# Payload CMS vs Terraforming Mars

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

| | Payload CMS | Terraforming Mars |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 ✓ | 62/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS | #4 of 14 in Gaming |
| GitHub stars | 45 566 ✓ | 961 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +634 ✓ | +9 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 20 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 62/100 for Terraforming Mars, so it is the safer default.

Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Terraforming Mars.

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)
- [Terraforming Mars](https://selfhost.directory/project/terraforming-mars) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/terraforming-mars.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-terraforming-mars