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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Dashy vs Payload CMS

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

Dashy vs Payload CMS: at a glance

FeatureDashyPayload CMS
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.06.3
Sparks · 30d01
Top themesself-hosted, dashboard, open-source, homelabheadless-cms, major-release, upload adapters, graphql
Last editorial update1mo ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Dashy?

Dashy ships multiple releases daily—mostly dependency housekeeping punctuated by new widget additions.

Dashy is an open-source self-hosted dashboard that ships in a high-velocity, community-driven cadence—often several patch releases per day. The current run is dominated by automated dependency bumps via Dependabot, with one substantive widget addition: a calendar widget (v4.6.10) resolving two long-standing feature requests. Individual releases are small and scoped to a single PR.

Read the full Dashy 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 →

Dashy vs Payload CMS: editorial side-by-side

D
Dashy
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Dashy ships multiple releases daily—mostly dependency housekeeping punctuated by new widget additions.

◆ Current state

Dashy is an open-source self-hosted dashboard that ships in a high-velocity, community-driven cadence—often several patch releases per day. The current run is dominated by automated dependency bumps via Dependabot, with one substantive widget addition: a calendar widget (v4.6.10) resolving two long-standing feature requests. Individual releases are small and scoped to a single PR.

◆ Where it's heading

Dashy's release pattern is more housekeeping than expansion: dependency updates keep the package graph current while occasional community-submitted widgets broaden the integration library. Beyond the top 6 entries, v4.6.7 added an `allowInsecure` prop for skipping certificate verification on internal services, v4.6.6 added status text overrides for uptime widgets, and v4.6.4 improved the Uptime Kuma widget—a cluster of quality-of-life improvements for self-hosters running home lab stacks. There's no visible architectural shift or major new capability surface.

◆ Prediction

The project will continue its community PR cadence: one or two widget additions per week interspersed with automated dependency updates. No major redesign or new integration pattern is visible in the entries.

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 Dashy 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 Dashy or Payload CMS.

See all Dashy alternatives → · See all Payload CMS alternatives →

Recent activity from Dashy 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. 1mo agoDashyDashy v4.6.13 🚀
  8. 1mo agoDashyDashy v4.6.12 🚀
  9. 1mo agoDashyDashy v4.6.11 🚀
  10. 1mo agoDashyv4.6.10: Calendar widget added
  11. 1mo agoDashyDashy v4.6.9 🚀
  12. 1mo agoDashyDashy v4.6.8 🚀

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Dashy 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 Dashy 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 Dashy?

Top Dashy alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Dashy alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/dashy 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.