# nforwardauth vs Payload CMS

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

| | nforwardauth | Payload CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 44/100 | 83/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #28 of 40 in Authentication | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 159 | 45 559 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +647 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 20 ✓ |
| Latest release | v1.5.1 · 10 Jul 2026 | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Rust | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 44/100 for nforwardauth, so it is the safer default.

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

Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+647 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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