EncorevsPayload CMS
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Encore | Payload CMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 83/100 |
| Rank in category | #4 of 14 in Platform as a Service | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 12 651 | 45 561 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +166 | +649 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 9 | 20 |
| Latest release | v1.58.8 · 20 Oct 2026 | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 72/100 for Encore, so it is the safer default.
Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for Encore.
Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+649 stars in 30 days).
Encore details →Payload CMS details →