From Payload to Agility CMS

We are the Payload to Agility CMS migration experts

Challenges with Payload

Key pain points

Payload’s biggest issue is how quickly it hands you the responsibility baton. Because it leans so heavily on self-hosting, you’re suddenly running databases, managing infra, dealing with scaling, and debugging auth quirks at 11 pm. And since the platform is still maturing, updates can feel unpredictable, and the surrounding ecosystem isn’t quite deep enough yet to soften the landing when something breaks. The recent Figma acquisition didn’t help either. Support has felt a bit lighter, and some priorities clearly shifted, alongside pricing.

Payload feels flexible on day one, the moment your project grows you’re either engineering around gaps or paying more than expected. If you're debating whether Payload fits the future of your stack (or you’re already feeling the cracks), we’re always happy to help you plan a cleaner path or a migration that won’t come back to bite you.

A line graph on a grid with a rising, dipping, then sharply increasing line. The area under the latter half of the line is shaded with diagonal stripes.

Steep learning curve

Payload’s code-first approach means you need solid dev experience to use it effectively. Non-technical teams will struggle, and onboarding takes longer compared to more guided CMSs.

Smaller ecosystem of plugins

There aren’t many ready-made extensions, so you’ll end up building features yourself. This adds development time and increases long-term maintenance.

Potential performance overhead

Because it’s a full JavaScript backend, Payload can get resource-heavy under high traffic. You’ll need to optimise your server setup and monitor performance more closely.

Gaps in documentation

The docs are improving, but there are still missing pieces and unclear sections. New users often have to dig through GitHub issues to find answers.

Small community

The community is growing but still small, so there’s less shared knowledge, fewer tutorials, and slower troubleshooting compared to bigger CMS ecosystems.

A wavy gear shape with a central dot, surrounded by two concentric circles, all on a grid.

Requires separate hosting

Payload doesn’t come with built-in hosting, so you’re responsible for setting up and managing your server. That adds extra cost, extra setup, and extra operational overhead.

Benefits of Agility CMS

Key advantages

Agility CMS is one of the few headless CMS platforms that genuinely tries to bridge the gap between developer freedom and editor autonomy. The standout feature is built-in page management, something most headless CMS tools completely ignore. Editors can create and manage pages, control the sitemap, handle SEO fields, and arrange modular components on pages without needing a developer to wire everything up. That alone saves us a ton of back-and-forth on client projects.

The Next.js integration is solid and well-maintained. The SDK handles page routing, preview mode, and image optimization out of the box, and getting a starter site running takes minutes rather than hours. The content modeling interface is intuitive enough that even non-technical clients can understand and extend models without hand-holding, which is rare in the headless space.

Support is genuinely excellent. The team is small enough that you get real humans who know the product inside out, not a ticket queue that disappears into the void. For agencies that need to move fast and hand projects off to client teams, that responsiveness matters. The API request limits are generous too, with high request allowances across all plans, so you're not constantly worrying about overage charges like you would with some competitors.

We also appreciate that Agility takes a pragmatic approach to headless. It doesn't try to be everything, but it does the core CMS job well and stays out of your way when you need to build custom functionality around it.

Page management interface in Agility CMS

Built-in page management

The only headless CMS with native page management. Editors can build and manage pages, control the sitemap, and arrange modular components without developer involvement.

Strong Next.js integration

First-class Next.js SDK with automatic preview mode, image optimization, and page routing. Getting a project scaffolded takes minutes, not hours.

Intuitive content modeling

Visual schema modeler that maps to JSON. Non-technical users can understand and extend content models without needing a developer to walk them through it.

Excellent support team

Small, responsive support team that actually knows the product. You get real answers quickly, not generic ticket responses that take days.

Generous API limits

Generous API request allowances across all plans. No surprise overage bills or throttling when traffic spikes, which removes a common headache with usage-based competitors.

Built-in SEO and redirect management

SEO fields, sitemap editing, and URL redirect management are native to the CMS. Editors can handle these without a separate tool or developer intervention.