Your team writes PHP every day. Now a new project needs a CMS, and the shortlist keeps pointing at JavaScript tools: Strapi and Payload. Both are popular, both are open source, and both are good. The real question is not which CMS has the best feature list. It is which stack your team can run, debug and extend for the next five years.
Here is the quick answer to Strapi vs Payload vs a Laravel CMS. Pick Strapi when you want a headless content API that a separate front end consumes, and your team is comfortable running Node.js in production. Pick Payload when your front end is already a Next.js app and you want the CMS to live inside it. Pick a Laravel CMS such as Lara Dashboard when your team ships Laravel, and you want content, users, roles, an API and app features in the same codebase you already know.
A quick disclosure. We build Lara Dashboard, so we have a bias. Strapi and Payload are excellent projects, and for some teams they are the better choice. This guide says which ones. Strapi and Payload facts come from their official sites, docs and GitHub as of November 2026.
Strapi and Payload are headless; a Laravel CMS is usually the whole app
Strapi is a headless CMS built on Node.js. You model content types in its admin, and it gives you REST and GraphQL APIs. Your website or mobile app is a separate project that fetches that content. The current line is Strapi 5, and its installation docs list Node.js v20, v22 and v24 as supported.
Payload is a TypeScript CMS that installs straight into a Next.js app. You define collections in code, and you get an admin panel, a REST and GraphQL API, and a local API you can call from your own server code. As of November 2026 the latest stable release on GitHub is v3.92.1, and Payload 4 is in public beta. The installation docs ask for Node.js 22, 24 or 26 and a supported Next.js 15 or 16 release, with MongoDB, Postgres or SQLite through an adapter. The Payload team has joined Figma, and Figma has said Payload will stay open source.
Lara Dashboard is a Laravel 13 application that you install as your project. It ships posts, pages, custom post types, categories and tags, a media library, menus, users, roles and permissions, the LaraBuilder page editor, a REST API and an MCP server. The front end is plain Blade, so you can render pages yourself or use the API from another client. Our post on what Lara Dashboard is gives the full tour.
So the choice is partly about architecture. Strapi pushes you toward two projects: a CMS and a front end. Payload merges the CMS into your Next.js app. A Laravel CMS merges the CMS into your Laravel app. We covered the headless trade-off in more depth in headless WordPress vs a Laravel CMS, and most of that reasoning applies here too.
Strapi vs Payload vs Lara Dashboard at a glance
The table uses each project's official pricing pages, docs and repositories as of November 2026. All three release often, so check the linked pages before you decide.
| Area | Strapi | Payload | Lara Dashboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language and runtime | JavaScript or TypeScript on Node.js | TypeScript on Node.js, inside Next.js | PHP 8.3+ on Laravel 13 |
| Core licence | Community Edition, MIT | MIT | MIT |
| Paid tiers (Nov 2026) | Growth $45 per month with 3 seats; Enterprise on request | No paid plans listed; enterprise support on request | No paid core tier; some paid marketplace modules |
| Shape | Headless API server | CMS embedded in a Next.js app | Full Laravel app with Blade front end and API |
| Content modelling | Content-Type Builder in the admin | Collections defined in TypeScript config | Posts, pages, custom post types, taxonomies, post meta |
| Databases | SQL databases such as Postgres, MySQL and SQLite | MongoDB, Postgres or SQLite | Any database Laravel supports |
| APIs | REST and GraphQL | REST, GraphQL and a local API | REST with Sanctum tokens, docs by Scramble |
| AI agent access | Built-in MCP server, admin tokens | Official MCP plugin, API keys | Built-in MCP server, tokens and OAuth |
| App features | Plugins | Your own Next.js code, plugins | Modules with their own models, routes and permissions |
The biggest cost is a second runtime, not a licence
All three cores are free to start with. Strapi's self-hosted pricing page lists the Community Edition as free forever under MIT, with role-based access control and REST and GraphQL APIs. Payload's pricing page says Payload is MIT licensed and completely free. Lara Dashboard's core is MIT as well. So the licence rarely decides this.
What decides it for a PHP team is the runtime. Strapi and Payload need Node.js in production. That means a second set of skills on call: Node version upgrades, npm dependency audits, process managers, memory tuning, and a different way to debug a slow request. If your servers, deploy scripts and monitoring are already built around PHP-FPM, queues and Laravel's scheduler, a Node CMS doubles that surface.
It also changes hiring and handover. A Laravel developer can open Lara Dashboard and read the controllers, models and Blade views on day one. The same developer opening Strapi or Payload is learning a new framework, a new ORM and a new plugin system at the same time. Our guide to hosting and deploy paths shows the single-runtime setup we mean.
Paid tiers matter later. As of November 2026, Strapi Growth costs $45 per month and includes three seats, with extra seats at $15 per month each. It adds Live Preview, Releases and Content History. Review workflows, audit logs and SSO sit in Enterprise, which is priced on request. Payload lists no paid plans, only enterprise support and SSO through its sales team.
Payload is the strongest pick for Next.js teams
Payload's best idea is that the CMS and the website are one Next.js app. Your collections are typed in code, your pages can query content through the local API with no HTTP round trip, and you deploy one project. For a team that already lives in React and TypeScript, that is a very clean way to work.
The same idea is the trade-off for a PHP team. You are not adopting a CMS. You are adopting Next.js, React Server Components and a Node.js deployment as your main stack. Payload also pins specific Next.js versions, and the docs warn that not every Next.js 15 or 16 release is compatible. With Payload 4 in beta, plan for a major upgrade in the next year too.
