(Payload CMS · TypeScript · Self-hosted)
Payload CMS — the developer's CMS,
built properly.
WebAnts builds with Payload CMS — the TypeScript-first, self-hosted headless CMS that gives you full control without vendor lock-in. Paired with Next.js for a complete full-stack build. London agency. No deposit.
What you get with Payload CMS
- →TypeScript-first schema — full type-safety from content model through to frontend
- →Self-hosted — own your data, own your infrastructure
- →Built-in auth & role-based access control
- →Custom field types & relationships
- →REST + GraphQL APIs auto-generated from schema
- →Live preview with Next.js Draft Mode
- →No monthly SaaS fees — open-source, deploy anywhere
- →Works natively in Next.js monorepo
100%
TypeScript — full type-safety from schema through to frontend
Self-hosted
host on Vercel, Railway, or your own server — no vendor lock-in
4.9★
WebAnts rated on Google, Clutch, and DesignRush
£0
deposit required — milestone billing from day one
Common problem
Contentful/Sanity costs scaling up
Payload is open-source; no per-seat or per-API-call pricing as your content grows.
Common problem
WordPress is too heavy for a modern stack
Payload + Next.js in a monorepo is cleaner, faster, and fully type-safe.
Common problem
Need custom content structures
Payload's field types (blocks, arrays, relationships, rich text) model any structure without plugins.
Common problem
Vendor lock-in is unacceptable
Your content lives in your own database, on your own server. Payload doesn't own your data.
What we build
Eight capabilities, one
TypeScript-first CMS stack.
Everything we build with Payload CMS — from monorepo setup to custom admin extensions — done in-house in London.
01
Payload + Next.js Monorepo Build
Payload runs in the same Next.js project as your frontend — one deployment, one codebase, no API latency between CMS and site.
02
Custom Field Types & Blocks
Rich-text, blocks, arrays, uploads, relationships, selects — model any content structure without reaching for plugins or workarounds.
03
Role-Based Access Control
Code-defined access control for multi-role systems (admin, editor, viewer, API key). Defined in TypeScript, not clicked through a UI.
04
Live Preview with Draft Mode
In-context preview in the Payload admin before publishing, wired directly into Next.js Draft Mode and your frontend components.
05
REST & GraphQL APIs
Both APIs auto-generated from your schema — no extra configuration. Use whichever your frontend or integrations need.
06
CMS Schema in Version Control
Your schema is TypeScript code — committed to git, reviewable in PRs, deployable like application logic.
07
Self-Hosted Anywhere
Vercel, Railway, Render, DigitalOcean, or your own VPS. Payload has no opinion about infrastructure. You control where data lives.
08
Custom Admin UI Extensions
The admin panel is React — add custom components, dashboard widgets, and branded UI elements directly in code.
Platform comparison
Payload vs WordPress vs
Contentful vs Sanity.
How Payload CMS stacks up against the alternatives for modern web projects.
| Feature | Payload | WordPress | Contentful | Sanity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open source | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| TypeScript-first | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Self-hosted | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Vendor lock-in | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom field types | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built-in auth | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Next.js native | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pricing model | Free | Free | Per seat | Per seat |
Why it matters
Why developers choose Payload.
Most CMS platforms are built for marketing teams, not engineering teams. Payload is built for developers first — your schema is code, your access control is code, your admin extensions are React components. Everything lives in version control, not in a cloud dashboard you don't own.
For teams building long-lived, maintainable products, Payload's architecture pays back with every deployment, every PR review, and every onboarded developer.
Data ownership
Your content lives in your own database. No CMS vendor can hold your data hostage or raise prices after you've migrated.
TypeScript everywhere
Schema, access control, hooks, and frontend components all share TypeScript types. Refactor a field name — the compiler catches every broken reference.
No CMS cost at scale
Payload is MIT-licensed and open-source. There are no per-seat, per-API-call, or per-locale charges regardless of team size.
Schema in git
Content structure is code — committed, reviewed, and deployed like application logic. No more schema drift between environments.
“SaaS startup migrates from Contentful to Payload CMS — CMS costs drop to zero, editorial team loves the admin.”
A growing SaaS company was paying £600/month for Contentful at scale. We migrated their content to Payload CMS in a Next.js monorepo — same admin experience, same APIs, zero ongoing CMS cost. The editorial team adopted the Payload admin faster than they had Contentful.
