Compare KeystoneJS and Payload CMS on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both CMS tools, Open Source pricing to decide which fits your team.
At a Glance
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
Primary category
CMS
CMS
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Open Source
Open Source
Starting price
Free
Free (self-hosted, open source); Payload Cloud plans from $35/month
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Yes
Yes
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
KeystoneJS
Open Source — Free N/A
Payload CMS
Self-Hosted — Free (open source) N/A
Payload Cloud Standard — ~$35/month Monthly
Payload Cloud Pro — ~$199/month Monthly
Payload Enterprise Cloud — Custom, from approximately $10,000/year Annual
Pros & Cons
KeystoneJS
Pros
Completely free, open-source, self-hosted with no licensing fees
GraphQL API and admin UI generated automatically from schema
Strong TypeScript support and Prisma-based migrations
Fine-grained, code-defined access control
Backed by an experienced consultancy (Thinkmill) with enterprise delivery history
Cons
No official managed hosting offering from the Keystone project
Requires Node.js and database operational expertise to self-host
Smaller ecosystem and plugin marketplace than Strapi or WordPress
GraphQL-first design has a learning curve for teams used to REST
Migration from older Keystone (v5/Express/MongoDB) versions requires significant rework
Payload CMS
Pros
Fully open source with no cost for the software itself, only hosting
Code-first, TypeScript-native approach appeals strongly to developer-led teams
Doubles as an application framework, reducing the need for a separate backend
Self-hosting option avoids vendor lock-in and gives full data control
Now backed by Figma's resources following the 2025 acquisition
Cons
Requires TypeScript and Node.js development skills, less accessible to non-technical content teams
Self-hosting requires ongoing infrastructure management and maintenance
Managed Payload Cloud pricing can add up quickly at the Pro and Enterprise tiers
Smaller ecosystem and plugin marketplace than more established CMS platforms like Contentful
Future product direction is less certain following the Figma acquisition
Use Cases
KeystoneJS
Custom application backends — Development teams use KeystoneJS to build backends for web and mobile applications with a generated GraphQL API.
Content-driven websites — Teams build static and dynamic marketing sites and blogs powered by Keystone's content model and admin UI.
Multi-channel content distribution — Organizations use Keystone's GraphQL API to distribute content across web, mobile and other channels from one source.
Payload CMS
Building developer-controlled content platforms — Development teams use Payload to define content models in TypeScript and self-host the CMS with full control over data and infrastructure.
Powering content-heavy websites and e-commerce — Technical teams use Payload's application framework capabilities to combine content management with custom e-commerce or business logic in one backend.
Managed hosting without ops overhead — Teams that want to avoid managing their own servers use Payload Cloud's Standard or Pro plans for turnkey hosting of the open-source software.