Strapi is the strongest pick for a pure content API
Strapi shines when content feeds many clients: a marketing site, a mobile app and a kiosk, all built by different teams. Editors build content types in the admin with no code, and every front end reads the same REST or GraphQL API. Strapi has a large plugin market and a managed Strapi Cloud if you do not want to host it yourself.
The cost is that Strapi is only the content side. Login for your end users, billing, a client portal or business logic all live somewhere else. Many teams end up with Strapi plus a separate back end, which is two codebases and two deploys. If that separate back end is Laravel anyway, it is fair to ask why content is not in it.
A Laravel CMS keeps content, users and app logic in one codebase
Most PHP teams are not building a content API for ten clients. They are building a website attached to a product: a SaaS with a blog, a client portal with help pages, or an internal tool with news. In those cases a CMS inside the app removes a lot of glue.
One user and role system. Lara Dashboard uses spatie/laravel-permission for roles and permissions, so staff, editors and customers share one users table and one set of policies. See our role-based access control guide.
Content that relates to app data. Posts, terms and media are Eloquent models. You can relate a post to an order or a customer, and query content from your own controllers with no API call.
Modules for app features. Each module, built on nwidart/laravel-modules, carries its own models, migrations, routes, views and permissions. You can switch modules on and off in the admin. Read building modular Laravel applications for the pattern.
An API when you do need headless. The REST API under
/api/v1 covers posts by post type, terms, users and roles, with Laravel Sanctum tokens and generated docs at /docs/api. We compared this with WordPress in REST API first with Sanctum and Scramble.All three now let AI agents work on content
Strapi documents a built-in MCP server that you enable in the server config, authenticated with admin tokens, with tools generated from your content types. Payload has an official MCP plugin that uses API keys and respects Payload's access rules.
Lara Dashboard ships an MCP server at
/mcp on the official laravel/mcp package. It is off by default, and you turn it on under Settings. Clients use agent tokens, and since v1.5.0 Claude.ai can connect by URL with OAuth. Tools run within the connected user's permissions, and modules can add their own tools. Our post on Lara Dashboard MCP for Cursor and Claude shows the setup. So pick on stack fit, not on MCP alone.When not to use Lara Dashboard
A Laravel CMS is the wrong pick in some cases. Be honest about these.
- Your front end is a Next.js app and your team thinks in TypeScript first.
- Content must feed many separate clients, and you never need server-rendered PHP pages.
- Editors need review workflows, release bundles and content history built in today.
- You want a managed cloud CMS with a vendor SLA rather than self-hosting.
- Nobody on the team wants to maintain PHP 8.3 and Laravel 13 servers.
Strapi and Payload have trade-offs too. Both add a Node.js runtime to a PHP shop. Strapi keeps business logic in a different project. Payload ties your CMS upgrades to Next.js upgrades. Weigh those against the gaps above.
Self-check: which one fits your team?
Answer these with your team and count the answers.
- Is most of your back-end code already Laravel? Yes points to a Laravel CMS.
- Is your front end already a Next.js app? Yes points to Payload.
- Will content feed three or more separate apps? Yes points to Strapi.
- Do content and app data such as orders or tickets need to relate? Yes points to a Laravel CMS.
- Can someone on call debug Node.js memory and dependency issues at 2 a.m.? No points away from Strapi and Payload.
- Do you need editorial workflows and releases out of the box? Yes points to Strapi's paid tiers.
- Do you want one deploy, one queue and one user table? Yes points to a Laravel CMS.
If it is a tie, run a two-day spike: one content type, one page and one API call in each. All three are free to try.
Verdict
Strapi is a mature headless CMS and a fine choice for content that feeds many front ends. Payload is the most elegant option for teams who already build in Next.js. For a PHP team building a website attached to a Laravel product, adding a Node.js CMS usually adds more work than it saves. Lara Dashboard keeps content, users, roles, modules, an API and MCP in one MIT-licensed Laravel codebase. If that sounds like your next build, try Lara Dashboard and see how much is already there. For other Laravel options, read our Statamic vs Lara Dashboard comparison.
FAQ
Is Strapi free?
Yes. As of November 2026, the Strapi Community Edition is free and MIT licensed, with role-based access control and REST and GraphQL APIs. The self-hosted Growth plan costs $45 per month with three seats, and Enterprise is priced on request.
Is Payload CMS free?
Yes. Payload's pricing page says it is MIT licensed and free for personal and commercial use. Enterprise support and SSO are available through its sales team.
Can I use Strapi or Payload with a Laravel back end?
Yes. Laravel can call their REST or GraphQL APIs like any other service. The cost is running and securing a second application on Node.js, and keeping users and permissions in sync between the two.
Is Lara Dashboard a headless CMS?
It can be used headless. It has a REST API with Sanctum tokens and generated API docs. It also renders pages with Blade, so you do not need a separate front end unless you want one.
Which is best for SEO?
Any of them can rank well. SEO depends on how pages are rendered, how fast they load and how URLs, meta tags and sitemaps are handled. With Strapi that is your front end's job, with Payload it is Next.js, and with Lara Dashboard it is Laravel and Blade.
Which one should an agency standardise on?
Standardise on the stack your developers already know. A Laravel agency gets more from a Laravel CMS it can extend, and a Next.js agency gets more from Payload. Switching runtimes for the CMS alone is rarely worth it.
