Source: https://seerepo.com/compare/instantdb/instant/vs/payloadcms/payload
Markdown source: https://seerepo.com/compare/instantdb/instant/vs/payloadcms/payload.md
Description: instant and payload share 11 technologies: React, MCP, Next.js, Vue, TanStack, @monaco-editor/react, dnd-kit, sonner, @clack/prompts, Zod, and pino. Both are written in TypeScript.

# instant vs payload

instant and payload share 11 technologies: React, MCP, Next.js, Vue, TanStack, @monaco-editor/react, dnd-kit, sonner, @clack/prompts, Zod, and pino. Both are written in TypeScript.

- [instantdb/instant](https://seerepo.com/r/instantdb/instant): Instant is the best backend for AI-coded apps.  You get auth, permissions, storage, presence, and streams — everything you need to ship apps your users will love.
- [payloadcms/payload](https://seerepo.com/r/payloadcms/payload): Payload is the open-source, fullstack Next.js framework, giving you instant backend superpowers. Get a full TypeScript backend and admin panel instantly. Use Payload as a headless CMS or for building powerful applications.

## What they share and what sets them apart

- In common: React, MCP, Next.js, Vue, TanStack, @monaco-editor/react, dnd-kit, sonner, @clack/prompts, Zod, pino
- Only in instant: @effect/platform, expo-sqlite, Express, react-native-mmkv, @react-native-async-storage/async-storage, Solid, Svelte, cryptography, boxen, Tailwind CSS, tailwind-merge, Headless UI, Radix UI, prism-react-renderer, react-copy-to-clipboard, @heroicons/react, Lucide, export-to-csv, markdown-table, pino-http
- Only in payload: Sentry, @next/env, MongoDB, Postgres, SQLite, graphql-scalars, graphql-http, Redis, @aws-sdk/lib-storage, AWS S3, bson-objectid, Stripe, @azure/storage-blob, Google Cloud, aws-sdk, Vercel, Vite, Drizzle, prompts, nodemailer, amazon-cognito-identity-js, react-datepicker, jose, file-type, sanitize-filename, image-dimensions, sax, @standard-schema/spec, pino-pretty, escape-html, csv-parse, csv-stringify, lexical, react-error-boundary, @lexical/markdown, mdast-util-from-markdown, mdast-util-mdx-jsx, micromark-extension-mdx-jsx, sharp, faceless-ui, react-select, monaco-editor, @floating-ui/dom, react-image-crop

## Side by side

| | instant | payload |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 322,833 lines written, 902 code files | 1,083,381 lines written, 4,527 code files |
| Who writes it | 0.5% of its commits signed by AI. With Claude Code and CodeRabbit | 0.6% of its commits signed by AI. With GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and Cursor |
| Activity | Last push November 5, 2026, 2,544 commits, 10,561 stars | Last push November 13, 2026, 14,834 commits, 45,802 stars |
| Tests | 88 test files. 9.4% of its code files have a test that imports them | 2,502 test files. 14.1% of its code files have a test that imports them |

- Size: Lines written by people and agents, without generated ones; code files, without tests.
- Who writes it: A commit counts as AI's when it carries its signature: a Co-Authored-By line, its author name or the merge of its branch.
- Activity: From GitHub and its history, on the day SeeRepo read it.
- Tests: The files that test the code, and the share of code files a test imports.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is bigger, instant or payload?

payload, with 1,083,381 lines written; instant has 322,833.

The proof: [payloadcms/payload's code at commit ae5e1dc](https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/tree/ae5e1dc62b4e469902dd2aaa79eca6fe117bd416)

### Which has more GitHub stars, instant or payload?

payload, with 45,802 stars; instant has 10,561.

The proof: [payloadcms/payload on GitHub](https://github.com/payloadcms/payload)

### Which has more tests, instant or payload?

payload, with 2,502 test files; instant has 88.

The proof: [payloadcms/payload's code at commit ae5e1dc](https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/tree/ae5e1dc62b4e469902dd2aaa79eca6fe117bd416)

### Which was updated more recently, instant or payload?

payload: its last push was on November 13, 2026, and instant's on November 5, 2026.

The proof: [payloadcms/payload's commits on GitHub](https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/commits)

### Which has more commits signed by AI, instant or payload?

payload: an AI signed 0.6% of its commits, with GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and Cursor; in instant, 0.5%.

The proof: [the commits each tool signed in payloadcms/payload](https://seerepo.com/r/payloadcms/payload/ai)

## Sources

- instantdb/instant: Read on November 13, 2026, at commit 15358ad (https://github.com/instantdb/instant/tree/15358ad712df6879b8953ee8289af0e891d4dde8)
- payloadcms/payload: Read on November 13, 2026, at commit ae5e1dc (https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/tree/ae5e1dc62b4e469902dd2aaa79eca6fe117bd416)

## What is your repo built with?

Any public repo, with no account: https://seerepo.com/r/owner/repo/built, with the owner and name it has on GitHub.