Payload CMS vs 1Password
TypeScript-first open-source headless CMS — code-first, config-driven
vs. Enterprise password + secrets management — for humans and machines
Pricing tiers
Payload CMS
Open Source (self-host)
MIT license. Run free on any Node host. Full admin + APIs.
$0 base (usage-based)
Cloud — Standard
$35/month. 3 GB DB storage, 30 GB file storage, 40 GB bandwidth.
$35/mo
Cloud — Pro
$199/month. Higher resources + priority support.
$199/mo
Cloud — Enterprise
Custom cloud hosting with dedicated support.
Custom
1Password
Individual
$3.99/mo (annual). 1 user. Unlimited passwords, devices. Travel mode.
$4/mo
Families
$4.99/mo total (annual) for 5 family members. Shared vaults.
$5/mo
Business
$7.99/user/mo (annual). Unlimited guests, custom roles, SSO, advanced reports.
$8/mo
Teams Starter
$19.95/mo total (up to 10 users). Shared vaults, guest users, usage reports.
$20/mo
Enterprise
Custom. Dedicated support, annual security reviews, SLA, account management.
Custom
Service Accounts (Business+)
Included with Business/Enterprise. Non-human accounts for CI/CD + secret automation.
Custom
Free-tier quotas head-to-head
Comparing oss on Payload CMS vs individual on 1Password.
| Metric | Payload CMS | 1Password |
|---|---|---|
| No overlapping quota metrics for these tiers. | ||
Features
Payload CMS · 18 features
- Access Control — Function-based per-collection/field access rules.
- Admin UI — React admin — fully customizable components + views.
- Authentication — Built-in JWT + HTTP-only cookies + API keys.
- Blocks — Flexible page-builder pattern via block field.
- Collections — Schema-defined content types with fields, hooks, access control.
- Drafts & Versions — Version every change. Autosave, drafts, scheduled publish.
- Field Types — Rich field library: text, textarea, richText (Lexical), upload, relation, blocks…
- Form Builder Plugin — Dynamic forms with submissions storage.
- Globals — Single-instance documents (site settings, header, footer).
- GraphQL API (auto) — Full schema auto-generated.
- Hooks — Lifecycle hooks: beforeChange/Read/Delete, afterChange, etc.
- i18n — Multi-locale field values + admin UI translations.
- Live Preview — Side-by-side editor + iframe preview of Next.js site.
- Local API (zero latency) — Direct in-process data access. Ideal for Next.js server components.
- Multi-Tenancy Plugin — Multi-tenant content isolation via plugin.
- @payloadcms/plugin-seo — Built-in SEO meta fields.
- Plugins — Official + community plugins (SEO, Stripe, Form Builder, multi-tenant, etc.).
- REST API (auto) — Auto-generated REST endpoints for every collection.
1Password · 18 features
- Browser Extensions — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge.
- Connect Server — Self-hosted secret delivery.
- Desktop Apps — Mac, Windows, Linux.
- Events API — SIEM-compatible audit stream.
- iOS + Android Apps — Native mobile.
- op CLI — Command-line access + biometrics.
- Passkey Support — WebAuthn/FIDO2.
- Password Management — Store, generate, autofill.
- SCIM — User provisioning.
- Secret References (op://) — Reference secrets in config files.
- Secrets Automation — Dev secrets workflow.
- Service Accounts — CI/CD auth.
- Shell Plugins — Intercept CLI auth.
- SSH Key Mgmt + Agent — Store + use SSH keys.
- SSO (OIDC / SAML) — Enterprise auth.
- Travel Mode — Hide vaults at borders.
- Vaults — Shared + personal vaults.
- Watchtower — Breach + weak password alerts.
Developer interfaces
| Kind | Payload CMS | 1Password |
|---|---|---|
| CLI | create-payload-app | op CLI |
| SDK | @payloadcms/next (Node) | @1password/sdk (JS), onepassword (Python), onepassword-sdk-go |
| REST | Payload REST API | Connect Server API, Events API, SCIM Bridge |
| GRAPHQL | Payload GraphQL API | — |
| OTHER | Admin UI, Local API (Node.js direct) | 1Password Apps, 1Password.com, Browser Extension |
Staxly is an independent catalog of developer platforms. Some links to Payload CMS and 1Password may be affiliate links — Staxly may earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. Pricing is verified against vendor pages at publication time — reconfirm before buying.
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