Compare Directus and Payload CMS 
At a Glance
Market Segments
Small-Business (62.9% of reviews)
Small-Business (85.7% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Starting at $15.00 1 Seats Per Month
Free
Directus
Star Rating
(35)4.9 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (62.9% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Starting at $15.00 1 Seats Per Month
Browse all 5 pricing plansPayload CMS
Star Rating
(57)4.9 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (85.7% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Free
Browse all 4 pricing plansSummary
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
- Users report that Directus excels in its Content Repository with a perfect score of 10.0, allowing for seamless content management, while Payload CMS also performs well but has a slightly lower score of 9.0 in this area.
- Reviewers mention that Payload CMS shines in Content Authoring, achieving a top score of 10.0, which users appreciate for its intuitive interface, whereas Directus scores 9.3, indicating a solid but less user-friendly experience.
- G2 users highlight that both platforms offer strong API / Integrations capabilities, with Directus scoring a perfect 10.0, making it highly customizable and extensible, while Payload CMS also performs well but does not reach the same level of integration flexibility.
- Users on G2 report that Payload CMS has a superior Rich Text Editor with a score of 9.3, which enhances the content creation experience, compared to Directus's score of 8.3, indicating room for improvement in this feature.
- Reviewers say that both platforms provide robust User, Role, and Access Management, but Payload CMS stands out with a perfect score of 10.0, which users find essential for managing permissions effectively, while Directus scores 9.7.
- Users report that Directus has a strong Approval Process feature, scoring a perfect 10.0, which is crucial for teams needing structured content workflows, while Payload CMS also performs well but does not match this level of functionality.
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Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
Directus
Starter Cloud
Starting at $15.00
1 Seats Per Month
Best for static site CMS projects and small personal projects.
- 5,000 DB Entries
- 50,000 API Requests
Payload CMS
Self-Hosted
Free
Get started in one-line: $ npx create-payload-app
- Completely free and open-source
- GraphQL, REST, and Local APIs
- Easily customizable ReactJS Admin
Free Trial
Directus
Free Trial is available
Payload CMS
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
9.5
26
9.4
54
Ease of Use
9.4
27
9.0
54
Ease of Setup
8.9
26
9.0
46
Ease of Admin
9.4
24
9.2
46
Quality of Support
9.3
26
9.3
53
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
9.5
22
9.4
34
Product Direction (% positive)
9.1
25
10.0
53
Features by Category
Content
9.3
5
10.0
5
8.3
5
9.3
5
Not enough data
10.0
5
7.7
5
8.7
5
Not enough data
10.0
5
Not enough data
9.0
5
8.0
5
8.7
5
Not enough data
9.7
5
Not enough data
10.0
5
Design
Not enough data
Not enough data
8.0
5
8.7
5
9.0
5
Not enough data
9.3
5
10.0
5
Platform
7.7
5
9.7
5
Not enough data
9.7
5
9.3
5
10.0
5
9.7
5
10.0
5
Not enough data
9.7
5
Not enough data
9.3
5
Not enough data
8.3
5
Not enough data
10.0
5
Data Management
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Optimization
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Analytics
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Publishing
8.1
13
8.8
23
8.7
15
9.0
33
5.5
7
6.5
10
Development
9.0
17
8.3
41
9.3
17
9.4
40
7.9
13
8.8
27
8.9
14
8.8
24
Analytics
8.6
14
8.6
38
8.6
14
9.2
42
Headless Commerce
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Generative AI
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Merchandising/Marketing
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Product Catalog
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Order Process
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Multi-Channel Support
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Platform
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
Directus and Payload CMS are categorized as Headless CMS and Web Content Management
Unique Categories
Directus is categorized as Product Information Management (PIM)
Payload CMS is categorized as E-Commerce Platforms
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
Directus
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Payload CMS
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Small-Business
(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market
(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise
(> 1000 emp.)
Reviewers' Industry
Computer Software
22.9%
Program Development
14.3%
Real Estate
5.7%
Marketing and Advertising
5.7%
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
5.7%
Other
45.7%
Computer Software
30.4%
Information Technology and Services
14.3%
Design
8.9%
Marketing and Advertising
7.1%
Internet
5.4%
Other
33.9%
Most Helpful Reviews
Directus
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Shea L.
Verified User in Computer Software
The Directus interface is very easy to use, it's built to be efficient and is exactly that, my users don't have any issues with understanding how to create, read, update or delete rows of data. As a developer, the API is very easy to work with making it...
Most Helpful Critical Review
Payload CMS
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Shubham K.
Verified User in Information Technology and Services
I've been using PaylaodCMS for my website development, and I must say it's been an incredible experience. As an Express.js user, having full control over my application is essential, and Paylaod CMS delivers just that. It strikes the perfect balance between...
Most Helpful Critical Review
Shea L.
Verified User in Computer Software
The Directus interface is very easy to use, it's built to be efficient and is exactly that, my users don't have any issues with understanding how to create, read, update or delete rows of data. As a developer, the API is very easy to work with making it...
Shubham K.
Verified User in Information Technology and Services
I've been using PaylaodCMS for my website development, and I must say it's been an incredible experience. As an Express.js user, having full control over my application is essential, and Paylaod CMS delivers just that. It strikes the perfect balance between...
Discussions
What is Directus used for?
1 comment
JW
Directus provides an Open Data Platform with dynamic database mirroring APIs and no code Admin App to manage data model, content/data items, etc with a...Read more
Directus has no more discussions with answers
Payload CMS has no discussions with answers
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