OpenDesignvsPayload CMS
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| OpenDesign | Payload CMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 83/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 7 in Design | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 104 639 | 45 563 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 808 | +651 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 10 | 20 |
| Latest release | open-design-v0.26.1 · 22 Oct 2026 | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
OpenDesign and Payload CMS score the same (83/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.
Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 10 for OpenDesign.
OpenDesign is growing faster right now (+1 808 stars in 30 days).
OpenDesign details →Payload CMS details →
Swap a project
Keep OpenDesign, compare it with
Keep Payload CMS, compare it with