Flocon AI vs Payload CMS
Payload is an open-source, code-first CMS that installs inside your Next.js app. With its SEO plugin and MCP plugin, Claude or Cursor can create content in it. Flocon AI is hosted: your AI writes SEO pages through MCP, and one npm install shows them on your website. Pick Payload if you want to own a full CMS. Pick Flocon if you only need SEO pages without running one.
Side by side
| Payload CMS | Flocon AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Add Payload to your app, set up a database, define collections, add the SEO and MCP plugins | One npm install (`@flocon-ai/next`) and one catch-all route |
| Where content lives | Your own database, on your hosting | Flocon, hosted for you |
| SEO features | SEO plugin: meta title, description and image, with your own auto-generate functions | Title, description, JSON-LD, OG image, FAQ blocks, sitemap and llms.txt helpers |
| Works from Claude/Cursor | Yes, with `@payloadcms/plugin-mcp` (endpoint at /api/mcp in your app) | Yes, one MCP URL per website |
| Price | Open source; you pay for your hosting and database | Free (10 published pages), Pro 5€/month, Business 29€/month |
| Best for | Developers who want full control of a CMS | Founders who want SEO pages with no CMS to run |
A word from the founder
"I wanted a small, efficient tool for my pages. I made the page data format myself, so it's very easy for agents to understand and to create pages with, and very easy to write a library for each framework." — Alfred Gauthier, founder of Flocon AI
Payload or Flocon?
Payload is the better pick if you want everything in your own codebase and database. The SEO plugin adds a meta field group to your collections and can auto-generate it with your own functions. The MCP plugin exposes find, create, update and delete per collection, with API keys to control access. Flocon is the better pick if you don't want to host a database, design collections or keep a CMS up to date: the page format is ready, and a new page needs no code change and no redeploy. Flocon only does SEO pages, though: no image block, no in-app AI writer, no keyword research.
Is Payload free?
Payload and its SEO and MCP plugins are open source. You still pay for the hosting and database that run it.
Can Claude create pages in Payload?
Yes, with the official MCP plugin. You choose which collections the AI can read, create, update or delete.
Does Flocon need a database on my side?
No. Pages are stored by Flocon. Your Next.js website fetches published pages with @flocon-ai/next.
Can I move from Payload to Flocon later?
Your AI can read your existing pages and recreate the SEO ones in Flocon through MCP. Other content stays in Payload.