Payload CMS Development
YOUR CONTENT.
YOUR PLATFORM.
Build a Payload CMS website around your content and your team. Our senior Makers handle content models, editor workflows, frontend development and the integrations that connect it all.
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
When Payload Fits
Custom Content.
Clear Ownership.
Payload is a good candidate when your website needs custom content models, backend behavior or control over its infrastructure. We help you assess that fit before committing to a rebuild.
We start with a real publishing task and your integration requirements, then map the content, roles and frontend around them. If your priority is a managed visual editing experience, we also compare the options through our headless CMS website service .
What We Build
A CMS Your Team
Can Work With.
Agree the deliverables around the way your editors and engineers work. A Payload implementation can include:
Content collections, reusable page blocks, validation and media management.
Editor roles, access rules, localization and a tested draft-to-publish workflow.
Responsive frontend components, previews and content API integration.
Connections to CRM, search, commerce or existing product systems.
Deployment setup, operational documentation and handover for your team.
We define acceptance checks for both the public website and the editor experience. Editors should be able to complete the agreed publishing tasks before the platform is considered ready.
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
Frontend and Architecture
Payload Behind It.
The Right Frontend.
Payload’s backend and admin application run on Next.js, while the public frontend can be built separately. We choose the architecture around publishing frequency, interactive features, hosting constraints and the people maintaining it.
Astro can suit a content-heavy marketing site. A Next.js implementation can suit a site with more application behavior or close integration with an existing React platform. Static and server-rendered routes come with different preview, caching and publishing requirements.
Read our Payload CMS and Astro guide for the tradeoffs, or explore our broader React development work .
Migration and Launch
Move the Content.
Keep the Context.
A CMS migration starts with an inventory of your content, URLs and integrations. We agree what to keep, what to combine and how the new content models will represent it.
Map existing URLs, redirects, metadata and internal links.
Migrate and validate content, media and localized pages.
Test previews, approvals, publishing and unpublishing with editors.
Check forms, tracking, performance and key journeys before launch.
Agree deployment, rollback, backups and post-launch responsibilities.
Start with a representative page or content type to expose the difficult parts early. We use that evidence to refine the wider migration scope and delivery plan.
Talk to a Maker:format(webp))
Our Clients
What Our Clients
Say About the Work.
Our clients describe working with our engineers on websites, React products and CMS platforms. Their feedback reflects the projects named below.
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
Testimonials
The team at Makers' Den were incredibly helpful and friendly. They pointed us in the right direction many times and now we’re very happy with our marketing website. We are very happy to continue working with them on future projects!
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
:format(webp))
Top ReactJS Agency 2026 in Germany
5.0 stars
Website Case Studies
Website and CMS
Delivery Experience.
See how we delivered content platforms and frontends for CEPRES and Pexip using Storyblok, and for FRI:DAY using Prismic. These case studies show our approach to editorial workflows, reusable components and website delivery.
:format(webp))
CEPRES: Faster Website with Storyblok
CEPRES provides industry-leading investment technology and the world's largest private market data network to help investors. They wanted a best-in-class website to power their SEO, performance marketing and lead funnels.
Read Case Study
:format(webp))
Pexip: Engage Showcase Site
Pexip Engage is an enterprise scheduling SaaS. Their customers are banks and insurance companies, and they appreciate hands on demos on how to leverage the service. We were happy to help.
Read Case Study
:format(webp))
FRI:DAY: Re-architecting a Website for Scale
We rebuilt FRI:DAY’s website with Gatsby, React and Prismic, improving performance and giving its marketing team more control.
Read Case Study
Payload CMS Questions
Planning Your
Payload Project?
When should we choose Payload CMS?
Consider Payload when custom content structures, backend logic or infrastructure control are important and there is a team to maintain the application, database and media storage. We assess editor workflows and operational ownership alongside the technical requirements.
A simpler hosted platform may be more suitable for a small site or a team that wants less infrastructure responsibility.
