The Fully Managed Payload CMS Alternative
Payload is an open source, self-hosted CMS. You run the Next.js application, the database, and the infrastructure behind it. Cosmic is fully managed: content API, dashboard, media CDN, and AI agents, with no server to provision or patch.
Important: Payload joined Figma and Payload Cloud paused new projects
If you are evaluating Payload today, this changes the decision.
Payload has announced that it joined Figma. On Payload's own Cloud update page, the team states that "deployment of new projects is currently paused," while existing Cloud projects "will continue running as normal." The same page confirms that "Payload remains a self-hosted solution, so you can bring your app to any hosting provider you prefer," and that the open source core continues under Figma.
The practical consequence: if you wanted Payload as a managed service, that route is not currently open to new projects. Self-hosting is the supported path. Payload also notes that Cloud customers will need to migrate "eventually."
Source: Payload Cloud Update and the announcement post.
If you want a managed, hosted content platform you can start on today, that is what Cosmic does.
Why teams choose Cosmic instead of self-hosting
1. There is no infrastructure to run
Payload is self-hosted by design. Anywhere you can run a Next.js app, you can run Payload. That flexibility comes with ownership: the application host, the database (MongoDB or Postgres), deploys, version upgrades, backups, monitoring, and security patches are all yours.
With Cosmic, you create a Bucket, model your content, and call the API. There is no database to configure, no Docker, and no migrations to run.
2. AI agents are built into the platform
Cosmic ships an AI agent suite as part of the product:
- Team Agents: AI teammates you can talk to in Slack, WhatsApp, and Telegram
- Content Agents: generate, update, and bulk-manage content, including on a schedule
- Code Agents: connect a GitHub repo to build features, fix bugs, and open pull requests
- Computer Use Agents: automate browser tasks, record demos, and extract data
Cosmic also provides an MCP Server, so AI tools that speak MCP can read and write your content directly.
3. Media is included
Cosmic includes an imgix-backed media CDN for optimized global delivery, AI image generation, and AI video generation powered by Google Veo. There is no separate storage account or CDN bill to wire up.
4. REST API and TypeScript SDK
Querying content takes a few lines with the official SDK:
import { createBucketClient } from '@cosmicjs/sdk'; const cosmic = createBucketClient({ bucketSlug: 'your-bucket-slug', readKey: 'your-read-key', }); const { objects: posts } = await cosmic.objects .find({ type: 'posts' }) .props(['title', 'slug', 'metadata']) .depth(1);
Everything available through the SDK is also available over the REST API.
Cosmic vs Payload: sourced differences only
Every row below is either a fact about Cosmic or a claim we can link to Payload's own pages.
| Cosmic | Payload | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting model | Fully managed service | Self-hosted (source) |
| Open source core | No, Cosmic is a hosted product | Yes (source) |
| Managed cloud open to new projects | Yes | Deployment of new projects paused (source) |
| You operate the database | No | Yes, MongoDB or Postgres (docs) |
| Free plan | Yes, no credit card required | Core is free and open source to self-host |
| Built-in AI agents | Team, Content, Code, and Computer Use agents | See Payload's docs for current AI features |
| Media CDN included | Yes, imgix-backed | See Payload's storage adapter docs |
Where self-hosted Payload is the better choice
We would rather you pick the right tool than switch and regret it. Payload is a strong fit when:
- You need the CMS to run inside your own VPC or on your own hardware for compliance reasons
- You want the admin UI to live in your repository and be modified as application code
- You need direct database access and full control over the data layer
- Your team already operates Next.js infrastructure and wants the CMS to sit in the same deployment
If those are hard requirements, self-hosting is the right answer. If they are not, running and patching that stack is work you do not have to take on.
Pricing
Cosmic
| Plan | Price | Buckets | Team members | Objects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month, forever | 1 | 2 | 1,000 |
| Builder | $49/month | 2 | 3 | 5,000 |
| Team | $299/month | 3 | 5 | 20,000 |
| Business | $499/month | 5 | 10 | 50,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
The Free plan requires no credit card. Additional team members are $29/user/month. Optional add-ons are $99/month each, or $199/month for the bundle. See full pricing for current details.
Payload
Payload's core is free and open source, which is a genuine advantage if you want to self-host. There is no public Payload pricing page for a managed tier at the time of writing, and Payload Cloud is not accepting new project deployments.
The cost of self-hosting is your infrastructure and your engineering time: application hosting, a MongoDB or Postgres instance, object storage or a CDN for media, monitoring, and the hours spent on upgrades and incidents. Those line items are real even though the license is free. Compare against your actual cloud bill, not against $0.
What customers say
"Cosmic is: us never having to ask a developer to change anything on the backend of our website."
Maximilian Wuhr, Co-Founder at FINN
Cosmic is backed by Y Combinator (W19).
Ready to make the switch?
Your Payload collections map cleanly onto Cosmic Object Types and metafields, and the REST API plus TypeScript SDK make the frontend swap straightforward.
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