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Comparison · Infra & APIs

OpenMQTTGateway vs Payload CMS

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

OpenMQTTGateway vs Payload CMS: at a glance

FeatureOpenMQTTGatewayPayload CMS
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesiot gateway, bluetooth le, mqtt, home automationheadless-cms, v4-beta, file-uploads, auth
Last editorial update3d ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is OpenMQTTGateway?

OpenMQTTGateway follows its 22-month comeback with a quick reboot-loop fix.

OpenMQTTGateway shipped v1.9.0 on November 7, its first release since January 2025. It moves to the Arduino ESP32 core 3.x, ships Theengs Decoder 2.5.0 with a fix for a BLE advertisement parsing flaw affecting every earlier release, and hardens buffer handling across MQTT, HTTP, BLE and RF input. Upgrade notes warn that some Home Assistant unique_ids change and that encrypted BLE devices are skipped until a key is set.

Read the full OpenMQTTGateway trajectory →

What is Payload CMS?

Payload's v4 beta.9 keeps every past image crop and raises the Node floor again.

Payload has tagged nine v4 betas since October 10. Beta.9 reads saved crops and focal points from the new _transforms store, serves historical upload variants when a version is restored, adds labels and device details to sessions, and exports standalone CSS tokens from the UI package. It also bumps the minimum Node version to 24.22.3, the second Node floor raise in the cycle.

Read the full Payload CMS trajectory →

OpenMQTTGateway vs Payload CMS: editorial side-by-side

O
OpenMQTTGateway
INFRA · APIS
5.0

OpenMQTTGateway follows its 22-month comeback with a quick reboot-loop fix.

◆ Current state

OpenMQTTGateway shipped v1.9.0 on November 7, its first release since January 2025. It moves to the Arduino ESP32 core 3.x, ships Theengs Decoder 2.5.0 with a fix for a BLE advertisement parsing flaw affecting every earlier release, and hardens buffer handling across MQTT, HTTP, BLE and RF input. Upgrade notes warn that some Home Assistant unique_ids change and that encrypted BLE devices are skipped until a key is set.

◆ Where it's heading

Earlier releases made the gateway independent of controllers and external brokers. The return release is about safety and a modern ESP32 base rather than new features, which suggests the project is resetting its foundation before resuming feature work.

◆ Prediction

Expect the promised security advisory for the Theengs Decoder flaw and 1.9.x fixes for the Home Assistant entity changes; whether regular cadence resumes is not yet clear from the entries.

P
Payload CMS
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Payload's v4 beta.9 keeps every past image crop and raises the Node floor again.

◆ Current state

Payload has tagged nine v4 betas since October 10. Beta.9 reads saved crops and focal points from the new _transforms store, serves historical upload variants when a version is restored, adds labels and device details to sessions, and exports standalone CSS tokens from the UI package. It also bumps the minimum Node version to 24.22.3, the second Node floor raise in the cycle.

◆ Where it's heading

Three betas in a row have reworked file uploads around one stored original plus replayable transforms, and two have tightened sign-in and sessions. The v4 cycle is now finishing those two systems rather than adding new surfaces, which is the usual shape of a beta nearing a release candidate.

◆ Prediction

Expect more betas that close out the transforms and session work, with a release candidate once the fix lists shrink; the entries do not show a date.

Alternatives to OpenMQTTGateway 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 OpenMQTTGateway or Payload CMS.

See all OpenMQTTGateway alternatives → · See all Payload CMS alternatives →

Recent activity from OpenMQTTGateway and Payload CMS

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

  1. 16h agoPayload CMSv4 beta.9: version-aware image transforms, richer session details
  2. 3d agoPayload CMSv4 beta.8: OAuth login for MCP, request-time image transforms
  3. 3d agoOpenMQTTGatewayFix for an RF reboot loop on rtl_433 builds
  4. 6d agoOpenMQTTGatewayOpenMQTTGateway v1.9.0
  5. 9d agoPayload CMSv4 beta.7: refresh tokens and a batch of security fixes
  6. 15d agoPayload CMSv4 beta.6: Lexical 0.53, restores always return as drafts
  7. 17d agoPayload CMSv4 beta.5: signed upload receipts, stricter password reset
  8. 22d agoPayload CMSv4 beta.4: Node 24.22.1 minimum and accessibility audit fixes
  9. 1y agoOpenMQTTGatewayAdaptive scanning restart bug fixed
  10. 1y agoOpenMQTTGatewayAn MQTT broker moves inside the gateway ⚡
  11. 2y agoOpenMQTTGatewayTheengs Bridge hardware and Ethernet onboarding
  12. 3y agoOpenMQTTGatewayWeb interface removes the controller dependency

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between OpenMQTTGateway and Payload CMS?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. OpenMQTTGateway and Payload CMS are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is OpenMQTTGateway better than Payload CMS?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. OpenMQTTGateway and Payload CMS are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to OpenMQTTGateway?

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