GravityKit
GravityKit folds every GravityView extension into one Pro plugin.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
SuperTokens vs Payload CMS
A side-by-side editorial comparison of SuperTokens and Payload CMS — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:auth
SuperTokens vs Payload CMS: at a glance
What is SuperTokens?
SuperTokens tags 12.0.12 three weeks after its seven-advisory security release.
SuperTokens is a self-hostable auth backend. v12.0.12 on Nov 5 ships with only a compare link and no notes. The previous release, 12.0.11, fixed seven advisories, added SAML replay protection and made IdP-initiated SAML login require an ACS URL allow-list. The v12.3.0 canary in September added an activity log of user lifecycle events.
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.
SuperTokens vs Payload CMS: editorial side-by-side
SuperTokens
5.0INFRA · APIS
SuperTokens tags 12.0.12 three weeks after its seven-advisory security release.
◆ Current state
SuperTokens is a self-hostable auth backend. v12.0.12 on Nov 5 ships with only a compare link and no notes. The previous release, 12.0.11, fixed seven advisories, added SAML replay protection and made IdP-initiated SAML login require an ACS URL allow-list. The v12.3.0 canary in September added an activity log of user lifecycle events.
◆ Where it's heading
The stable 12.0 line is in patch mode, mostly security, while lifecycle events mature in the canary line. The gap between canary features and stable releases is still open.
◆ Prediction
It is unclear from the feed when the activity log reaches stable; more 12.0.x patches are the likely near-term output.
Payload CMS
5.0INFRA · APIS
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 SuperTokens 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 SuperTokens or Payload CMS.
Nautobot
Nautobot 3.3 alpha 2 adds test helpers and a cable location filter after 3.2.9's token-leak fix.
Clair
Clair 4.10 RC can read SBOMs to match Java vulnerabilities.
Shuffle
Shuffle tags builds almost daily, but the notes are empty.
KrakenD
KrakenD's community edition is shipping only dependency bumps.
Velociraptor
Velociraptor's recent releases are mostly about patching CVEs.
See all SuperTokens alternatives → · See all Payload CMS alternatives →
Recent activity from SuperTokens and Payload CMS
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 17h agoPayload CMSv4 beta.9: version-aware image transforms, richer session details
- 3d agoPayload CMSv4 beta.8: OAuth login for MCP, request-time image transforms
- 8d agoSuperTokensSuperTokens 12.0.12 patch (no notes published)
- 9d agoPayload CMSv4 beta.7: refresh tokens and a batch of security fixes
- 15d agoPayload CMSv4 beta.6: Lexical 0.53, restores always return as drafts
- 17d agoPayload CMSv4 beta.5: signed upload receipts, stricter password reset
- 22d agoPayload CMSv4 beta.4: Node 24.22.1 minimum and accessibility audit fixes
- 28d agoSuperTokensSuperTokens 12.0.11: SAML replay protection and seven security fixes
- 2mo agoSuperTokensSuperTokens v12.3: Activity log and lifecycle event system ⚡
- 3mo agoSuperTokensSuperTokens v12.0.10: SAML hardening
- 4mo agoSuperTokensSuperTokens v12.0.5: Account linking fixes and migration guard
- 4mo agoSuperTokensv12.0.4-canary
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SuperTokens and Payload CMS?
Both compete on the same themes — auth — within Infra & APIs. SuperTokens 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 SuperTokens better than Payload CMS?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. SuperTokens 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 SuperTokens?
Top SuperTokens alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "SuperTokens alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/supertokens 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.