Why We Switched from Strapi to PayloadCMS
A Win for Everyone: Developers, Marketers, and Our Business
We recently overhauled our entire website—not just the design, but the CMS behind it. We moved from Strapi to PayloadCMS, and the change has been incredible.
Let’s dive into why we made this switch, how it’s improved workflows for both developers and marketers, and why we believe Payload is an excellent choice for any modern web team.
Strapi: Our First CMS Adventure
Our initial website was built on Strapi. While it’s a capable headless CMS, we hit some major roadblocks:
- New developers on our team found the learning curve steep.
- The query builder was confusing and tricky to navigate.
- Creating new pages took longer than expected.
- Simple tasks required more effort than they should have.
For example, building a new landing page in Strapi could take several hours of a developer's time. That adds up quickly when your marketing team needs to be agile.
Discovering PayloadCMS: A Developer's Dream
We stumbled upon PayloadCMS during another project and were immediately impressed. Everything just clicked. So when it was time to rethink our own site, switching to Payload was a no-brainer.
Since our front end was already built in Next.js, migrating was surprisingly easy. Payload’s local API made integrating our data fetching logic a breeze.
The difference in developer experience was like night and day. Switching to Payload allowed us to rebuild our site the right way, and it showed.
A Win for Both Developers and Marketers
One of the standout features for us has been Payload’s block system. Building modular content types is not only enjoyable—it’s incredibly practical.
Now, our marketing team can create new landing pages or blog posts on their own, without needing a developer. That’s a huge win in terms of speed.
Pricing: A Game Changer
Another reason we switched? Cost and licensing flexibility.
PayloadCMS is fully open source under the MIT license. There are no seat limits, no feature restrictions, and no surprise paywalls. You only pay if you choose to use enterprise plugins or Payload Cloud for managed hosting.
With Strapi, the costs add up:
- You pay per seat, which can get expensive as your team grows.
- Advanced user roles and permissions are locked behind higher-tier plans.
- Content versioning/history is only available on paid plans.
In contrast, Payload gives you full CMS functionality right out of the box—completely free.
So what are those enterprise-only features in Payload?
- SSO (Single Sign-On)
- Advanced publishing workflows (like multi-step approvals)
- AI content integrations
If you're a dev team or small business with standard CMS needs, you’ll likely never need these. That’s exactly why we love Payload—it gives you full freedom without forcing upgrades.
Tech Stack Compatibility
Both Strapi and Payload use modern stacks, but Payload was a smoother fit for ours. We use:
- Next.js for our frontend
- TypeScript throughout
- A component-driven approach to content and layout
Payload’s architecture made that feel natural, not forced.
Final Thoughts
If you're exploring a new CMS for your company—or getting frustrated by your current one—Payload is worth a serious look.
It’s open source, developer-first, and gives your team more freedom to move fast and build smart.
Whether you're a dev tired of fighting your CMS or a company needing to move faster without bloated license fees.
See Payload in Action
Curious about how Payload works in a real-world project?
Check out our latest Payload case for Wereldhave—a flexible, powerful CMS setup tailored for their needs.
Who We Are—and How We Can Help
We’re a web agency focused on helping tech companies with complex software or hardware products build websites that are fast, clear, and easy to manage.
We know how hard it can be to turn technical depth into a great user experience—and that’s exactly where tools like PayloadCMS come in.
We've helped teams simplify their stack and scale faster using Payload.
If you're thinking about switching from Strapi, or just want to explore what’s possible with Payload, we’d love to help.
Let’s turn your complexity into clarity—one page at a time.
Contact us to start the conversation.
This version aims to be more conversational and engaging while maintaining the core information and benefits of the migration.