Payload CMSvswindmill
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Payload CMS | windmill | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 77/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS | #6 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 45 559 | 18 307 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +647 | +287 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 20 | 162 |
| Latest release | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 | v1.852.0 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | Rust |
Which one should you pick?
Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 77/100 for windmill, so it is the safer default.
windmill ships more often: 162 stable releases in the past year, against 20 for Payload CMS.
Payload CMS is growing faster right now (+647 stars in 30 days).
Payload CMS details →windmill details →