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Payload CMS

By Payload

4.9 out of 5 stars
3 star
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2 star
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1 star
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How would you rate your experience with Payload CMS?

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Payload CMS Pros and Cons: Top Advantages and Disadvantages

Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews

Generated from real user reviews

Users find Payload CMS incredibly easy to use, speeding up development and enhancing collaboration with its supportive community. (8 mentions)
Users love the active and supportive community on Discord and GitHub, providing prompt help and engagement. (5 mentions)
Users praise the ease of extension and feature richness of Payload CMS, making app development effortless and efficient. (5 mentions)
Users value the flexibility of Payload CMS, enabling efficient development for various applications beyond just websites. (5 mentions)
Users value the high customizability of Payload CMS, enabling tailored solutions for various projects with ease. (4 mentions)
Users value the exceptional developer experience offered by Payload CMS, making development fast and enjoyable. (3 mentions)
Users find the lack of customization can complicate extensions and reliance on community plugins for their needs. (2 mentions)
Users find complex customization challenging, often needing to replace components for tailored solutions. (1 mentions)
Users find the confusing interface of Payload CMS challenging, especially when transitioning from traditional CMS platforms. (1 mentions)
Users find customization difficult, as extending or modifying existing Payload components can be complicated and requires complete replacements occasionally. (1 mentions)
Users find difficult modifications to existing payload components can complicate customization efforts and impact usability. (1 mentions)
Users experience a steep learning curve due to initial programming requirements and sparse documentation for new users. (1 mentions)
Users note missing features in Payload CMS, particularly compared to more established competitors and current limitations. (1 mentions)

Top Pros or Advantages of Payload CMS

1. Ease of Use
Users find Payload CMS incredibly easy to use, speeding up development and enhancing collaboration with its supportive community.
See 8 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Mark B.
MB

Mark B.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Rapid development, easily extendable, and a friendly community"

What do you like about Payload CMS?

Incredibly simple to extend, can be used for virtually anything, not just websites. Building small, medium, and large applications is a breeze and tak

Parker O.
PO

Parker O.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Code-first and flexible, giving devs full control without sacrificing editor experience."

What do you like about Payload CMS?

Payload CMS has excellent, developer-friendly documentation that makes it easy to get started and build fast. With the release of Payload 3.0, it now

2. Community Support
Users love the active and supportive community on Discord and GitHub, providing prompt help and engagement.
See 5 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Mark B.
MB

Mark B.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Rapid development, easily extendable, and a friendly community"

What do you like about Payload CMS?

Incredibly simple to extend, can be used for virtually anything, not just websites. Building small, medium, and large applications is a breeze and tak

Parker O.
PO

Parker O.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Code-first and flexible, giving devs full control without sacrificing editor experience."

What do you like about Payload CMS?

Payload CMS has excellent, developer-friendly documentation that makes it easy to get started and build fast. With the release of Payload 3.0, it now

3. Features
Users praise the ease of extension and feature richness of Payload CMS, making app development effortless and efficient.
See 5 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Mark B.
MB

Mark B.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Rapid development, easily extendable, and a friendly community"

What do you like about Payload CMS?

Incredibly simple to extend, can be used for virtually anything, not just websites. Building small, medium, and large applications is a breeze and tak

Louis M.
LM

Louis M.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Payload: The Next-Gen CMS You've Been Waiting For"

What do you like about Payload CMS?

The documentation was clear and effective, there were many examples that could be found on their own GitHub, and they have a very active discord commu

4. Flexibility
Users value the flexibility of Payload CMS, enabling efficient development for various applications beyond just websites.
See 5 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Mark B.
MB

Mark B.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Rapid development, easily extendable, and a friendly community"

What do you like about Payload CMS?

Incredibly simple to extend, can be used for virtually anything, not just websites. Building small, medium, and large applications is a breeze and tak

Parker O.
PO

Parker O.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Code-first and flexible, giving devs full control without sacrificing editor experience."

What do you like about Payload CMS?

Payload CMS has excellent, developer-friendly documentation that makes it easy to get started and build fast. With the release of Payload 3.0, it now

5. Customizability
Users value the high customizability of Payload CMS, enabling tailored solutions for various projects with ease.
See 4 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Mark B.
MB

Mark B.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Rapid development, easily extendable, and a friendly community"

What do you like about Payload CMS?

