Source: https://seerepo.com/compare/n8n-io/n8n/vs/payloadcms/payload
Markdown source: https://seerepo.com/compare/n8n-io/n8n/vs/payloadcms/payload.md
Description: n8n and payload share 4 technologies: Postgres, Redis, MCP, and Sentry. Both are written in TypeScript.

# n8n vs payload

n8n and payload share 4 technologies: Postgres, Redis, MCP, and Sentry. Both are written in TypeScript.

- [n8n-io/n8n](https://seerepo.com/r/n8n-io/n8n): Fair-code workflow automation platform with native AI capabilities. Combine visual building with custom code, self-host or cloud, 400+ integrations.
- [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: Postgres, Redis, MCP, Sentry
- Only in n8n: Vue, Vite, Express, Supabase, OpenAI, Anthropic, PostHog
- Only in payload: MongoDB, Stripe, Vercel, AWS S3

## Side by side

| | n8n | payload |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 5,194,734 lines written, 14,126 code files | 1,054,090 lines written, 4,857 code files |
| Who writes it | 14.3% of its commits signed by AI. With Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Codex, and CodeRabbit | 0.6% of its commits signed by AI. With GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and Cursor |
| Activity | Last push October 30, 2026, 25,927 commits, 209,142 stars | Last push October 30, 2026, 14,760 commits, 45,594 stars |
| Tests | 10,611 test files. 53.3% of its code files have a test that imports them | 2,448 test files. 12.6% 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, n8n or payload?

n8n, with 5,194,734 lines written in 14,126 code files; payload has 1,054,090 in 4,857.

The proof: [n8n-io/n8n's code at commit 83c455f](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/tree/83c455f38b89e63ebab850ce43548c878cde2671)

### Which has more GitHub stars, n8n or payload?

n8n, with 209,142 stars; payload has 45,594.

The proof: [n8n-io/n8n on GitHub](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n)

### Which has more tests, n8n or payload?

n8n, with 10,611 test files; payload has 2,448.

The proof: [n8n-io/n8n's code at commit 83c455f](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/tree/83c455f38b89e63ebab850ce43548c878cde2671)

### Which was updated more recently, n8n or payload?

Both got their last push on October 30, 2026.

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

### Which has more commits signed by AI, n8n or payload?

n8n: an AI signed 14.3% of its commits, with Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Codex, and CodeRabbit; in payload, 0.6%.

The proof: [the commits each tool signed in n8n-io/n8n](https://seerepo.com/r/n8n-io/n8n/ai)

## Sources

- n8n-io/n8n: Read on October 30, 2026, at commit 83c455f (https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/tree/83c455f38b89e63ebab850ce43548c878cde2671)
- payloadcms/payload: Read on October 31, 2026, at commit ec35164 (https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/tree/ec351643011603cf75dc91db5d03f80ff120f1e9)

## 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.