Kirby vs Payload
Kirby is a closed-source traditional CMS 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 14.
- Kirby Traditional · Closed source · 11 of 28 built in
- Payload Headless · Open source · 13 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Kirby on 29 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
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| What it is | File-based PHP CMS with a configurable editing Panel. Content lives in text files on your own server, under a paid per-site licence. | 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. | Kirby 5. Kirby 6 is in alpha. Version 5.6.0, released 16 Sept 2026 | Payload 3, MIT-licensed open-source core Version 3.90.2, released 23 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Content Folder GmbH & Co. KG getkirby.com | Figma (acquired Payload in June 2025) payloadcms.com |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary, source available | Open source MIT |
| Hosting | Self-hosting No vendor cloud | Self-hosting Vendor cloud Payload Cloud is paused for new projects. Payload offers hosting to enterprise customers. |
| Built with | PHP, Vue for the Panel | TypeScript, Node.js, Next.js, React |
| Database | Flat files, no database required | PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | No free option Basic €99 per site if revenue is under €1M. Enterprise €349 per site. Both include 3 years of updates. | 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. | Built in Blueprints are YAML files in site/blueprints. 5 | 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. | Not available You edit blueprints as files. The Panel has no schema editor. 5 | 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 Blocks and Layout fields. 6 | 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. | Built in Multi-language content is built in. 7 | 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 Thumbs with resize, crop and format conversion. 8 | 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. | Built in Authenticated REST API. The official KQL plugin serves headless queries. 910 | 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 PHP hooks only. No webhook settings. | 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 PHP templates and snippets. | 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 Page drafts. Kirby 5 stores unsaved changes apart from the live version. 4 | Built in 10 |
| Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. | Not available | 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. | Not available Kirby 5 keeps the live version and one set of changes. No revision history. 4 | 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 Preview view renders unsaved changes, with shareable links. 4 | Built in |
| Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. | Not available Preview view compares versions. No click-to-edit. 4 | 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. | Not available Fixed page statuses: draft, unlisted, listed. 11 | Paid tier Enterprise publishing workflows. 39 |
| Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. | Not available | 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. | Not available Content locking stops two editors changing one page at once. 320 | 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 Roles are user blueprints with permissions. 12 | 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 Only by loading different blueprints per role in custom code. 13 | 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 No first-party SSO. Community OAuth plugins exist. | 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. | Not available | 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. | 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 Panel plugins add fields, sections, views and areas. 15 | Built in Custom React components, views and fields. |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Official plugin directory at plugins.getkirby.com. 16 | 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. | Plugin or add-on Paid DreamForm plugin by tobimori. 17 | 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. | Limited Frontend login is built in. Sign-up needs custom code. 14 | 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. | Not available No first-party AI. Kirby Copilot is a paid third-party plugin. 18 | 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. | Not available Third-party Kirby MCP plugin by Bruno Meilick. 19 | Plugin or add-on Official open-source MCP plugin. 14 |
Kirby sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Kirby 5. Kirby 6 is in alpha..
- Kirby pricing
- Kirby releases
- Kirby 5 release overview
- Kirby 5: Preview your changes
- Kirby docs: Blueprints
- Kirby docs: Blocks field
- Kirby docs: Languages
- Kirby docs: $file->thumb()
- Kirby docs: REST API
- Kirby Query Language (KQL) plugin
- Kirby docs: Publishing workflow
- Kirby docs: Permissions
- Kirby cookbook: Extending permissions
- Kirby docs: Frontend login
- Kirby docs: Plugin extensions
- Kirby plugin directory
- DreamForm plugin
- Kirby Copilot plugin
- Kirby MCP plugin by Bruno Meilick
- Kirby docs: Content options (locking)
Payload sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Payload 3, MIT-licensed open-source core.
- payload on the npm registry
- Get started with Payload
- Payload for Enterprise
- Payload Cloud update: Payload has joined Figma
- Payload enterprise SSO
- Payload enterprise audit logs
- Payload Visual Editor
- Payload enterprise AI
- Payload publishing workflows
- Payload docs: Drafts
- Payload docs: Uploads
- Payload docs: Document locking
- Payload docs: Plugins
- Payload docs: MCP plugin
- Payload docs: Multi-tenant plugin
- Payload docs: Form Builder plugin
- GitHub discussion: Webhooks?
