beamvsPayload CMS
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| beam | Payload CMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 61/100 | 83/100 |
| Rank in category | #29 of 125 in AI | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 1 834 | 45 561 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +47 | +649 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 364 | 20 |
| Latest release | gateway-0.1.837 · 26 Oct 2026 | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 61/100 for beam, so it is the safer default.
beam ships more often: 364 stable releases in the past year, against 20 for Payload CMS.
If you want the quickest setup, Payload CMS is easier to run; beam needs more configuration.
Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+649 stars in 30 days).
beam details →Payload CMS details →
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