# Nakama vs Payload CMS

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

| | Nakama | Payload CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 83/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 62 in Game Servers | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 13 603 | 45 550 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +61 | +638 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 9 | 20 ✓ |
| Latest release | v3.41.0 · 18 Sept 2026 | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 76/100 for Nakama, so it is the safer default.

Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for Nakama.

Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+638 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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