Start your migration →
From idea to live site in four steps.
Milestone payments — you see progress weekly and own every deliverable the moment it's completed.
Discovery Call & Flat Quote
Every project starts with a free 30-minute call — no pitch deck, no jargon. We ask the right questions about your goals, your audience and your budget, then deliver a written flat-fee proposal within 24 hours. You know the full cost before we touch a single wireframe.
- Free 30-minute strategy call
- Digital brief and business goal analysis
- Written flat-fee quote within 24 hours
- No hourly rates, no scope creep surprises
- Platform and technology recommendation included
Pricing
Flat written quotes.
No hourly surprises.
Every project gets a detailed written quote after a free 30-min discovery call. No deposit. Milestone payments throughout.
Standard Build
From £5,000
Marketing site or content-driven web project with Payload CMS and Next.js.
- ↳Payload CMS + Next.js monorepo setup
- ↳Up to 8 custom collection types
- ↳Role-based access (admin + editor)
- ↳REST API endpoints
- ↳On-page SEO & schema markup
- ↳CMS editorial training session
- ↳Two weeks post-launch support
Most popular
Complex CMS
From £9,000
Multi-role content system, advanced field architecture, and live preview.
- ↳Everything in Standard Build
- ↳Unlimited collection & global types
- ↳Custom block-based page builder
- ↳Live preview with Next.js Draft Mode
- ↳GraphQL API configuration
- ↳Custom admin UI extensions
- ↳WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility
Full-Stack App
From £15,000
Payload as the backbone of a custom web application with auth, billing, and APIs.
- ↳Everything in Complex CMS
- ↳Custom auth flows & user management
- ↳Stripe or payment integration
- ↳Third-party API integrations
- ↳Custom admin sections & dashboards
- ↳Dedicated project manager
- ↳Ongoing care plan (3 months)
Start a project
Free 30-min call.
Flat written quote.
No deposit.
Tell us about your project. We'll review your requirements, recommend the right Payload architecture, and send a flat quote within 24 hours. No obligation.
FAQs
Questions about
Payload CMS.
What is Payload CMS and why use it instead of WordPress?
Payload CMS is a TypeScript-first, open-source headless CMS that runs inside a Next.js project. Unlike WordPress, Payload gives you full type-safety from content schema through to frontend components, a clean REST and GraphQL API, built-in auth without plugins, and a self-hosted deployment with no vendor lock-in. For teams building modern Next.js sites or web applications, Payload is typically faster, more maintainable, and significantly cheaper to run at scale.
Is Payload CMS free to use?
Yes. Payload CMS is open-source and free under the MIT licence. There are no per-seat charges, API call limits, or hosting fees from Payload itself — you pay only for your hosting infrastructure (Vercel, Railway, DigitalOcean, etc.), which is typically a fraction of what Contentful or Sanity charge at equivalent scale.
How does Payload CMS compare to Contentful and Sanity?
Contentful and Sanity are hosted SaaS platforms — your content lives on their servers, and costs scale with seats and API usage. Payload is self-hosted and open-source, so your content lives in your own database and costs nothing as your team grows. Payload is also TypeScript-first, meaning your content schema is code — version-controlled, reviewable, and deployable — rather than configured through a UI that lives outside your codebase.
What does "self-hosted" mean and why does it matter?
Self-hosted means you deploy Payload to infrastructure you control — Vercel, Railway, your own server — rather than using a managed cloud platform owned by the CMS vendor. This matters for data ownership (your content stays in your database), compliance (GDPR, data residency), cost predictability (no per-seat fees), and portability (you're never locked into a vendor's pricing or availability).
Do I need to know TypeScript to use Payload CMS?
You don't need TypeScript knowledge to use the Payload admin panel — editors interact with a clean UI, not code. However, configuring and extending Payload (defining collections, adding custom fields, setting access control rules) requires TypeScript. WebAnts handles all Payload configuration and delivers a system that your editorial team can use without writing code.
Can Payload CMS replace WordPress for a marketing site?
Yes, for teams comfortable with a developer-configured setup. Payload with Next.js delivers a faster site, a cleaner admin experience, and full type-safety compared to WordPress. The trade-off is that content structure changes require a developer (schema is code, not a UI), whereas WordPress plugins can be added by non-developers. We advise based on your team composition and expected rate of structural change.
