Payload CMS: what it is and why it matters

Over the years I've worked with many different CMS. Most often WordPress, because it shows up in every other project. I've also worked on projects with custom-built solutions. Each approach taught me something, and each had its limits, including performance issues and dependency on an external vendor.

When we started our first Payload projects at Codee, something felt different. In this article I explain why I think Payload is one of the best-designed tools for teams working on a modern stack.

In this post you'll learn:

1. What Payload CMS is and how it works
2. What Payload does well, and where it may fall short
3. Who it's for
4. How it compares to WordPress

What is Payload CMS?

Payload CMS is a content management system that, since version 3, runs natively inside a Next.js project. Not as a separate service alongside the frontend, but as part of it. As of June 2026, the project has over 43,000 stars on GitHub and is actively maintained. The latest version is already v3.85.1, and version 4 is coming soon.

Instead of clicking through a panel and configuring content structure via a GUI, you write it in code. Payload reads that configuration and uses it to build the admin panel, generate the API, and keep data consistent.

Payload comes with features you often have to look for in separate tools: user authentication, file and image management, multi-language support, and a content editor.

What Payload does well

Your data, your code, your server. Payload is open-source and you host it yourself. You don't pay a monthly subscription to an external vendor, and you don't depend on someone raising prices or changing terms. Everything is yours.

Editors see exactly what they should. The admin panel is generated automatically based on what the developer defined. The person managing content sees exactly what they need to see.

Errors caught earlier. When a developer changes the data structure, it's immediately clear where something in the project stops matching. Instead of discovering problems after deployment, you see them before publishing.

Ready to integrate. Payload exposes data through a standard API that connects to a store, mobile app, external system, or AI tool. Content managed in one place can go anywhere.

Faster and more secure than WordPress. Sites built on Payload load significantly faster than typical WordPress projects. Payload was built with security and speed in mind from the start, not patched over the years with plugin after plugin.

SEO under control. Payload has an official plugin for managing metadata, and combined with Next.js you get full control over how the site appears in search engines and AI models.

Who is Payload for?

Payload requires a developer to configure. There's no "install and click" mode like in WordPress. That doesn't mean it's difficult or that getting a project up takes weeks. With a good team, the first environment is running within a day. The entry barrier is technical, but not high.

Payload makes sense when:

• you're building a website or application that needs flexible content management and custom solutions
• you want full control over where and how your data is stored
• the project will grow and change over time
• performance and security matter

An example from our own work: we built an open-source app for personal trainers on Payload. The admin panel was configured for trainers, so they can easily add new plans and share them with clients. Payload handles the entire backend: authentication, data structure, and API. The code is publicly available on GitHub.

It's also worth knowing what Payload is not. If you're building an online store, the e-commerce engine should be something like Medusa.js — a dedicated tool for managing products, orders, and payments. Payload works great alongside Medusa as the content layer: product pages, blogs, landing pages, marketing content. Both tools run on the same stack and work well together.

Payload vs WordPress

WordPress powers over 43% of websites on the internet. Not because it's the best technically, but because it's easy to use and has a massive ecosystem of ready-made solutions. It's also popular because for a long time there were no compelling alternatives that could realistically replace it.

Payload targets different projects. It's not just about scale, but about how you build. If you want a site that loads fast, stays secure without adding dozens of plugins, and gives developers full control over the code, WordPress starts to become the wrong choice.

To sum up

In my opinion, after many years of working with different CMSes, Payload works well wherever loading speed, security, and ease of maintenance over the coming years matter. It will clearly keep growing as a solution, and we'll definitely keep using it.

If you're comfortable with WordPress, like its admin panel, and its usual pain points don't bother you, then keep using it.

In the next posts in this series we'll show what configuring Payload looks like from the ground up and how content management works in practice.