-source Headless CMS. Finally, a CMS that works the way you do. No black magic, all TypeScript, and fully open-source.

Cosmic JS

$ Details
freemium
Platforms
REST API GraphQL API PHP Cross Platform JavaScript TypeScript Go Swift Python

Cosmic JS features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Cosmic JS provides a user-friendly interface and intuitive dashboard that makes it easy for developers and content editors to manage content without extensive technical knowledge.
  • Scalability
    Cosmic JS offers a scalable solution that can handle projects of varying sizes, making it suitable for both small websites and large applications.
  • Flexibility
    Cosmic JS's headless CMS architecture allows for flexibility in terms of front-end technology choices, enabling developers to use their preferred frameworks and tools.
  • API-Driven
    Cosmic JS is designed as an API-first platform, making it easy to integrate with other systems and facilitating the creation of applications with complex content structures.
  • Developer Friendly
    The platform provides robust documentation, SDKs, and tools that simplify the development process, which enhances productivity and reduces development time.

Possible disadvantages of Cosmic JS

  • Pricing
    For larger businesses or projects requiring more advanced features, the cost can become quite high compared to some other CMS options.
  • Customization Limitations
    While Cosmic JS provides a lot of features, there can be limitations in terms of deep customization compared to fully open-source solutions.
  • Dependency on API
    Being heavily reliant on API calls can lead to increased complexity in handling data fetching and potential performance issues if not optimized correctly.
  • Learning Curve
    For developers new to headless CMS architectures, there may be a learning curve involved in understanding how to best utilize Cosmic JS's features.
  • Feature Set
    While Cosmic JS offers a broad range of features, it may not have certain niche functionalities required for highly specialized projects.

Payload CMS features and specs

  • Headless CMS
    Payload CMS is a headless content management system, allowing for flexibility in how content is delivered and displayed across different platforms.
  • Customizability
    It is highly customizable, enabling developers to tailor the backend and content management experience to specific project requirements.
  • Developer-friendly
    Built with modern technologies such as Node.js and React, Payload CMS is designed to be intuitive and efficient for developers.
  • Open-source
    Payload CMS is open-source, providing transparency and the ability to contribute to its development or modify it according to your needs.
  • Rich Media Support
    It supports a wide range of media types, making it easy to manage and deliver rich content.
  • Advanced Access Control
    Payload CMS includes advanced access control features, allowing for fine-grained permissions and security settings.
  • Extensible API
    The CMS provides a powerful and extensible API, facilitating seamless integration with other services and applications.

Possible disadvantages of Payload CMS

  • Learning Curve
    As a powerful and highly customizable CMS, it may have a steeper learning curve for developers unfamiliar with its ecosystem.
  • Initial Setup Complexity
    Setting up Payload CMS initially can be more complex compared to some other CMS solutions that offer more out-of-the-box simplicity.
  • Smaller Community
    As a relatively newer and niche CMS, Payload CMS has a smaller community compared to more established CMS platforms, potentially limiting available resources and third-party plugins.
  • Hosting Requirements
    Being a Node.js application, it may require specific hosting environments that can support Node.js, which might not be as widespread as hosting for PHP-based systems.
  • Performance Overhead
    Complex customizations and integrations can introduce performance overhead, requiring additional optimization and scaling efforts.
  • Documentation
    Depending on the level of functionality required, the available documentation might not cover all edge cases or complex scenarios, leading to potential challenges during development.

Cosmic JS videos

Using Cosmic JS as a Headless CMS with Gatsby

More videos:

  • Review - Getting Started | Cosmic JS
  • Review - Cosmic JS Starter App Video Tour

Payload CMS videos

Payload CMS

More videos:

  • Review - Building a Professionally Designed Website with NextJS, TypeScript, and Payload CMS - Episode 1
  • Review - Building a Professionally Designed Website with NextJS, TypeScript, and Payload CMS - Episode 2

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cosmic JS and Payload CMS)
CMS
16 16%
84% 84
Blogging
23 23%
77% 77
Blogging Platform
28 28%
72% 72
JavaScript
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Cosmic JS and Payload CMS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Cosmic JS and Payload CMS

