# excalidraw vs Payload CMS

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

| | excalidraw | Payload CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 91/100 ✓ | 83/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 9 in Whiteboarding | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 134 777 ✓ | 45 570 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 944 ✓ | +638 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 20 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.18.1 · 21 Apr 2026 | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

excalidraw scores 91/100 against 83/100 for Payload CMS, so it is the safer default.

Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for excalidraw.

excalidraw is growing faster right now (+1 944 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [excalidraw](https://selfhost.directory/project/excalidraw) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/excalidraw.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/excalidraw-vs-payload-cms