Statamic vs Payload
Statamic 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 19.
- Statamic Traditional · Closed source · 8 of 28 built in
- Payload Headless · Open source · 13 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Statamic 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 | Laravel-based PHP CMS that stores content in flat files by default. Free Core edition. Pro adds users, APIs and multi-site. You host it. | 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. | Statamic 6, Core and Pro Version 6.34.1, released 23 Sept 2026 | Payload 3, MIT-licensed open-source core Version 3.90.2, released 23 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Statamic, LLC statamic.com | Figma (acquired Payload in June 2025) payloadcms.com |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary, source available. Core is free to use. | 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, Laravel, Vue | TypeScript, Node.js, Next.js, React |
| Database | Flat files by default, SQL databases via the Eloquent Driver | PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Core free for one admin user. Pro $349 per site, then $99 per year for updates. Enterprise from $10k per year. | 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 and fieldsets are YAML files in the project. 4 | 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 Blueprint builder in the Control Panel. 4 | 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 Replicator and Bard sets. 5 | 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. | Paid tier Multi-site and multilingual content need Pro. 61 | 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 Glide resizes and crops on request. 7 | 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. | Paid tier Read-only REST API on Pro. 8 | Built in |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Paid tier Read-only GraphQL API on Pro. 9 | Built in |
| Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. | Not available Laravel events only. No webhook settings in core. | 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 Antlers or Blade templates. | 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. | Paid tier Working copies of live entries need Revisions on Pro. Core has unpublished entries. 101 | Built in 10 |
| Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. | Limited Future-dated entries stay private until their date. Set per collection. 11 | 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. | Paid tier Revisions on Pro. 10 | 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 121 | Built in |
| Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. | Limited Live Preview shows the edit form beside the page. No click-to-edit. 12 | 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 Approval workflows are on the roadmap as planned. 19 | 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. | Plugin or add-on Free first-party Collaboration addon. Requires Pro. 18 | 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. | Paid tier Roles and permissions need Pro. 131 | 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 Field conditions depend on field values. User roles can't drive them. 4 | Built in Field-level access functions. 18 |
| Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. | Paid tier Pro via Laravel Socialite providers such as SAML2. Enterprise tier lists SSO. 1521 | 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. | Paid tier Enterprise tier, from $10k per year, lists audit logging. 121 | 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. | Paid tier Pro. 61 | 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 Custom fieldtypes, widgets and Control Panel pages. 17 | Built in Custom React components, views and fields. |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Statamic Marketplace for addons. 18 | 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. | Limited Core allows one form. Pro removes the limit. 116 | 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. | Paid tier Member accounts, registration and login tags need Pro. 1416 | 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 | 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 addons only, such as MCP Server for Statamic by Cbox. 20 | Plugin or add-on Official open-source MCP plugin. 14 |
Statamic sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Statamic 6, Core and Pro.
- Statamic pricing
- statamic/cms release metadata on Packagist
- Statamic 6 release announcement
- Statamic docs: Blueprints
- Statamic docs: Replicator fieldtype
- Statamic docs: Multi-site
- Statamic docs: Image manipulation (Glide)
- Statamic docs: REST API
- Statamic docs: GraphQL API
- Statamic docs: Revisions
- Statamic docs: Collections and date behavior
- Statamic docs: Live Preview
- Statamic docs: Permissions
- Statamic docs: Users
- Statamic docs: OAuth
- Statamic docs: Forms
- Statamic docs: Extending the Control Panel
- Collaboration addon by Statamic
- Statamic roadmap
- MCP Server for Statamic addon by Cbox
- Statamic Enterprise
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 Statamic and Payload with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Statamic and Payload get a different status on 19 of the 28 features and the same status on 9. Statamic has 8 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
- Statamic is closed source (Proprietary, source available. Core is free to use.). Payload is open source (MIT).
- Vendor cloud
- Statamic has no vendor-run cloud. Payload has a vendor-run cloud.
Built in on Statamic, a different answer on Payload 3
- Content model in the UI Statamic: Built in. Payload: Not available.
- Renders the website Statamic: Built in. Payload: Not available.
- Plugin marketplace Statamic: Built in. Payload: Limited.
Built in on Payload, a different answer on Statamic 8
- Localization Statamic: Paid tier. Payload: Built in.
- REST API Statamic: Paid tier. Payload: Built in.
- GraphQL API Statamic: Paid tier. Payload: Built in.
- Drafts Statamic: Paid tier. Payload: Built in.
- Scheduled publishing Statamic: Limited. Payload: Built in.
- Version history Statamic: Paid tier. Payload: Built in.
- Field-level permissions Statamic: Not available. Payload: Built in.
- Site member accounts Statamic: Paid tier. Payload: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 8
- Visual editing Statamic: Limited. Payload: Not available.
- Approval workflows Statamic: Not available. Payload: Paid tier.
- Real-time co-editing Statamic: Plugin or add-on. Payload: Not available.
- Custom roles Statamic: Paid tier. Payload: Limited.
- Multiple sites Statamic: Paid tier. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
- Form builder Statamic: Limited. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
- AI writing assistant Statamic: Not available. Payload: Paid tier.
- Official MCP server Statamic: Not available. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
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