openpencilvsPayload CMS
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| openpencil | Payload CMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 | 83/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 7 in Design | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 9 394 | 45 563 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +809 | +651 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 20 |
| Latest release | v0.16.0 · 14 Oct 2026 | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 73/100 for openpencil, so it is the safer default.
Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for openpencil.
If you want the quickest setup, openpencil is easier to run; Payload CMS needs more configuration.
openpencil details →Payload CMS details →
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