# octelium vs Payload CMS

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

| | octelium | Payload CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 59/100 | 83/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #22 of 56 in VPN | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 4 133 | 45 565 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +63 | +633 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 21 ✓ | 20 |
| Latest release | v0.47.0 · 24 Oct 2026 | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 59/100 for octelium, so it is the safer default.

octelium ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 20 for Payload CMS.

If you want the quickest setup, Payload CMS is easier to run; octelium needs more configuration.

Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+633 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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