Directus vs Payload CMS: which headless CMS should you choose?

Choose Payload when your website or app is a Next.js project and your developers want the content model in TypeScript, reviewed and deployed with the rest of the code. Choose Directus when your content sits in a SQL database, several websites, apps or internal tools read it, and your content and operations teams need a no-code studio to manage it. Both are free to self-host, but their licences are not the same, and for a larger organisation that can decide it.

Where we stand: Rocket Lab is a Directus Bronze Partner, and we moved Webjet's 110,000+ Australian and New Zealand pages onto Directus. So this guide is written from the Directus side. We have tried to be fair to Payload, and we say plainly when it is the better choice. Facts about both products are current at 13 November 2026 and linked to their sources.

The short answer

Payload is usually the better fit when:

• Your product is one Next.js app and you want the CMS, its admin panel and the front end in one codebase and one deployment.
• Your developers want collections, fields and access rules defined in TypeScript, versioned in Git and reviewed like any other code.
• You want an MIT-licensed open-source CMS with no revenue or headcount test.
• Your designers are building in Figma Make, which now sets up a Payload backend for the apps it creates.
• You want to use MongoDB.

Directus is usually the better fit when:

• You already run a SQL database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server or Oracle, for example) and want APIs and an admin studio on top of it, without migrating the data.
• Several websites, mobile apps and internal tools read the same content, so the CMS should be a separate service rather than part of one front end.
• Non-developers need to manage users and permissions, build dashboards or set up automations without waiting for a release.
• Your front end is not Next.js: Nuxt, Astro, a mobile app or several of these at once.

Either works for a marketing website with a clear content model and a small team of editors. Then the deciding questions are who will change the content model, where you want to host it and what the licence means for your organisation.

How Directus and Payload differ today

Where the content model lives

Payload is code-first. You write a Payload config in TypeScript and Payload generates the admin panel and the APIs from it (Payload docs). Every change to the content model is a code change, so it goes through review and a deployment like the rest of your app.

Directus is database-first. Your content lives in tables in a SQL database you control, and Directus can be layered onto a database you already have: Directus describes it as a way to "skip data migrations and schema changes", using database introspection to map your existing schema (Directus). An administrator can also add collections and fields in the Directus Studio, without a developer.

That is the real choice between them. If your developers are in charge of the content model, Payload's approach keeps it in one place. If the data matters beyond the website, or the people who manage it are not developers, Directus's approach fits better.

How each one runs

Payload 3 installs directly into your Next.js app (Payload installation docs), so the admin panel, the APIs and your front end ship together. The same page notes that not every Next.js 15 or 16 release is compatible, so a Next.js upgrade is also a Payload upgrade to plan for. Payload 4.0, in beta since October 2026, separates the framework-specific parts from the core, and its first new target is TanStack Start (Payload 4.0 beta). Until 4.0 is stable, plan on Next.js.

Directus runs as its own service, distributed as a Docker image (Directus self-hosting docs). Any front end reads it through its REST and GraphQL APIs (Directus docs). One more service to run, but a website, a mobile app and an internal dashboard can all share it.

Databases

• Payload officially supports MongoDB, PostgreSQL and SQLite (Payload database docs).
• Directus supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite and CockroachDB (Directus database configuration). It does not support MongoDB.

Licence and cost

This is where the two have moved furthest apart.

• Payload is released under the MIT licence (GitHub). You can use it for any purpose, at any size of organisation, without a licence key. Figma bought Payload in June 2025 and said Payload "will remain an open-source product" (Figma).
• Directus 12, released in June 2026, moved from the Business Source License to the Monospace Sustainable Core License (MSCL), a source-available licence. Each version becomes open source under GPLv3 four years after its release (Directus, licence text).
  • Without a licence key, a self-hosted Directus runs on the free Core tier, limited at the time of writing to 3 user seats, 25 collections and 5 Flows (Directus pricing). Only people who log in to the Studio count as seats; API-only users do not (Directus licensing docs).
  • Individuals and organisations that earn less than $5M a year and have fewer than 50 employees can apply for a free licence with no such limits, the Open Innovation Grant (Directus licensing docs).
  • Larger organisations that need more than the Core tier need a commercial licence from Directus.
  • A licence key activates against Directus's licensing service. Offline activation, for air-gapped or restricted networks, is only on Enterprise plans (Directus licensing docs).

