# Payload CMS vs windmill

> 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).

## Details

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