Incredibly simple to extend, can be used for virtually anything, not just websites. Building small, medium, and large applications is a breeze and tak

Dena M.
DM

Dena M.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Customizable, Continually Improving and Easy for Non-Developers to Use"

What do you like about Payload CMS?

Our web developers have been able to tailor Payload to suit our specifc needs, without exception. Anything we ask, they are able to make Payload do ju

6. Content Management
Users value the exceptional developer experience offered by Payload CMS, making development fast and enjoyable.
See 3 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Parker O.
PO

Parker O.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Code-first and flexible, giving devs full control without sacrificing editor experience."

What do you like about Payload CMS?

Payload CMS has excellent, developer-friendly documentation that makes it easy to get started and build fast. With the release of Payload 3.0, it now

Charlie H.
CH

Charlie H.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Payload used on multiple projects by web agency"

What do you like about Payload CMS?

Show + Tell is a UK based Payload Agency... we've used payload as a web agency on multiple projects now as the feedback from IT & Marketing teams

Top Cons or Disadvantages of Payload CMS

1. Lack of Customization
Users find the lack of customization can complicate extensions and reliance on community plugins for their needs.
See 2 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Mark B.
MB

Mark B.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Rapid development, easily extendable, and a friendly community"

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

It is not always simple to extend existing payload components, or modify them to better suit your use case. Sometimes you have to replace components e

Parker O.
PO

Parker O.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Code-first and flexible, giving devs full control without sacrificing editor experience."

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

My experience with Payload has been great overall. If I had to nitpick, it would be the reliance on community-made plugins. While they're helpful, you

2. Complex Customization
Users find complex customization challenging, often needing to replace components for tailored solutions.
See 1 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Mark B.
MB

Mark B.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Rapid development, easily extendable, and a friendly community"

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

It is not always simple to extend existing payload components, or modify them to better suit your use case. Sometimes you have to replace components e

3. Confusing Interface
Users find the confusing interface of Payload CMS challenging, especially when transitioning from traditional CMS platforms.
See 1 mentions

See Related User Reviews

JH

Jay H.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"The best headless CMS we've tried"

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

It requires a bit of know-how if you're transitioning from a traditional CMS like WordPress, and its dashboard interface can feel a little sparse for

4. Customization Difficulty
Users find customization difficult, as extending or modifying existing Payload components can be complicated and requires complete replacements occasionally.
See 1 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Mark B.
MB

Mark B.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Rapid development, easily extendable, and a friendly community"

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

It is not always simple to extend existing payload components, or modify them to better suit your use case. Sometimes you have to replace components e

5. Difficult Modifications
Users find difficult modifications to existing payload components can complicate customization efforts and impact usability.
See 1 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Mark B.
MB

Mark B.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Rapid development, easily extendable, and a friendly community"

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

It is not always simple to extend existing payload components, or modify them to better suit your use case. Sometimes you have to replace components e

6. Learning Curve
Users experience a steep learning curve due to initial programming requirements and sparse documentation for new users.
See 1 mentions

See Related User Reviews

JH

Jay H.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"The best headless CMS we've tried"

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

It requires a bit of know-how if you're transitioning from a traditional CMS like WordPress, and its dashboard interface can feel a little sparse for

7. Missing Features
Users note missing features in Payload CMS, particularly compared to more established competitors and current limitations.
See 1 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Sandro W.
SW

Sandro W.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Our new go-to CMS /backend framework"

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

Payload still lacks some features that are available by default on other systems. This is not a dealbreaker however, since you can either build it you

Payload CMS Reviews (59)

Reviews

Payload CMS Reviews (59)

4.9
59 reviews
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G2 reviews are authentic and verified.
Louis M.
LM
Software Developer
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Payload: The Next-Gen CMS You've Been Waiting For"
What do you like best about Payload CMS?

The documentation was clear and effective, there were many examples that could be found on their own GitHub, and they have a very active discord community that are always willing to help when you run into problems. Extremely fast turn around time from blank slate to production. The ease of use, one command and you're up and running. Having Typescript across the project helps to not shoot yourself in the foot. It's a very modern and sleek workflow, and can solve many of the required tasks out of the box. Their hosting solution was very easy to use and at an affordable/fair price. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

Nothing at this time, they have a great roadmap of future implementations that solve all niche issues as well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Parker O.
PO
Software Developer
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Code-first and flexible, giving devs full control without sacrificing editor experience."
What do you like best about Payload CMS?