How does live preview work with Payload and Next.js?
Payload integrates with Next.js Draft Mode — when an editor triggers preview in the Payload admin, it sets a cookie that switches your Next.js frontend into Draft Mode, fetching unpublished content directly from Payload. The editor sees their changes rendered in the actual frontend layout before publishing. We wire this up as a standard deliverable on every Payload build.
Can you migrate our existing WordPress site to Payload CMS?
Yes. We export WordPress content (posts, pages, custom post types, media) and map it to equivalent Payload collections, preserving slugs and redirecting URLs to protect your SEO equity. The complexity depends on the volume and structure of your existing content — we scope migrations individually on the discovery call.
What databases does Payload CMS support?
Payload supports PostgreSQL and MongoDB. PostgreSQL (via Drizzle ORM) is our standard recommendation for most projects — it is widely supported, performant, and available on every major hosting platform including Vercel Postgres, Railway, Neon, and Supabase. MongoDB is available for teams with existing MongoDB infrastructure.
How long does a Payload CMS project take?
A standard Payload + Next.js marketing site takes 4–6 weeks. A complex multi-role CMS with custom field architecture and live preview takes 6–10 weeks. A full-stack web application using Payload as the backbone takes 8–14 weeks. We provide a firm timeline in the written proposal.
How much does a Payload CMS build cost?
A standard Payload CMS + Next.js build starts from £5,000. A complex CMS with custom blocks, live preview, and multi-role access control starts from £9,000. A full-stack application using Payload as the application backend starts from £15,000. All quotes are flat — no hourly billing, no scope creep surprises. We provide a written quote after a free 30-min discovery call.
Do you require a deposit for Payload CMS projects?
No. We operate on a milestone payment model — you pay at agreed project checkpoints, only after reviewing and approving each deliverable. No deposit, no prepayment. This is our standard model for every project.
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Client stories
4.9★ across Google, Clutch & Upwork. 100+ projects. 14 countries.
“WebAnts built something better than I'd ever imagined — shipped faster than any agency I've worked with.”
LaTisha Ebanks North Pointe Marketing
Dr. Nadish Ravindran
Founder · Elite Scholars
“The team were methodical, fast and honest. Exactly what we needed. No surprises, just results.”
Guillaume Etlin Bro Bread
“We ranked #1 in three London postcodes within 90 days of launching with WebAnts. The ROI has been remarkable.”
Ahmed Hassan Papa Doner
Rachel Piccoli
Founder & CEO · Humming Bliss Acres
“WebAnts delivered our marketing site faster than any agency we'd worked with before. Clean build, great communication throughout.”
Patrick Bishop ReRoute Americas
“Incredible attention to detail. The site launched under budget and our leads doubled in the first month.”
Tom Walker Access Super
“WebAnts built something better than I'd ever imagined — shipped faster than any agency I've worked with.”
LaTisha Ebanks North Pointe Marketing
Dr. Nadish Ravindran
Founder · Elite Scholars
“Incredible attention to detail. The site launched under budget and our leads doubled in the first month.”
Tom Walker Access Super
“The team were methodical, fast and honest. Exactly what we needed. No surprises, just results.”
Guillaume Etlin Bro Bread
“We ranked #1 in three London postcodes within 90 days of launching with WebAnts. The ROI has been remarkable.”
Ahmed Hassan Papa Doner
“WebAnts delivered our marketing site faster than any agency we'd worked with before. Clean build, great communication throughout.”
Patrick Bishop ReRoute Americas
Rachel Piccoli
Founder & CEO · Humming Bliss Acres
Verified ratings
Own your CMS. Own your data. →
Free discovery call. TypeScript-first. Flat quote. No deposit.
About WebAnts Payload CMS Development London
WebAnts Payload CMS development London, TypeScript headless CMS, self-hosted, Next.js monorepo, no vendor lock-in, 4.9 stars rated. WebAnts is a London web design and development agency specialising in Payload CMS builds. We build TypeScript-first headless CMS projects with Payload CMS and Next.js — monorepo architecture, custom field types, role-based access control, live preview, REST and GraphQL APIs. Self-hosted on Vercel, Railway, or client infrastructure. No vendor lock-in. No per-seat pricing. Open-source MIT licence. No deposit required. Milestone billing only. Flat written quotes within 24 hours.