{"data":{"slug":"payload","name":"Payload","tagline":"MIT Next.js-native headless CMS; Cloud new deploys paused","category":"nextjs","categoryName":"Next.js","url":"https://payloadcms.com","github":"https://github.com/payloadcms/payload","pricing":"open-source","hook":"Payload is the code-first Next.js CMS when Strapi is the Node admin cousin and Sanity is the hosted Content Lake.","whatsGood":"MIT. Collections/globals in TypeScript, Auth, uploads, Local API, runs inside Next.js. Self-host forever on any Node host. Active core post-Figma acquisition with public commitment to stay OSS.","theCatch":"LOUD: Payload Cloud new project deploys are paused after Figma — existing Cloud keeps running; new teams should self-host (Vercel/Cloudflare templates). Not Sanity Content Lake SaaS. Enterprise features/support are commercial conversations.","verdict":"MIT Next.js CMS. Self-host is the free path; Cloud new-signups paused.","addedAt":"2026-09-04","featured":false,"domain":"Next.js","subSpecialty":"CMS","capabilities":["cms","nextjs","typescript"],"surfaces":["Self-host"],"ecosystem":["Node.js"],"licenseModel":"OSS/MIT","githubStars":44568},"related":[{"slug":"vercel","name":"Vercel","tagline":"The platform that made Next.js deployment trivial"},{"slug":"prisma","name":"Prisma","tagline":"Type-safe database access with killer DX"},{"slug":"drizzle","name":"Drizzle ORM","tagline":"TypeScript ORM that feels like SQL"},{"slug":"trpc","name":"tRPC","tagline":"End-to-end typesafe APIs without codegen"},{"slug":"clerk","name":"Clerk","tagline":"Auth that actually ships with your UI"}],"links":{"self":"/api/gems/payload","html":"/gems/payload","markdown":"/gems/payload.md","category":"/api/gems?category=nextjs","categoryPage":"/stacks/nextjs"}}