Can you use Astro or Next.js for the public website?
Yes. Payload’s backend and admin application are based on Next.js, but the public site can consume its APIs from an Astro frontend or be built with Next.js. We choose the frontend and rendering model around the site's interaction, publishing and hosting requirements.
Can editors preview and publish without developers?
We build the agreed content models and page components so editors can manage routine content changes. Preview, access rules and the publish-to-deployment or cache-refresh flow are part of the implementation. We test those tasks with your editors; new components or integrations may still need engineering work.
Can you migrate our current CMS to Payload?
We begin with a content and URL inventory, then map the models, media, locales and integrations. The migration plan includes redirects, metadata, validation and editor acceptance. We assess the existing content before proposing a delivery estimate.
How do you approach performance and security?
We review rendering, images, JavaScript, caching and third-party scripts, then test representative pages and user journeys. For security, we define access rules, handle credentials appropriately and agree responsibility for updates, backups and monitoring.
A CMS or framework does not guarantee security or rankings. Core Web Vitals measure loading, responsiveness and visual stability; a 90+ performance score is not a requirement for appearing in Google Search. See Google’s Core Web Vitals guidance .
What affects cost, timing and ongoing support?
The main drivers are content-model complexity, component count, integrations, migration quality, localization and the publishing workflow. We establish a first milestone and its assumptions before estimating the wider work. Hosting, upgrades, support and internal handover are agreed explicitly.
I want to keep my idea confidential. Will you sign an NDA with me?
Yes, we sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) always when a client wants it. We can do it at the very beginning before we discuss your project's details, or at another stage of the process - it's up to you.
Do I own the intellectual property rights of my application?
Yes, you are the owner of Intellectual Property rights at all times.
Where is your development team located?
We are fully remote. So while we were founded and are still based in Berlin, most developers will be remote from a central European location.
What is the pricing model?
You work with us on a Time & Materials basis. The total cost depends on the actual time the team spends on the development. You are in charge of the project’s scope and set priorities for the development team.
Time & Materials allows flexibility for you to set the direction of development depending on the users’ feedback, market situation, or opportunities that arise during the development.
For more about how we create estimates read how to estimate software projects .
What would my development team look like?
We adjust the team depending on your needs. Our speciality is low overhead teams, where every member is contributing concretely towards customer facing features. That means everyone is either doing development or design.
Roles like Project Manager, Business Analyst and QA are responsibilities which are shouldered by our business oriented developers or designers.
You may take the role of a Product Owner, making decisions on priority and scope.
Can you work as an amendment to our in-house team?
Yes. We can adapt to your tools and processes. I.e. fully integrate into your existing team.
How does the company ensure code quality and maintainability?
We follow best practices, perform code reviews, implement automated testing and continuous integration to ensure code quality and maintainability. All projects are not equal though and the level of automated QA will be determined on your need for quick feedback from the market.
Can you hand the code over to another team?
Yes. We create easily understandable and maintainable code using well known frameworks which don’t require niche knowledge.
The runtime environments we can set up in your ownership from the get-go.
What is the experience level of my team?
Every team has a partner involved in the project. Our developers have a proven track record of outsized throughput. Our culture is one of delivering features every day. That's why we prefer senior developers, but not seniors that are from slow moving enterprise environments.
How am I kept up-to-date of development?
We have fixed length iterations (usually 1 week), at the end of which you will be demoed the current progress. You will have access to team members through Slack, email and video calls and our regular meetings. In addition to this you will have access to our project management tools (Jira or Asana), which we update daily.
Why hire us?
We love what we do and only employ people with a similar mindset. You ship faster by working with a small team where each developer is a focused on your business goals. With us you get direct access to everyone. This keeps overhead low and output high.
You are in control. We offer full transparency of progress and potential problems. We keep you informed and present options, but you make the decisions.
We value our client relationships and their product visions. Meet with us to see if we share the same conviction. We might be a good fit.
:format(webp))