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GraphCMS VS Payload CMS

Compare GraphCMS VS Payload CMS and see what are their differences

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GraphCMS logo GraphCMS

The GraphQL Headless CMS

Payload CMS logo Payload CMS

Headless CMS and Application Framework built with Node.js, React and MongoDB
  • GraphCMS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-19
  • 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.

GraphCMS features and specs

  • GraphQL Native
    GraphCMS is designed around GraphQL, allowing for flexible and efficient querying of data and improving developer experience.
  • Headless CMS
    It serves as a headless CMS, separating content management from presentation, providing flexibility in delivering content to multiple channels such as websites, mobile apps, and IoT devices.
  • Scalability
    GraphCMS offers scalable architecture, capable of handling large volumes of content and high traffic, making it suitable for enterprise-level projects.
  • Content Modeling
    It provides advanced content modeling capabilities, allowing users to create complex and custom content structures tailored to their specific needs.
  • API-first Approach
    GraphCMS uses an API-first approach, facilitating easy integration with other tools and services within your digital ecosystem.
  • Extensive Plugins and Integrations
    It supports a wide array of plugins and integrations, enhancing functionality and streamlining workflows.
  • Real-time Updates
    Supports real-time updates, essential for applications that require most updated content without delay.
  • Multilingual Support
    Offers robust multilingual support, allowing content creators to manage and deliver content in multiple languages seamlessly.

Possible disadvantages of GraphCMS

  • Pricing
    Compared to some alternatives, GraphCMS can be relatively expensive, especially for small businesses or individual developers.
  • Learning Curve
    The GraphQL-based approach might have a learning curve for those unfamiliar with GraphQL, potentially increasing the time needed to onboard new developers.
  • Complexity for Simple Projects
    GraphCMS's advanced features and capabilities might be overkill for simpler projects, where a more basic CMS could suffice.
  • Dependency on External Services
    Being a cloud-based service, it requires a reliable internet connection and can be dependent on the service uptime and performance of GraphCMS infrastructure.
  • Limited Built-in Marketing Tools
    It lacks some built-in marketing tools that other CMS platforms might offer, requiring additional integration for comprehensive marketing functionalities.

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.

GraphCMS videos

+ Add

GraphCMS + eCommerce

More videos:

  • Review - GraphCMS x Next.js | Working with getStaticProps, getStaticPaths and GraphQL

Payload CMS videos

+ Add

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 GraphCMS and Payload CMS)

GraphCMS

Payload CMS

CMS
31 31%
CMS
69% 69
Blogging
41 41%
Blogging
59% 59
Blogging Platform
100 100%
Blogging Platform
0% 0
JavaScript
0 0%
JavaScript
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

GraphCMS Reviews

34 Headless CMS That Should Be On Your Radar
GraphCMS allows you to develop a hosted GraphQL back-end for your application where you can define relations, structures, and permissions of your application data. It also comes with a number of tools to create and manage your content, including text editors, asset management, workflows, user roles, and multi-lingual support.
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.
Source: blog.logrocket.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Payload CMS should be more popular than GraphCMS. It has been mentiond 91 times since March 2021. 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.

GraphCMS mentions (19)

  • Build a Task Manager CRUD App with React and Hygraph
    Hygraph, formerly known as GraphCMS, is a backend-only content management system (i.e., a headless CMS) that uses GraphQL to query data and perform mutations (or updates) to the content, making it accessible via a single endpoint (API) for display on any device without a built-in frontend or presentation layer. It allows teams to use a single content repository to deliver content from a single source to endless... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • free-for.dev
    GraphCMS - Offers free tier for small projects. GraphQL first API. Move away from legacy solutions to the GraphQL native Headless CMS - and deliver omnichannel content API first. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Generate Types for Your GraphQL Schemas in 5 Minutes
    I'm building an app using GraphCMS (super awesome, by the way) but the only gotcha is it doesn't offer a plugin to export your schema types. Since I can't function without TypeScript, that was a big problem the second I tried to write mutations or generate static pages using my schemas. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • Serverless blog with 11ty, GraphCMS and Firebase
    In comes GraphCMS, a competitor of the beloved DatoCMS. It lacks some features - like repeatable blocks and the UI is a bit too cluttered, but has a generous free tier. For a blog, this will do just fine. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • Using GitHub as a CMS
    I found most people were happy to recommend other headless CMS services like Strapi, Sanity, GraphCMS, etc which did seem to do the job I wanted of providing a platform for me to curate & manage my content without having to redeploy. But most of them had the same issues that I didn't like. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
View more

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 / 3 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 GraphCMS 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.

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

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.

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

Pixelesq - Empower your team with Pixelesq's end-to-end website management solution. From startups to enterprises, accelerate your digital growth.

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