# Joomla! vs Payload CMS

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

| | Joomla! | Payload CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 74/100 | 83/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #5 of 42 in Content Management | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 5 157 | 45 563 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +14 | +651 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 12 | 20 ✓ |
| Latest release | 6.2.0 · 12 Oct 2026 | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | PHP | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 74/100 for Joomla!, so it is the safer default.

Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for Joomla!.

Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+651 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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