Umbraco vs Payload
Umbraco is an open-source traditional CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. 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 15.
- Umbraco Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in
- Payload Headless · Open source · 13 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Umbraco 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 | Open-source .NET CMS that renders sites with Razor or serves content headless. Self-hosted or run on Umbraco Cloud. | 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. | Umbraco CMS 17 LTS, open source. Umbraco 18.2.0 is the latest short-term release. Version 17.7.0, released 17 Sept 2026 | Payload 3, MIT-licensed open-source core Version 3.90.2, released 23 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Umbraco A/S umbraco.com | Figma (acquired Payload in June 2025) payloadcms.com |
| Licence | Open source MIT | Open source MIT |
| Hosting | Self-hosting Vendor cloud Forms and Deploy are paid add-ons when self-hosted. Umbraco Cloud includes both. | Self-hosting Vendor cloud Payload Cloud is paused for new projects. Payload offers hosting to enterprise customers. |
| Built with | C#, ASP.NET Core on .NET 10, TypeScript backoffice | TypeScript, Node.js, Next.js, React |
| Database | SQL Server, SQLite | PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Free to self-host. Umbraco Cloud Starter €45, Standard €280, Professional €730 per month. Enterprise on request. | 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. | Plugin or add-on Umbraco Deploy saves document types as .uda files in Git. Paid on-premises, included on Umbraco Cloud. 45 | 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 Document types are built in the backoffice. | 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 Block List and Block Grid editors. 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 Culture variants per property. | 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 ImageSharp crops and resizes images from query string parameters. 9 | 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 Content Delivery API. 7 | Built in |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Not available No official GraphQL. Community package Nikcio.UHeadless adds one. 20 | Built in |
| Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. | Built in 8 | 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 Razor 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. | Built in | Built in 10 |
| Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. | Built in 10 | 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 Rollback compares and restores earlier versions. 11 | 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 | 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 | 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. | Plugin or add-on Umbraco Workflow add-on. Its free version is capped at five approval groups. Full use is paid. 1221 | Paid tier Enterprise publishing workflows. 39 |
| Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. | Plugin or add-on Release Sets in a licensed Umbraco Workflow. 13 | 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 | 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 User groups with granular permissions. | 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. | Limited Per-property read and write limits per user group, enforced in the UI only. 14 | Built in Field-level access functions. 18 |
| Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. | Built in OpenID Connect providers such as Entra ID, configured in code. 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. | Limited Audit trail per item plus a log viewer. No installation-wide audit screen in core. 16 | 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. | Built in Several root nodes, each with its own domains. | 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 Backoffice extensions. | Built in Custom React components, views and fields. |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Umbraco Marketplace. | 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 Umbraco Forms, paid licence. Included on Umbraco Cloud. 217 | 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. | Built in Members, separate from backoffice users. | 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. | Plugin or add-on Free Umbraco.AI packages add prompts and an editor copilot. 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. | Built in Umbraco CMS Developer MCP server. 19 | Plugin or add-on Official open-source MCP plugin. 14 |
Umbraco sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Umbraco CMS 17 LTS, open source. Umbraco 18.2.0 is the latest short-term release..
- Umbraco releases
- Umbraco pricing
- Umbraco 18 release
- Umbraco Deploy licensing
- Umbraco Cloud: UDA files
- Umbraco docs: Block Grid
- Umbraco docs: Content Delivery API
- Umbraco docs: Webhooks
- Umbraco docs: Image Cropper
- Umbraco docs: Scheduled Publishing
- Umbraco docs: Rollback to a previous version
- Umbraco Workflow
- Umbraco Workflow docs: Release Sets
- Umbraco docs: Property Level UI Permissions
- Umbraco docs: External Login Providers
- Umbraco docs: Log Viewer
- Umbraco Forms licensing
- Umbraco.AI on GitHub
- Umbraco MCP on GitHub
- Nikcio.UHeadless on Umbraco Marketplace
- Umbraco Workflow docs: Licensing
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 Umbraco and Payload with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Umbraco and Payload get a different status on 15 of the 28 features and the same status on 13. Umbraco has 18 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.
Built in on Umbraco, a different answer on Payload 8
- Content model in the UI Umbraco: Built in. Payload: Not available.
- Webhooks Umbraco: Built in. Payload: Not available.
- Renders the website Umbraco: Built in. Payload: Not available.
- Custom roles Umbraco: Built in. Payload: Limited.
- Single sign-on Umbraco: Built in. Payload: Paid tier.
- Multiple sites Umbraco: Built in. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
- Plugin marketplace Umbraco: Built in. Payload: Limited.
- Official MCP server Umbraco: Built in. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
Built in on Payload, a different answer on Umbraco 3
- Content model in code Umbraco: Plugin or add-on. Payload: Built in.
- GraphQL API Umbraco: Not available. Payload: Built in.
- Field-level permissions Umbraco: Limited. Payload: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 4
- Approval workflows Umbraco: Plugin or add-on. Payload: Paid tier.
- Content releases Umbraco: Plugin or add-on. Payload: Not available.
- Audit log Umbraco: Limited. Payload: Paid tier.
- AI writing assistant Umbraco: Plugin or add-on. Payload: Paid tier.
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