Best Payload CMS Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from headless CMS ranked against Payload CMS on the same published basis.
- 1Payload CMS vs Sanity
- 2Payload CMS vs Prismic
- 3Payload CMS vs Directus
- 4Payload CMS vs dotCMS
- 5Payload CMS vs Storyblok
- 6Payload CMS vs ButterCMS
- 7Payload CMS vs Contentful
- 8Payload CMS vs DatoCMS
- 9Payload CMS vs Cloud CMS
- 10Payload CMS vs Webiny
- 11Payload CMS vs Enonic XP
- 12Payload CMS vs Strapi
- 13Payload CMS vs CrafterCMS
- 14Payload CMS vs Squidex
- 15Payload CMS vs Cosmic
- 17Payload CMS vs Hygraph
- 18Payload CMS vs Contentstack
- 19Payload CMS vs TinaCMS
- 20Payload CMS vs Zesty.io
- 21Payload CMS vs Umbraco CMS
Payload CMS alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanity | 7.9 | Free plan | $15/mo | Web |
| 2 | Prismic | 7.9 | Free plan | $10/mo | API, Web |
| 3 | Directus | 7.6 | Free plan | $499/mo | Web |
| 4 | dotCMS | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | — |
| 5 | Storyblok | 7.5 | Free plan | $99/mo | Web |
| 6 | ButterCMS | 7.5 | Free plan | $71/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 7 | Contentful | 7.4 | Free plan | $300/mo | Web |
| 8 | DatoCMS | 7.4 | Free plan | €149,199/mo | API, Web |
| 9 | Cloud CMS | 7.4 | Free plan | — | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 10 | Webiny | 7.1 | Free plan | $79/mo | Web |
| 11 | Enonic XP | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 12 | Strapi | 7.0 | No | $35/mo | self-hosted |
| 13 | CrafterCMS | 6.9 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 14 | Squidex | 6.8 | No | — | Web |
| 15 | Cosmic | 6.8 | Free plan | $99/mo | Web, iOS, Android |
| 17 | Hygraph | 6.6 | Free plan | $199/mo | Web |
| 18 | Contentstack | 6.5 | Free plan | $299/mo | Web |
| 19 | TinaCMS | 6.5 | Free plan | $24/mo | API, self-hosted, Web |
| 20 | Zesty.io | 6.3 | Free plan | $475/mo | Web |
| 21 | Umbraco CMS | 6.3 | Free plan | €45/mo | Web |
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Questions about Payload CMS alternatives
What is the best alternative to Payload CMS?
Sanity, number 1 in headless CMS with a score of 7.9 out of 10. The others here: Prismic, Directus, dotCMS and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Payload CMS?
Sanity is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 17 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.