Payload CMS vs Strapi vs Contentful

Payload CMS, clearly, if you use TypeScript and Next.js. The decisive difference: Payload runs in the same Node.js process as Next.js — no separate service, no CORS, no latency overhead. Strapi is a separate app that has to run alongside. For a modern TypeScript stack, Payload is the superior choice.

In direct API benchmarks, yes: Payload with native Next.js integration delivers content without network overhead because everything runs in the same process. Strapi requires HTTP requests between frontend and CMS. With server-side rendering in Next.js the benefit is particularly measurable: 50–80 ms vs. 200–400 ms for comparable content.

Payload CMS is open source and free to use. Hosting on Hetzner Cloud: around 10–30 €/month. Contentful costs 499–2,500 €/month for team plans with more than 3 users. On medium-sized projects Payload saves 5,000–30,000 € per year compared with Contentful — with a better developer experience.

Strapi supports TypeScript optionally — but it is not a first-class feature as in Payload. Configuration remains less type-safe and automatic type generation from the content model is missing. In Payload, TypeScript is the foundation, not an option.

Strapi's main advantage is the larger ecosystem: more ready-made plugins, a bigger community, a longer production history. If you need an established plugin for a specific use case (e.g. internationalised e-commerce, social auth), Strapi's plugin marketplace is broader. For TypeScript projects, however, Payload's advantages prevail.

Payload CMS is self-hosted — your data sits on servers you control (e.g. Hetzner in Germany). This is the safest GDPR solution. Contentful stores data in US data centres — legally a grey area that can cause compliance issues after Schrems II.