Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PlanetScale VS Payload CMS

Compare PlanetScale VS Payload CMS and see what are their differences

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PlanetScale logo PlanetScale

The last database you'll ever need. Go from idea to IPO.

Payload CMS logo Payload CMS

Headless CMS and Application Framework built with Node.js, React and MongoDB
  • PlanetScale Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-15
  • 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.

PlanetScale features and specs

  • Scalability
    PlanetScale is designed for massive scale, leveraging the Vitess engine that powers YouTube. This makes it suitable for applications requiring high scalability for both read and write operations.
  • Global Distribution
    Offers multi-region deployment, ensuring low-latency access and higher availability, beneficial for globally distributed applications.
  • Serverless Approach
    The platform takes a serverless approach to database management, which means automatic scaling, less infrastructure to manage, and potential cost savings.
  • Branching and Sharding
    Supports database branching for isolated environments like development, testing, and production. It also supports sharding, which helps in distributing data across multiple nodes for better performance and reliability.
  • High Availability
    PlanetScale provides high availability with automated failover mechanisms, ensuring minimal downtime.
  • Strong Data Integrity
    Uses Vitess’s strong consistency models to ensure data integrity across distributed systems.
  • Developer Friendly
    Includes tools and features that make it easier for developers to manage, such as automatic migrations and simplified schema management.
  • Integration
    Can be easily integrated with various cloud service providers, making it flexible for different deployment environments.

Possible disadvantages of PlanetScale

  • Learning Curve
    The platform comes with a learning curve, especially for teams unfamiliar with Vitess or managing distributed databases.
  • Cost
    While it can offer cost savings in some areas, the pricing for large-scale deployments and multi-region setups can be relatively high.
  • Complexity of Advanced Features
    Advanced features like sharding and branching can add complexity to the database management operations.
  • Limited Ecosystem
    Compared to more established databases, the ecosystem and community around PlanetScale might be smaller, which can affect the availability of third-party tools and community support.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Using a proprietary platform can lead to vendor lock-in, making it harder to switch to other database services if needed.
  • Early-stage Platform
    While promising, PlanetScale is relatively new compared to some other established database services, which means it may lack some maturity or have bugs that older platforms have ironed out.

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.

Analysis of PlanetScale

Overall verdict

  • PlanetScale is a strong choice for developers and companies looking for a scalable, reliable, and developer-friendly database solution. Its foundations on proven technology and modern features make it a good option for various use cases.

Why this product is good

  • PlanetScale is known for its serverless database platform designed to be simple, scalable, and efficient. It is built on Vitess, which powers companies like YouTube and Slack, offering great performance at scale. PlanetScale provides features such as branching, sharding, and horizontal scaling without downtime, appealing to developers who need robust infrastructure. Additionally, it's designed to integrate seamlessly with developer workflows, providing tools like a CLI and a web console for easy database management.

Recommended for

  • Developers building cloud-native applications
  • Teams needing scalable databases with no downtime
  • Organizations requiring seamless integration with existing development workflows
  • Startups and tech companies looking for robust infrastructure

Analysis of Payload CMS

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Payload CMS is a good option for many use cases.

Why this product is good

  • Payload CMS offers a modern and flexible headless architecture, which allows developers to create custom content management experiences using JavaScript and Node.js.
  • It provides a clean and intuitive admin interface that is designed to be easily customizable to fit different client needs.
  • Payload CMS includes built-in features like access control, versioning, and a robust API, which makes managing content efficient and secure.
  • The developer-centric approach means it's highly extendable and works seamlessly with modern development workflows.

Recommended for

  • Developers seeking a customizable, JavaScript-based headless CMS.
  • Projects that require a flexible content infrastructure and easy integration with other JavaScript libraries or frameworks.
  • Teams looking for a CMS that can scale with their application and development needs.
  • Organizations that need advanced content management capabilities such as complex access control and content versioning.

PlanetScale videos

PlanetScale Beta - Release Radar

More videos:

  • Review - Using PlanetScale (MySQL) with Next.js and Vercel!
  • Review - PlanetScale and Prisma: building in the cloud - Nick Van Wiggeren | Prisma Day 2021

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 PlanetScale and Payload CMS)
Databases
100 100%
0% 0
CMS
0 0%
100% 100
Developer Tools
70 70%
30% 30
Blogging
0 0%
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 PlanetScale and Payload CMS

PlanetScale Reviews

We have no reviews of PlanetScale yet.
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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

PlanetScale might be a bit more popular than Payload CMS. We know about 103 links to it since March 2021 and only 91 links to Payload CMS. 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.

PlanetScale mentions (103)

  • Serverless Backend: A New Era for Developers
    Database: It helps storing, managing and retriving data in a structured manner (e.g. NeonDB, PlanetScale, DynamoDB). - Source: dev.to / about 20 hours ago
  • Ask HN: What's the best free database provider out there?
    Https://planetscale.com/ would be a good bet. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • List of 45 databases in the world
    PlanetScale — Serverless database platform built on MySQL and Vitess. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Good alternatives to Heroku
    Planetscale - Directly from their website: "PlanetScale is a MySQL-compatible serverless database that brings you scale, performance, and reliability — without sacrificing developer experience.". - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • MySQL or Top Alternatives in 2024 and How to Choose One
    PlanetScale is a MySQL-compatible database that offers scale, performance, and reliability, and many more powerful database features. Leveraging cloud-native architecture, PlanetScale enables organizations to deploy, manage, and scale MySQL-compatible databases with ease. With features such as automatic sharding, distributed transactions, and high availability, PlanetScale enables businesses to handle large... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year 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 2 months 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 / 3 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 / 4 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

MarkLogic Server - MarkLogic Server is a multi-model database that has both NoSQL and trusted enterprise data management capabilities.

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.

Datomic - The fully transactional, cloud-ready, distributed database

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.

Valentina Server - Valentina Server is 3 in 1: Valentina DB Server / SQLite Server / Report Server

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