Cosmic JS Reviews

34 Headless CMS That Should Be On Your Radar
Cosmic JS is a cloud-hosted headless CMS platform that provides both RESTful and GraphQL APIs. The platform features content modeling, localization, webhooks, media management, as well as a WYSIWYG editor where you can embed code from third-party services like GitHub and Typeform.
Source: www.cmswire.com

Payload CMS Reviews

  1. Alessio Gravili
    · Founder at Bonfire Leads e.K. ·
    Best Headless CMS

    Payload CMS is the most customizable & flexible CMS which exists

    🏁 Competitors: Strapi, Directus, Sanity.io, Prismic
    👍 Pros:    Everything can be customized|Swap out any admin components|Ability to create your own fields|Automatic graphql & rest api|Define collections & fields in code|Serverless support
    👎 Cons:    Does not support all databases yet

Best Node.js CMS platforms for 2022
Payload comes with built-in email functionality. We can use this to handle password reset, order confirmation, and other use cases. Payload uses Nodemailer to process emails.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Payload CMS seems to be a lot more popular than Cosmic JS. While we know about 91 links to Payload CMS, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Cosmic JS. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cosmic JS mentions (2)

  • How I’m Using Cosmic to Optimize My Website
    It's no doubt that a company with a good connection to their users does better. This is especially true for a company offering a software based product. Upon exploring the Cosmic website, I quickly found a link to join the Cosmic Slack channel. I noticed that the community was smaller, though upon entering I could see that if anyone had questions, the companies CEO or someone from the development team would be... - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • How to Build a Blazing-Fast Astro Blog with Cosmic CMS
    In this tutorial, I'm going to show you how to create a simple Blog application using Astro, and Cosmic CMS. Without further ado, grab some coffee & let's build a cool app! - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago

Payload CMS mentions (91)

  • I Found Perfect CMS after Years of Trial and Error
    Payload, a CMS powered by Next.js, or Sveltia CMS, a Decap CMS alternative using Svelte, are examples of CMS that I recommend to avoid until they become framework agnostic. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • [Video] Payload CMS Custom Array Field Component
    Learn how to implement a custom tagging system in Payload CMS using the array field and a custom React component! This video walks you through building a dynamic tag input where users can add, remove, and manage tags directly within the Payload admin panel. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Firebase and Payload CMS: Early Look at a Client-Side Auth Strategy
    This post details a proof-of-concept integration of Firebase Authentication with Payload CMS, focusing on the client-side implementation using Next.js. The goal is to allow users to authenticate via Firebase's various sign-in methods and then use the resulting Firebase ID token to securely access data and functionality within a Payload CMS instance. This is a work in progress, and I welcome feedback and... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • I Built a Fast Image Compressor with Next.js and Payload
    Check out https://swissknife.cc/! I made a super fast image compressor that can handle up to 40 images at once, though it can do far more if needed. I'm currently limiting it to 40 images to explore the limits. It supports JPEG and PNG formats, making it perfect for social media and web use. Built entirely with Next.js and Payload (a headless CMS https://payloadcms.com/). This is just one of many tools we'll be... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • [Video] 🚀 Real-Time Updates in Payload CMS with Web Sockets!
    One of the most critical features for enterprise solutions is real-time data updates—whether for dashboards, notifications, or live collaboration. While Payload CMS doesn’t natively support WebSockets (yet), I put together a solution to enable real-time updates today! - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cosmic JS and Payload CMS, you can also consider the following products

Contentful - You don't need another CMS. You need a better way to manage content — unified, structured, and ready to deploy to any digital channel.

Webflow - Build dynamic, responsive websites in your browser. Launch with a click. Or export your squeaky-clean code to host wherever you'd like. Discover the professional website builder made for designers.

DatoCMS - Connect DatoCMS to your favorite site generator, build the perfect backend and deploy anywhere you like.

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

Prismic - prismic.io is a web software you can use to manage content in any kind of website or app. API-driven.

Strapi - Manage any content. Anywhere. The leading open-source headless CMS. 100% JavaScript / TypeScript and fully customizable.