Our take
Pick Payload if next.js teams who will stay on the MIT self-host at $0 while they open a first Collections admin, then keep self-hosting (or wait for whatever Figma ships next) because Payload Cloud will not create a new project for a non-Enterprise team today. Pick Sanity if content / product teams who will stay on Free at $0 forever while they open a first Structure list, then buy Growth at $15 / seat / month when
**open-source headless CMS you run in Next
Best for
Payload Content you start at $0 on your host
Sanity Documents you edit in Studio at $0
Free plan
Payload $0 · mIT. You run Next.js + a database + media storage. Confirmed by the repo license and the Cloud FAQ (“Payload remains a self-hosted solution”)
Sanity $0 · forever. Get started for free. Quotas for documents, API, assets, and bandwidth on the compare table we fetched
Lowest paid
Payload Not published by the vendor
Sanity Growth $15
Next step up
Payload
Sanity Add-ons (Growth) $799
Runs where
Payload Local or hosted
Sanity Local or hosted
Watch out
Payload Cloud will not create a new project for you today
Sanity Free is quota-capped $0, not unlimited CDN
Last checked
Payload 2026-10-23 · payloadcms.com/cloud-pricing
Sanity 2026-10-23 · sanity.io/pricing
next.js teams who will stay on the MIT self-host at $0 while they open a first Collections admin, then keep self-hosting (or wait for whatever Figma ships next) because Payload Cloud will not create a new project for a non-Enterprise team today.
Read the Payload pagecontent / product teams who will stay on Free at $0 forever while they open a first Structure list, then buy Growth at $15 / seat / month when they need roles, more seats, and paid add-ons.
Read the Sanity page