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CMS comparison Instatic vs Payload

Instatic vs Payload

Instatic is an open-source site builder that you host yourself. Payload is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 20.

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  • Instatic Site builder · Open source · 15 of 28 built in
  • Payload Headless · Open source · 13 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Instatic on 30 Sept 2026, Payload on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.

WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.

Feature comparison

Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available
Instatic vs Payload feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Instatic Site builder
Payload Headless
Overview
What it is Open-source, self-hosted CMS with a visual canvas editor. One Bun server runs the editor, content store and publisher, and publishing writes plain HTML files to disk.Open-source TypeScript headless CMS and app framework that installs into a Next.js app and stores content in your own database.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Instatic 0.0.20, open source Version 0.0.20, released 13 Sept 2026 Payload 3, MIT-licensed open-source core Version 3.90.2, released 23 Sept 2026
Vendor CoreBunch instatic.com Figma (acquired Payload in June 2025) payloadcms.com
Licence Open source MIT Open source MIT
Hosting Self-hosting No vendor cloud No managed hosting. You deploy the Docker image to your own server, or use the Railway and Render templates. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Payload Cloud is paused for new projects. Payload offers hosting to enterprise customers.
Built with TypeScript, Bun, React adminTypeScript, Node.js, Next.js, React
Database SQLite, PostgreSQLPostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free and open source, with no paid tiers. You pay only for hosting. Free to start Free to self-host. Enterprise licence, support and hosting on request.
Content modelling
Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited. Not available Tables and fields live in the database and change in the Data workspace. Plugins can create tables through the SDK. 610 Built in Collections, globals and fields are TypeScript config. 2
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Custom post types and data tables in the Data workspace. 616 Not available No schema builder in the admin.
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Visual Components with typed parameters and named slots, placed and reordered on the canvas. 72 Built in Blocks field.
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Not available One site-wide language setting. No per-locale fields or entries. 21 Built in Field-level localization.
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Uploads get a set of WebP sizes, and the publisher writes srcset and sizes from the layout. 81 Built in Generates configured image sizes on upload, with crop and focal point. 11
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Limited The JSON API under /admin/api/cms serves the admin behind a session cookie. No token-based content API outside MCP. 920 Built in
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Built in
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Not available No built-in webhooks. A plugin with network access can call a URL from content hooks. 10 Not available No webhook settings. Call URLs from afterChange hooks in code. 17
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in Publishing renders every page to static HTML on the server's disk. 11 Not available Runs inside your Next.js app. You build the pages.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in 51 Built in 10
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Per page and per post-type entry. 5 Built in Scheduled publish and unpublish run through the jobs queue. 10
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Published versions of pages and entries, restorable into the draft. Added in 0.0.20. 124 Built in Opt-in per collection or global. 10
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in The canvas renders drafts in the site design. Branch preview links work without an account. 122 Built in
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Editing happens on the rendered page canvas, with a live mode for the full-size page. 214 Not available Payload lists the Enterprise Visual Editor as coming soon. 37
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Limited Branch merge requests with a review page and comments. No configurable review stages. 12 Paid tier Enterprise publishing workflows. 39
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Limited Publish ships all draft pages at once. Branches group edits across pages and entries, but entries still publish one by one. 125 Not available
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Limited Live co-editing of pages, components and layouts in the Site editor. Content workspace entries save separately. 13144 Not available Document locking only. Payload lists enterprise multi-player editing as coming soon. 12320
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in The Owner builds roles from a fixed list of capabilities. 1516 Limited Roles are access-control functions written in code. No role editor in the admin. 18
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Capabilities apply per table type and edit category, not per field. 16 Built in Field-level access functions. 18
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Not available Email and password with optional TOTP two-factor. 15 Paid tier Enterprise licence, SAML and OAuth 2.0. 35
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Built in Append-only log of logins, content changes, role edits and plugin actions. 17 Paid tier Enterprise audit logs. 6
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Not available One site per installation. 2 Plugin or add-on Official multi-tenant plugin. 15
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Plugins add admin pages, editor extensions, dashboard widgets and canvas modules. 10 Built in Custom React components, views and fields.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Not available Plugins install as uploaded zip packages. No official directory. 10 Limited Docs list official plugins. Community plugin directories are third-party. 13
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Built in Forms are built on the canvas and submissions land in a data table. 18 Plugin or add-on Official Form Builder plugin. 16
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Built in Any auth-enabled collection can hold site users.
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in Built-in agent in the Site and Content workspaces, with your own Claude, OpenAI, OpenRouter or Ollama key. 19 Paid tier Enterprise AI writing assistant. Payload lists AI translation and image generation as coming soon. 8
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Built in at /_instatic/mcp, with OAuth or scoped personal access tokens. 20 Plugin or add-on Official open-source MCP plugin. 14

Considering more platforms? Compare Instatic and Payload with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Instatic and Payload get a different status on 20 of the 28 features and the same status on 8. Instatic has 15 built in on its baseline edition, Payload has 13. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Vendor cloud
Instatic has no vendor-run cloud. Payload has a vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Instatic, a different answer on Payload 8

  • Content model in the UI Instatic: Built in. Payload: Not available.
  • Renders the website Instatic: Built in. Payload: Not available.
  • Visual editing Instatic: Built in. Payload: Not available.
  • Custom roles Instatic: Built in. Payload: Limited.
  • Audit log Instatic: Built in. Payload: Paid tier.
  • Form builder Instatic: Built in. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
  • AI writing assistant Instatic: Built in. Payload: Paid tier.
  • Official MCP server Instatic: Built in. Payload: Plugin or add-on.

Built in on Payload, a different answer on Instatic 6

  • Content model in code Instatic: Not available. Payload: Built in.
  • Localization Instatic: Not available. Payload: Built in.
  • REST API Instatic: Limited. Payload: Built in.
  • GraphQL API Instatic: Not available. Payload: Built in.
  • Field-level permissions Instatic: Not available. Payload: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Instatic: Not available. Payload: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 6

  • Approval workflows Instatic: Limited. Payload: Paid tier.
  • Content releases Instatic: Limited. Payload: Not available.
  • Real-time co-editing Instatic: Limited. Payload: Not available.
  • Single sign-on Instatic: Not available. Payload: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites Instatic: Not available. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
  • Plugin marketplace Instatic: Not available. Payload: Limited.

More comparisons

Instatic against other platforms

Payload against other platforms

Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.

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