Payload CMSvsSerendipity
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Payload CMS | Serendipity | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 53/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS | #7 of 24 in Blogging |
| GitHub stars | 45 565 | 229 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +653 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 20 | 2 |
| Latest release | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 | 2.6.1 · 22 Jul 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | Typescript | PHP |
Which one should you pick?
Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 53/100 for Serendipity, so it is the safer default.
Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for Serendipity.
Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+653 stars in 30 days).
Payload CMS details →Serendipity details →