Wagtail vs Payload
Wagtail is an open-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 13.
- Wagtail Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in
- Payload Headless · Open source · 13 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Wagtail 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 CMS built on Django. Content types are Python models, and you host it yourself on any Python stack. | 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. | Wagtail 8, open source Version 8.0, released 25 Aug 2026 | Payload 3, MIT-licensed open-source core Version 3.90.2, released 23 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Wagtail core team (created by Torchbox) wagtail.org | Figma (acquired Payload in June 2025) payloadcms.com |
| Licence | Open source BSD-3-Clause | Open source MIT |
| Hosting | Self-hosting No vendor cloud The Wagtail project runs no managed hosting. Deploy it like any Django app. | Self-hosting Vendor cloud Payload Cloud is paused for new projects. Payload offers hosting to enterprise customers. |
| Built with | Python, Django | TypeScript, Node.js, Next.js, React |
| Database | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite | PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Free and open source. No licence fee. | 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 Page and snippet types are Django models. 2 | 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 Developers define content types in Python only. | 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 StreamField blocks. 2 | 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 Core i18n with simple_translation. The wagtail-localize package adds a translation workflow. 3 | 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 Renditions with resize, crop and format filters. 4 | 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 Read-only v2 API. Writable v3 API in preview since 8.0. 51 | Built in |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Plugin or add-on wagtail-grapple, maintained by Torchbox. 6 | Built in |
| Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. | Not available Django signals such as page_published. No webhook settings. 18 | 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 | 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 Go-live and expiry dates. 7 | 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 Editors can compare and revert revisions. 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 20 | 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 Preview panel beside the edit form. No click-to-edit on the page. 20 | 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. | Built in Moderation workflows with tasks assigned to groups. 8 | 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 Concurrent editing notifications warn editors. No live co-editing. 12 | 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 Groups with page, collection and model permissions. 9 | 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. | Built in Set in code with the permission argument on panels. 10 | Built in Field-level access functions. 18 |
| Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. | Plugin or add-on django-allauth supports SAML and OpenID Connect. 19 | 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 Site-wide history report of logged actions. 11 | 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 sites in one installation with shared users. 9 | 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 Hooks, viewsets and custom panels. | Built in Custom React components, views and fields. |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Wagtail packages directory on wagtail.org. 17 | 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 wagtail.contrib.forms form builder. 13 | 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 Login for private pages is built in. Public sign-up needs a package such as django-allauth. 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. | Plugin or add-on Wagtail AI, an officially supported package. 15 | 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. | Limited Experimental wagtail-mcp package, announced September 2026. 16 | Plugin or add-on Official open-source MCP plugin. 14 |
Wagtail sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Wagtail 8, open source.
- Wagtail 8.0 release notes
- How to use StreamField for mixed content
- Wagtail docs: Internationalization
- Wagtail docs: Images
- Wagtail API v2 usage guide
- wagtail-grapple on GitHub
- Wagtail guide: Scheduled publishing
- Wagtail guide: Configure workflows for moderation
- Wagtail docs: Permissions
- Wagtail docs: Panels reference
- Wagtail docs: Audit log
- Wagtail 6.2: content metrics and concurrent editing
- Wagtail docs: Form builder
- Wagtail docs: Private pages
- Wagtail AI
- Experiments with MCP in Wagtail
- Wagtail docs: Packages
- Wagtail docs: Signals
- django-allauth: SAML provider
- Wagtail 4.0 release notes: live preview panel
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 Wagtail and Payload with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Wagtail and Payload get a different status on 13 of the 28 features and the same status on 15. Wagtail 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.
- Vendor cloud
- Wagtail has no vendor-run cloud. Payload has a vendor-run cloud.
Built in on Wagtail, a different answer on Payload 7
- Renders the website Wagtail: Built in. Payload: Not available.
- Approval workflows Wagtail: Built in. Payload: Paid tier.
- Custom roles Wagtail: Built in. Payload: Limited.
- Audit log Wagtail: Built in. Payload: Paid tier.
- Multiple sites Wagtail: Built in. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
- Plugin marketplace Wagtail: Built in. Payload: Limited.
- Form builder Wagtail: Built in. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
Built in on Payload, a different answer on Wagtail 2
- GraphQL API Wagtail: Plugin or add-on. Payload: Built in.
- Site member accounts Wagtail: Limited. Payload: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 4
- Visual editing Wagtail: Limited. Payload: Not available.
- Single sign-on Wagtail: Plugin or add-on. Payload: Paid tier.
- AI writing assistant Wagtail: Plugin or add-on. Payload: Paid tier.
- Official MCP server Wagtail: Limited. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
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