# Payload CMS vs ShellHub

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

| | Payload CMS | ShellHub |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 ✓ | 64/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS | #12 of 23 in Remote Access |
| GitHub stars | 45 566 ✓ | 2 243 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +634 ✓ | +175 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 20 ✓ | 9 |
| Latest release | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 | v0.28.0 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 64/100 for ShellHub, so it is the safer default.

Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for ShellHub.

Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+634 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Payload CMS](https://selfhost.directory/project/payload-cms) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/payload-cms.md)
- [ShellHub](https://selfhost.directory/project/shellhub) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shellhub.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/payload-cms-vs-shellhub