CMS Made SimplevsPayload CMS
Two self-hosted WordPress alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| CMS Made Simple | Payload CMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 64/100 | 83/100 |
| Rank in category | #12 of 42 in Content Management | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | — | 45 550 |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +638 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 20 |
| Latest release | — | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | — | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 64/100 for CMS Made Simple, so it is the safer default.
Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for CMS Made Simple.
Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+638 stars in 30 days).
CMS Made Simple details →Payload CMS details → All WordPress alternatives →