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Comparison · Infra & APIs

AdGuard Home vs Payload CMS

A side-by-side editorial comparison of AdGuard Home and Payload CMS — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

AdGuard Home vs Payload CMS: at a glance

FeatureAdGuard HomePayload CMS
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.06.3
Sparks · 30d01
Top themesdns, ad-blocking, security, dns-over-quicheadless-cms, major-release, upload adapters, graphql
Last editorial update2mo ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is AdGuard Home?

AdGuard Home patches a DNS-over-QUIC resource exhaustion advisory and moves edge to the new UI

v0.107.79 is presented as a stability release but carries the security work: a Go update for the vulnerabilities fixed in 1.26.6 and hardening against resource exhaustion over DNS-over-QUIC, published as GHSA-w6v6-f44j-3rj2. Alongside it, bootstrap server config accepts comments, install APIs gain a language property, static lease hostnames can be removed over HTTP, strict_sni_check is deprecated, and DNS64 stops treating unresolved CNAME/DNAME answers as the end of the chain.

Read the full AdGuard Home trajectory →

What is Payload CMS?

Payload 4.0 beta 5 is a fix release with one adapter-facing breaking change.

Payload v4.0.0-beta.5 is a short fix list: password validation on reset, hidden fields excluded from GraphQL mutation inputs, plugins able to override other plugins' options, and signed upload receipts. Its one breaking change moves extra upload fields into clientData for adapters running without receipts, which no first-party adapter does. Beta releases now ship per-package SBOMs.

Read the full Payload CMS trajectory →

AdGuard Home vs Payload CMS: editorial side-by-side

A
AdGuard Home
INFRA · APIS
5.0

AdGuard Home patches a DNS-over-QUIC resource exhaustion advisory and moves edge to the new UI

◆ Current state

v0.107.79 is presented as a stability release but carries the security work: a Go update for the vulnerabilities fixed in 1.26.6 and hardening against resource exhaustion over DNS-over-QUIC, published as GHSA-w6v6-f44j-3rj2. Alongside it, bootstrap server config accepts comments, install APIs gain a language property, static lease hostnames can be removed over HTTP, strict_sni_check is deprecated, and DNS64 stops treating unresolved CNAME/DNAME answers as the end of the chain.

◆ Where it's heading

Two channels run in parallel — the 0.107 stable line and the 0.108 beta — and the edge channel has now switched to the new UI and versioning scheme, which is the first concrete sign that the 0.108 work is being staged for release. Stable releases keep absorbing protocol correctness fixes and DNS-over-QUIC hardening.

◆ Prediction

With edge already on the new UI and versioning scheme, the 0.108 line is the likely destination for that switch, and strict_sni_check being deprecated now points to its removal there.

P
Payload CMS
INFRA · APIS
6.3

Payload 4.0 beta 5 is a fix release with one adapter-facing breaking change.

◆ Current state

Payload v4.0.0-beta.5 is a short fix list: password validation on reset, hidden fields excluded from GraphQL mutation inputs, plugins able to override other plugins' options, and signed upload receipts. Its one breaking change moves extra upload fields into clientData for adapters running without receipts, which no first-party adapter does. Beta releases now ship per-package SBOMs.

◆ Where it's heading

The 4.0 beta lands every three to five days, and each one is smaller than the last. beta.0 shipped the admin redesign, TanStack support and the new MCP. Later betas covered adapters, Next.js cache components and accessibility, and beta.5 is mostly correctness and supply-chain hygiene, which suggests a release candidate is close.

◆ Prediction

Expect one or two more fix-only betas, then a 4.0 release candidate. The SBOM addition suggests supply-chain artifacts will carry over to stable releases.

Alternatives to AdGuard Home and Payload CMS

Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either AdGuard Home or Payload CMS.

See all AdGuard Home alternatives → · See all Payload CMS alternatives →

Recent activity from AdGuard Home and Payload CMS

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 2d agoPayload CMSPayload 4.0 beta 5: GraphQL, upload and password-reset fixes
  2. 7d agoPayload CMSPayload 4.0 beta 4: accessibility fixes, Node 24.22.1 minimum
  3. 9d agoPayload CMSPayload 4.0 beta 3 adds Next.js cache components support
  4. 13d agoPayload CMSPayload 4.0 beta 2 moves to stable TanStack Start
  5. 15d agoPayload CMSPayload 4.0 beta 1: codemod and docs fixes
  6. 19d agoPayload CMSPayload 4.0 beta: admin redesign, TanStack support, new MCP ⚡
  7. 2mo agoAdGuard HomeAdGuard Home 0.107.79 hardens DNS-over-QUIC against resource exhaustion
  8. 3mo agoAdGuard HomeBeta b.90 carries the DNS-over-QUIC exhaustion fix
  9. 3mo agoAdGuard HomeBeta b.89 hardens against JIGGLE attacks (GHSA-p5f5-3p5g-rfjw)
  10. 3mo agoAdGuard Home0.107.78: over half the changelog is security fixes
  11. 4mo agoAdGuard HomeBeta b.88 patches path traversal in GLiNET auth (CVE-2026-41448)
  12. 4mo agoAdGuard Home0.107.77 patches a community-reported vulnerability

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between AdGuard Home and Payload CMS?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Payload CMS is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is AdGuard Home better than Payload CMS?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Payload CMS is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to AdGuard Home?

Top AdGuard Home alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "AdGuard Home alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/adguard-home for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Payload CMS?

Top Payload CMS alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Payload CMS alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/payload-cms for the full list with editorial commentary on each.