Payload CMS has excellent, developer-friendly documentation that makes it easy to get started and build fast. With the release of Payload 3.0, it now runs on Next.js, which significantly boosts development speed and pairs perfectly with Vercel for smooth, quick deployments. The system is highly extensible, making it simple to create reusable, templated projects that can be shared across multiple applications. Additionally, the community is very active and supportive in areas like the Payload Discord and GitHub, making it easy to find answers or get help when needed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

My experience with Payload has been great overall. If I had to nitpick, it would be the reliance on community-made plugins. While they're helpful, you have to keep in mind that if the original author might not be actively maintaining them—especially during major version updates—you may end up having to patch the plugin yourself or rework your solution entirely. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something to consider when planning long-term projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Dena M.
DM
Digital Marketing Manager
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Customizable, Continually Improving and Easy for Non-Developers to Use"
What do you like best about Payload CMS?

Our web developers have been able to tailor Payload to suit our specifc needs, without exception. Anything we ask, they are able to make Payload do just that - not an experience we've had with our previous platform. Our website is tremendously easy to edit and add pages to, without the help of web developers, which has significantly lessened the time and resources spent on maintaining our site. We were also able to integrate our Digital Asset Management software into Payload, which has streamlined processes signficantly further. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

In the website buiding stages, it was a bit slow and now that the site is live, still is a little slow when navigating the back end. It's also quite new, which hasn't been an issue thus far, but I don't necessarily have the peace of mind I would like when things are in beta. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Krishna S.
KS
Software Engineer
Information Technology and Services
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"One of the best CMS I have ever used as a developer."
What do you like best about Payload CMS?

I loved the default Nextjs additions into payload. It has massive perform improvement and easy to use as a user and too fun to impletent / develop for developers.

It has become my goto CMS for major projects. I also appreciate the payload team for discord support channels. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

Everythings seems fine after v3 stable release. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Charlie H.
CH
Founder & Digital Strategist
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Payload used on multiple projects by web agency"
What do you like best about Payload CMS?

Show + Tell is a UK based Payload Agency... we've used payload as a web agency on multiple projects now as the feedback from IT & Marketing teams client side have been hugely positive. Client have found the content management process fare quick and more flexible to their needs meaning time saved in their day to day role. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

The Enterprise is expensive from smaller companies however the product is great and well worth it for larger Enterprise level clients. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sandro W.
SW
CEO
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Our new go-to CMS /backend framework"
What do you like best about Payload CMS?

Endless extendability, modern tech stack, very fast end user experience, open source & no vendor lock in Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

Payload still lacks some features that are available by default on other systems. This is not a dealbreaker however, since you can either build it yourself or find most of them in the open source community Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

JH
CEO
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"The best headless CMS we've tried"
What do you like best about Payload CMS?

It's open source, and its developer and content manager experience are unmatched amongst other Headless CMSs we've tried. Quick to deploy, great features and an easily reachable and helpful support team. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

It requires a bit of know-how if you're transitioning from a traditional CMS like WordPress, and its dashboard interface can feel a little sparse for new users. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Mark B.
MB
CTO
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Rapid development, easily extendable, and a friendly community"
What do you like best about Payload CMS?

Incredibly simple to extend, can be used for virtually anything, not just websites. Building small, medium, and large applications is a breeze and takes a lot less time than developing them from scratch. The Payload Discord community is incredibly friendly and helpful, and the team actively engage with the community. Payload is also feature rich, with a wealth of community plugins available to drop into your app with minimal configuration. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

It is not always simple to extend existing payload components, or modify them to better suit your use case. Sometimes you have to replace components entirely though this is rare. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Hrithik U.
HU
Chief Executive Officer
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Best amongst headless CMS"
What do you like best about Payload CMS?

Payload must be the easiest to implement and use in today's market. The team is super friendly and offers tons of support and the feature loaded platform is just the right fit for almost everything. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

Looking forward to see even more integrations and marketplaces. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Design
AD
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Efficient and User-Friendly Content Management Tool"
What do you like best about Payload CMS?

I appreciate the intuitive user-interface and the comprehensive features that make it easy for us to setup and for our clients to manage their content. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Payload CMS?

N/A. Payload was the perfect solution for us. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.