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Challenges with Payload

While Payload CMS offers a range of features tailored for Next.js applications, it presents certain challenges that might deter some users. One of the primary concerns is the learning curve associated with adopting this tool, particularly for developers unfamiliar with Next.js or headless CMS architectures. The platform's smaller ecosystem compared to more established CMS solutions means that users might find fewer ready-made plugins and third-party integrations, potentially increasing development time and complexity. Additionally, as a JavaScript-based CMS, there might be performance overhead in high-traffic environments, necessitating careful consideration of server resources and optimization strategies.

Another notable drawback is the documentation, which, while generally helpful, has been reported to contain gaps that could hinder new users from fully leveraging the platform's capabilities. The community, although growing, is still smaller than those of more established CMS platforms, which can limit the availability of peer support and community-driven resources. Moreover, being a headless CMS, Payload requires a separate hosting solution for its backend, adding an additional layer of complexity for those used to more traditional, all-in-one CMS platforms. These factors combined might make Payload CMS less appealing to users seeking a more straightforward or widely supported content management solution.

Key Pain Points

•Steep learning curve for newcomers
•Smaller ecosystem of plugins and integrations
•Potential performance overhead in high-traffic environments
•Some gaps in documentation
•Smaller community compared to established platforms
•Requires separate hosting for the backend

Benefits of Strapi

If you’re the kind of team that likes to get your hands dirty with real code instead of fighting a bloated enterprise UI, Strapi will feel like home. It’s open-source, customisable, and developer-centric. You get full access to the codebase, no licensing paywalls, and the freedom to shape your CMS exactly the way you want it.

It is flexible. You can use React, Vue, Angular, mobile apps, and smart displays to push content. And despite being dev-leaning, it still gives you GUI-based drag-and-drop schema generation, which means you can spin up content models fast without digging into JSON files every five minutes.

Key advantages

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Node.js driven architecture

Built on Node.js, Strapi plugs straight into the modern JavaScript ecosystem. If your team already lives in JS-land, Strapi fits right in.

Seamless web technology integration

Pick your poison React, Vue, or Angular. Strapi plays nicely with all of them, making it easy to ship content.

Highly modular approach

Every part of Strapi is built like Lego. Add what you need, remove what you don’t, and customise endlessly. It’s great if you love building your CMS exactly your way instead of wrestling with rigid templates.

RESTful API flexibility

Out of the box, Strapi generates clean REST APIs that are easy to consume, easy to extend, and easy to customise. Ideal for multi-channel content delivery without rewriting half your backend.

Supports GraphQL APIs

With its GraphQL plugin, you get structured queries, reduced over-fetching, and a nicer developer experience with zero hacking required.

Flexible content management

Strapi lets you model content however you want, from simple pages to complex, relational structures. Combined with a drag-and-drop schema builder, it gives teams full control without feeling boxed in.