hot-updatervsPayload CMS
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| hot-updater | Payload CMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 62/100 | 83/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 20 in Application Management | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 1 799 | 45 563 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +70 | +651 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 47 | 20 |
| Latest release | v1.1.4 · 27 Oct 2026 | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 62/100 for hot-updater, so it is the safer default.
hot-updater ships more often: 47 stable releases in the past year, against 20 for Payload CMS.
If you want the quickest setup, Payload CMS is easier to run; hot-updater needs more configuration.
Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+651 stars in 30 days).
hot-updater details →Payload CMS details →