Payload CMSvspolar
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Payload CMS | polar | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 71/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS | #1 of 13 in Billing |
| GitHub stars | 45 570 | 10 436 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +638 | +157 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 20 | 1 |
| Latest release | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 | @polar-sh/cli@3.0.0 · 16 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Python |
Which one should you pick?
Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 71/100 for polar, so it is the safer default.
Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for polar.
If you want the quickest setup, Payload CMS is easier to run; polar needs more configuration.
Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+638 stars in 30 days).
Payload CMS details →polar details →