Headless Node.js CMS comparison by popularity

The most reliable way to identify the right CMS framework for your needs is to list your requirements in detail and then look for the CMS with features that match those requirements. But, often not all the requirements are clear at the outset. In such cases, a common approach is to resort to the wisdom of the crowd. And it generally makes sense because if a framework is popular, there’s a better chance that:

• It will have the basic issues sorted out.
• It will be actively maintained for longer.
• There will be plugins or extensions available for custom features.
• There will be articles about the CMS.
• It will be easier to find developers familiar with it.

This post compares CMS frameworks using publicly available metrics to identify the most popular headless Node.js CMS.

The Contenders

The following are the major Node.js based headless CMS frameworks considered in this comparison:

• Directus
• Payload
• Sanity CMS
• Strapi

An important distinction to keep in mind when looking at every comparison number is that Sanity CMS cannot be self-hosted and only its frontend - Sanity Studio - can be downloaded and self-hosted.

npm Package Download Stats

The chart below from npmtrends compares the weekly download numbers for the various packages over a 5-year duration.

From the above chart:

• Since June 2025, Sanity Studio appears to be the most downloaded library. Until then, Strapi and Sanity had similar download counts for a long period.
• Payload CMS’s download count exhibits a notable upward trend since July 2025, likely influenced by its acquisition by Figma in June 2025.
• Strapi’s downloads have declined since around July 2025, resulting in Strapi being the third most downloaded as of October 2025.

GitHub stars

The chart below from star-history.com shows the growth in GitHub stars for the various CMS frameworks over the years.

Observations from the above chart:

• Strapi has the highest count, with consistent growth over the years. Payload CMS shows the steepest recent growth, aligning with its download trend.
• Sanity CMS’s lower star count likely reflects that it isn’t a fully open‑source CMS; its GitHub repository is only for Sanity Studio.
• Directus’s high star count, despite lower downloads, suggests strong developer affinity.

SimilarWeb monthly visits to the framework website

The chart below is based on the monthly traffic statistics from similarweb.com.

From the chart above:

• Traffic to Sanity’s website (sanity.io) is about 4× that of the next contender, Strapi, which is closely followed by Payload.
• It’s unclear how much of this gap is due to Sanity being cloud‑only (only Sanity Studio is self‑hostable).

Reddit, Twitter and Discord subscribers

The chart below is based on the subscriber or follower count for the various CMS across the various social platforms as of October 2025:

• Directus has a strong Twitter following; combined with its Discord membership, this indicates strong developer affinity.
• As with GitHub stars, Sanity’s relatively modest social following contrasts with its high usage.
• Strapi and Payload’s social followings across Reddit, Twitter, and Discord reflect steady awareness among developers.

Number of Community Plugins Published

The chart below is based on the number of community plugins published for the various CMS frameworks as of September 2025:

• Directus has about twice as many published extensions as Sanity plugins. This may reflect stronger developer affinity and use in more flexibility‑heavy setups.
• Payload CMS’s lower plugin count may reflect its more recent growth compared with the others.

Conclusion

Comparing these frameworks across metrics, there is no single “most popular” CMS. Each exhibits a certain facet of popularity. The table below summarizes this: