# ESPHome vs Payload CMS

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | ESPHome | Payload CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 | 83/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #4 of 104 in Home Automation | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 11 979 | 45 571 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +257 | +639 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 46 ✓ | 20 |
| Latest release | 2026.10.1 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | C | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 78/100 for ESPHome, so it is the safer default.

ESPHome ships more often: 46 stable releases in the past year, against 20 for Payload CMS.

Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+639 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [ESPHome](https://selfhost.directory/project/esphome) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/esphome.md)
- [Payload CMS](https://selfhost.directory/project/payload-cms) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/payload-cms.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Ghost vs Payload CMS](https://selfhost.directory/compare/ghost-vs-payload-cms)
- [directus vs Payload CMS](https://selfhost.directory/compare/directus-vs-payload-cms)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/esphome-vs-payload-cms