Directus vs Payload
Learn how Directus and Payload differ in their key features, development activity, technology
stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these headless cms tools is best for you.
Learn how Directus and Payload differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these headless cms tools is best for you.
Directus
Last 30 days
Last commit
17 hours agoRepository age
14 yearsVersion
v12.3.0Self-hosted
YesRepository
directus/directus
Payload
Last 30 days
Last commit
11 hours agoRepository age
6 yearsVersion
v3.88.0License
MITSelf-hosted
YesRepository
payloadcms/payload
Detailed Comparison
Both Directus and Payload have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.
Both Directus and Payload have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.
Community & Popularity
Both tools have similar popularity levels, with Directus having 37,480 stars and Payload having 44,278 stars on GitHub. In terms of developer contributions, Directus has 4,902 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.
Growth Momentum
Directus is growing faster, adding 753 stars in the last 30 days (+2.1%) against adding 555 stars for Payload (+1.3%). Directus is the smaller project of the two, so it is closing the gap rather than extending a lead.
Development Activity
Both projects show recent activity, with Directus last updated 17 hours ago and Payload 11 hours ago.
Technology Stack
Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Typescript, SCSS. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Directus uses Vue while Payload leverages Bash, JSX, Next.js, Remix.
Project Maturity
Directus has been in development longer, starting 14 years ago, compared to Payload which began 6 years ago. This 8.2-year head start suggests Directus may have more mature features and established processes.
Licensing
Payload is licensed under MIT, while Directus's license terms are not publicly specified.
Use Cases & Features
Both tools serve similar use cases in Headless CMS. However, they also have distinct specializations: Directus also focuses on Low-Code/No-Code, Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS).
Hosting & Deployment
Both Directus and Payload offer self-hosting capabilities, giving you full control over your data and infrastructure.
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