Payload CMSvsTidal Echo
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Payload CMS | Tidal Echo | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 47/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS | #61 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 45 565 | 329 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +653 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 20 | 0 |
| Latest release | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | HTML |
Which one should you pick?
Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 47/100 for Tidal Echo, so it is the safer default.
Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Tidal Echo.
If you want the quickest setup, Payload CMS is easier to run; Tidal Echo needs more configuration.
Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+653 stars in 30 days).
Payload CMS details →Tidal Echo details →