Ghost vs Payload vs Strapi
Ghost, Payload, Strapi compared on license, free-edition limits, deployment and project health. Change a project below to compare something else.
| Ghost | Payload | Strapi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | CMS | CMS | CMS |
| License | MIT LicenseOpen source (OSI) | MIT LicenseOpen source (OSI) | MIT LicenseOpen source (OSI) |
| Free edition | Not confirmed | Some features paywalled | Some features paywalled |
| Deployment | Self-hosted · Cloud | Self-hosted | Self-hosted · Cloud |
| Self-hosting setup | Multi-service setup | Needs a database | Needs a database |
| SSO / SAML | Not confirmed | Paid | Paid |
| Role-based access control | Free | Free | Free |
| Audit logs | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Paid |
| Multi-user / teams | Not confirmed | Free | Free |
| Backups and restore | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| API access | Not confirmed | Free | Free |
| Support SLA | Paid | Not confirmed | Paid |
| GitHub stars | 56k | 45k | 73k |
| Last release | Oct 7, 2026 | Sep 23, 2026 | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Alternative to | Substack | Contentful | Contentful |
In short
- Ghost is licensed MIT License (open source (osi)). Free edition: not confirmed.
- Payload is licensed MIT License (open source (osi)). Free edition: some features paywalled.
- Strapi is licensed MIT License (open source (osi)). Free edition: some features paywalled.
Each project page lists the official sources behind these answers. Where the official pages do not say, the table shows “Not confirmed”.