Until now, a site built in Figma Make was mostly a front end. If the copy needed changing, someone had to go back into Make and prompt it. Figma announced this week that Payload, the open-source content framework that joined Figma last year, now works inside Make, so a site can come with its own backend and an admin panel for editing it.
What changed
A backend set up from a prompt. According to Figma’s post, when you prompt an app in Make it can now also set up storage and management tools: a database, file storage, user login, and an admin panel. You can upload a CSV and ask the agent to turn it into a Payload collection, which is a quick way to get existing content, like a product list or a set of case studies, into a site.
An admin panel for the people who edit content. After you publish, adding /admin to the site’s URL opens Payload’s panel. From there, Figma says, teams can create articles, edit copy, tag content, swap media, reorder categories, and review versions. Permissions control who can change what.
Figma hosts it. The backend runs on Figma’s infrastructure, so content and data sit alongside the designs. Make’s settings can also store API keys so they aren’t exposed to visitors on the published site.
Availability. Figma says Payload is available on all plans, with access rolling out to all accounts over the coming weeks. Hosting for Payload-backed Make projects is in beta and free to use for now.
Why it matters for designers
The usual sticking point when a designer builds a small site for a client is the hand-off: who updates it once you’re done? A built-in admin panel with versions and permissions answers that without bolting on a separate CMS. For a portfolio, a campaign microsite, or a small business site, that could be the difference between a prototype and something you can actually leave with the client.
It also means you can design with real content. Pulling a CSV into a collection lets you see how layouts hold up with actual titles, long names, and missing images, instead of tidy placeholder copy.
What to watch out for
Pricing is an open question. Hosting is free while it’s in beta, and Figma says it will announce pricing and packaging before they take effect, but there’s no number yet. Think twice before promising a client a site whose running cost you don’t know.
The post doesn’t describe exporting a Make project or moving the backend elsewhere. It only points to Payload’s own site for self-hosting or extending Payload. If a site needs to outlive your Figma subscription, find out how you’d move it before you build on this.
There are no published storage or usage limits either. We haven’t built anything with this yet, so all of the above is from Figma’s announcement, and access is still rolling out.