For a small business, both are free in practice. For a larger organisation with more than three people editing content, Directus has a licence cost and Payload does not. Ask Directus for a quote before comparing totals.

Hosting

• Payload deploys wherever a Next.js app can run, on your servers or a hosting platform (Payload docs). Payload Cloud is not taking new projects: since Payload joined Figma, "deployment of new projects is currently paused", while existing Cloud projects keep running (Payload). Figma Make now hosts Payload-backed Make projects, "currently in beta and free to use", with pricing to be announced (Figma).
• Directus can be self-hosted on every tier, or hosted by Directus on Directus Cloud as a paid service (Directus pricing).

Editors and teams

Directus's Data Studio is "a web app for your whole team to manage content, files, users, and dashboards" (Directus docs). It suits organisations where content editors, operations staff and administrators all work in the same data, each with roles and permissions of their own.

Payload's admin panel is generated from your config and developers can extend it with their own React components (Payload docs). The 4.0 beta redesigns it on a design system based on Figma's (Payload 4.0 beta). It suits teams where developers shape the editing experience for a defined set of editors.

AI tools

Both now connect to AI assistants through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Directus has a built-in MCP server from version 11.12 (Directus MCP docs), and Payload 4.0 beta enables its MCP tools by default (Payload 4.0 beta). Payload has a second AI route: Figma Make sets up a database, file storage, sign-in and a content admin panel on Payload when someone prompts an app (Figma).

When Payload is the better choice

Payload is likely the better choice, even from where we sit, if all of these are true:

• The product is a single Next.js app, now and for the foreseeable future.
• The developers will manage the content model and want it in code.
• A small team edits content, and they are happy with an admin panel the developers shape for them.
• You want a permissive open-source licence with no seat limits.

A Figma Make prototype on Payload is also a reason to stay on Payload, unless you find a reason above to move.

Our Directus work

We are a Directus Bronze Partner and have delivered 100+ solutions with Directus. Some of the platforms we have built, stabilised and moved large sites onto:

• Webjet Australia and New Zealand: 110,000+ pages moved off Boost CMS and Umbraco onto one Directus instance, with Flights, Hotels, Packages and Cars on one headless CMS for the first time, while the existing site stayed live.
• Education Services Australia: we stabilised the Safer Technologies 4 Schools (ST4S) catalogue, built on Directus, and got it ready for launch.
• Petbarn: our work for Petbarn used Directus.

See our Directus development page for what we build on it. If you are moving a site off WordPress, Umbraco, Contentful or an older in-house CMS, our Directus migration page explains how we move it onto Directus.

Frequently asked questions

Is Payload better than Directus?

Neither is better overall. Payload is the better fit for a Next.js app whose developers want the content model in code. Directus is the better fit when the content sits in a SQL database that several apps and teams share.

Is Directus open source?

Not under the Open Source Initiative's definition. Directus 12 is released under the Monospace Sustainable Core License (MSCL), a source-available licence, and each version becomes open source under GPLv3 four years after its release. Directus 11 and earlier were released under the Business Source License 1.1.

Is Payload still open source now that Figma has bought it?

Yes. Payload is released under the MIT licence, and Figma said when it bought Payload in June 2025 that Payload "will remain an open-source product".

Can I use Payload without Next.js?

Payload 3, the current stable version, installs into a Next.js app. Payload 4.0, in beta since October 2026, adds support for TanStack Start. Until 4.0 is stable, plan on Next.js.

Can I use Directus with Next.js?

Yes. Directus runs as a separate service with REST and GraphQL APIs, so a Next.js site reads it like any other front end. The same Directus can also serve a mobile app or a second website.

Can I still sign up for Payload Cloud?

Not at the time of writing. Payload says deployment of new projects on Payload Cloud is paused, and existing Cloud projects keep running. You can self-host Payload, deploy it to a platform that runs Next.js, or host a Figma Make project on Figma's beta hosting.

How much does Directus cost for a larger organisation?

Directus is free to self-host on its Core tier, which is limited to 3 Studio user seats, 25 collections and 5 Flows at the time of writing. Organisations too large for the free Open Innovation Grant (earning $5M or more a year, or with 50 or more employees) need a commercial licence from Directus once they outgrow the Core tier. Directus quotes it on request.

Do you build with Payload?

Yes. We build with both Directus and Payload, and recommend the one that fits your project, your team and your licence position.

Talk to us about your CMS

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