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Decap CMS vs Payload: catalog facts
Decap CMS	Payload
Free Free, open source and self-hosted.	Free Free and open source under the MIT license; enterprise features are sold separately.
Web, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Content is stored in your own Git repository Live preview editor for non-technical contributors	Installs inside an existing Next.js app folder Full TypeScript backend with an extensible admin panel
Needs a static site and Git hosting already set up Setup is aimed at developers	Configured in code, so it needs a developer Tied to the Next.js and React ecosystem
Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.