- Payload docs: Access control
- Figma blog: Welcoming Payload to the Figma team
- Payload multi-player editing
Considering more platforms? Compare Kirby and Payload with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Kirby and Payload get a different status on 14 of the 28 features and the same status on 14. Kirby has 11 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.
- Licence
- Kirby is closed source (Proprietary, source available). Payload is open source (MIT).
- Vendor cloud
- Kirby has no vendor-run cloud. Payload has a vendor-run cloud.
- Free option
- Kirby has no free option. Payload has a free option.
Built in on Kirby, a different answer on Payload 3
- Renders the website Kirby: Built in. Payload: Not available.
- Custom roles Kirby: Built in. Payload: Limited.
- Plugin marketplace Kirby: Built in. Payload: Limited.
Built in on Payload, a different answer on Kirby 5
- GraphQL API Kirby: Not available. Payload: Built in.
- Scheduled publishing Kirby: Not available. Payload: Built in.
- Version history Kirby: Not available. Payload: Built in.
- Field-level permissions Kirby: Not available. Payload: Built in.
- Site member accounts Kirby: Limited. Payload: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 6
- Approval workflows Kirby: Not available. Payload: Paid tier.
- Single sign-on Kirby: Not available. Payload: Paid tier.
- Audit log Kirby: Not available. Payload: Paid tier.
- Multiple sites Kirby: Not available. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
- AI writing assistant Kirby: Not available. Payload: Paid tier.
- Official MCP server Kirby: Not available. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
More comparisons
Kirby against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Kirby
- Contentful vs Kirby
- Contentstack vs Kirby
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Kirby
- Craft CMS vs Kirby
- DatoCMS vs Kirby
- Decap CMS vs Kirby
- Directus vs Kirby
- Drupal vs Kirby
- EmDash vs Kirby
- FirstSpirit vs Kirby
- Framer vs Kirby
- Ghost vs Kirby
- HubSpot CMS vs Kirby
- Hygraph vs Kirby
- Instatic vs Kirby
- Joomla vs Kirby
- Keystone vs Kirby
- Kirby vs Liferay DXP
- Kirby vs Optimizely CMS
- Kirby vs Prismic
- Kirby vs Progress Sitefinity
- Kirby vs Sanity
- Kirby vs Sitecore
- Kirby vs Squarespace
- Kirby vs Statamic
- Kirby vs Storyblok
- Kirby vs Strapi
- Kirby vs TYPO3
- Kirby vs Umbraco
- Kirby vs Wagtail
- Kirby vs Webflow
- Kirby vs Wix
- Kirby vs WordPress
- Xperience by Kentico vs Kirby
Payload against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Payload
- Contentful vs Payload
- Contentstack vs Payload
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Payload
- Craft CMS vs Payload
- DatoCMS vs Payload
- Decap CMS vs Payload
- Directus vs Payload
- Drupal vs Payload
- EmDash vs Payload
- FirstSpirit vs Payload
- Framer vs Payload
- Ghost vs Payload
- HubSpot CMS vs Payload
- Hygraph vs Payload
- Instatic vs Payload
- Joomla vs Payload
- Keystone vs Payload
- Liferay DXP vs Payload
- Optimizely CMS vs Payload
- Prismic vs Payload
- Progress Sitefinity vs Payload
- Sanity vs Payload
- Sitecore vs Payload
- Squarespace vs Payload
- Statamic vs Payload
- Storyblok vs Payload
- Strapi vs Payload
- TYPO3 vs Payload
- Umbraco vs Payload
- Wagtail vs Payload
- Webflow vs Payload
- Wix vs Payload
- WordPress vs Payload
- Xperience by Kentico vs Payload
Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.
We're booking content platform
engagements for 2026.
Twenty-five minutes to walk through the work and decide if we're the right team for it. Scoping and a fixed price come after.