diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index ee3c2c50b..34acf5e37 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ subprojects {
 
     dependencies {
         compile "io.projectreactor:reactor-core:3.1.1.RELEASE"
-        compile "io.netty:netty-buffer:4.1.15.Final"
+        compile "io.netty:netty-buffer:4.1.16.Final"
         compile "org.reactivestreams:reactive-streams:1.0.1"
         compile "org.slf4j:slf4j-api:1.7.25"
         compile "com.google.code.findbugs:jsr305:3.0.2"
diff --git a/rsocket-core/src/main/java/io/rsocket/util/ByteBufPayload.java b/rsocket-core/src/main/java/io/rsocket/util/ByteBufPayload.java
index b88f4c9a3..a39214dfd 100644
--- a/rsocket-core/src/main/java/io/rsocket/util/ByteBufPayload.java
+++ b/rsocket-core/src/main/java/io/rsocket/util/ByteBufPayload.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 import io.netty.buffer.ByteBufUtil;
 import io.netty.buffer.Unpooled;
 import io.netty.util.AbstractReferenceCounted;
+import io.netty.util.Recycler;
 import io.rsocket.Payload;
 
 import javax.annotation.Nullable;
@@ -29,17 +30,19 @@
 import java.nio.charset.Charset;
 
 public final class ByteBufPayload extends AbstractReferenceCounted implements Payload {
-  private final ByteBuf data;
-  private final ByteBuf metadata;
+  private static final Recycler<ByteBufPayload> RECYCLER =
+      new Recycler<ByteBufPayload>() {
+        protected ByteBufPayload newObject(Handle<ByteBufPayload> handle) {
+          return new ByteBufPayload(handle);
+        }
+      };
 
-  private ByteBufPayload(ByteBuf data) {
-    this.data = data.asReadOnly();
-    this.metadata = null;
-  }
+  private final Recycler.Handle<ByteBufPayload> handle;
+  private ByteBuf data;
+  private ByteBuf metadata;
 
-  private ByteBufPayload(ByteBuf data, @Nullable ByteBuf metadata) {
-    this.data = data.asReadOnly();
-    this.metadata = metadata == null ? null : metadata.asReadOnly();
+  private ByteBufPayload(final Recycler.Handle<ByteBufPayload> handle) {
+    this.handle = handle;
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -49,12 +52,12 @@ public boolean hasMetadata() {
 
   @Override
   public ByteBuf sliceMetadata() {
-    return metadata == null ? Unpooled.EMPTY_BUFFER : metadata.duplicate();
+    return metadata == null ? Unpooled.EMPTY_BUFFER : metadata;
   }
 
   @Override
   public ByteBuf sliceData() {
-    return data.duplicate();
+    return data;
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -90,9 +93,12 @@ public ByteBufPayload touch(Object hint) {
   @Override
   protected void deallocate() {
     data.release();
+    data = null;
     if (metadata != null) {
       metadata.release();
+      metadata = null;
     }
+    handle.recycle(this);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -102,7 +108,7 @@ protected void deallocate() {
    * @return a payload.
    */
   public static Payload create(String data) {
-    return new ByteBufPayload(ByteBufUtil.writeUtf8(ByteBufAllocator.DEFAULT, data));
+    return create(ByteBufUtil.writeUtf8(ByteBufAllocator.DEFAULT, data), null);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -114,48 +120,51 @@ public static Payload create(String data) {
    * @return a payload.
    */
   public static Payload create(String data, @Nullable String metadata) {
-    return new ByteBufPayload(
+    return create(
         ByteBufUtil.writeUtf8(ByteBufAllocator.DEFAULT, data),
         metadata == null ? null : ByteBufUtil.writeUtf8(ByteBufAllocator.DEFAULT, metadata)
     );
   }
 
   public static Payload create(CharSequence data, Charset dataCharset) {
-    return new ByteBufPayload(ByteBufUtil.encodeString(ByteBufAllocator.DEFAULT, CharBuffer.wrap(data), dataCharset));
+    return create(ByteBufUtil.encodeString(ByteBufAllocator.DEFAULT, CharBuffer.wrap(data), dataCharset), null);
   }
 
   public static Payload create(CharSequence data, Charset dataCharset, @Nullable CharSequence metadata, Charset metadataCharset) {
-    return new ByteBufPayload(
+    return create(
         ByteBufUtil.encodeString(ByteBufAllocator.DEFAULT, CharBuffer.wrap(data), dataCharset),
         metadata == null ? null : ByteBufUtil.encodeString(ByteBufAllocator.DEFAULT, CharBuffer.wrap(metadata), metadataCharset)
     );
   }
 
   public static Payload create(byte[] data) {
-    return new ByteBufPayload(Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(data));
+    return create(Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(data), null);
   }
 
   public static Payload create(byte[] data, @Nullable byte[] metadata) {
-    return new ByteBufPayload(Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(data), metadata == null ? null : Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(metadata));
+    return create(Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(data), metadata == null ? null : Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(metadata));
   }
 
   public static Payload create(ByteBuffer data) {
-    return new ByteBufPayload(Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(data));
+    return create(Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(data), null);
   }
 
   public static Payload create(ByteBuffer data, @Nullable ByteBuffer metadata) {
-    return new ByteBufPayload(Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(data), metadata == null ? null : Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(metadata));
+    return create(Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(data), metadata == null ? null : Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(metadata));
   }
 
   public static Payload create(ByteBuf data) {
-    return new ByteBufPayload(data);
+    return create(data, null);
   }
 
   public static Payload create(ByteBuf data, @Nullable ByteBuf metadata) {
-    return new ByteBufPayload(data, metadata);
+    ByteBufPayload payload = RECYCLER.get();
+    payload.data = data;
+    payload.metadata = metadata;
+    return payload;
   }
 
   public static Payload create(Payload payload) {
-    return new ByteBufPayload(payload.sliceData(), payload.hasMetadata() ? payload.sliceMetadata() : null);
+    return create(payload.sliceData(), payload.hasMetadata() ? payload.sliceMetadata() : null);
   }
 }
diff --git a/rsocket-core/src/main/java/io/rsocket/util/DefaultPayload.java b/rsocket-core/src/main/java/io/rsocket/util/DefaultPayload.java
index df7fd2662..8962bc315 100644
--- a/rsocket-core/src/main/java/io/rsocket/util/DefaultPayload.java
+++ b/rsocket-core/src/main/java/io/rsocket/util/DefaultPayload.java
@@ -35,14 +35,9 @@ public final class DefaultPayload implements Payload {
   private final ByteBuffer data;
   private final ByteBuffer metadata;
 
-  private DefaultPayload(ByteBuffer data) {
-    this.data = data.asReadOnlyBuffer();
-    this.metadata = null;
-  }
-
   private DefaultPayload(ByteBuffer data, @Nullable ByteBuffer metadata) {
-    this.data = data.asReadOnlyBuffer();
-    this.metadata = metadata == null ? null : metadata.asReadOnlyBuffer();
+    this.data = data;
+    this.metadata = metadata;
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -62,12 +57,12 @@ public ByteBuf sliceData() {
 
   @Override
   public ByteBuffer getMetadata() {
-    return metadata == null ? DefaultPayload.EMPTY_BUFFER : metadata.duplicate();
+    return metadata == null ? DefaultPayload.EMPTY_BUFFER : metadata;
   }
 
   @Override
   public ByteBuffer getData() {
-    return data.duplicate();
+    return data;
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -112,7 +107,7 @@ public boolean release(int decrement) {
    * @return a payload.
    */
   public static Payload create(CharSequence data) {
-    return new DefaultPayload(StandardCharsets.UTF_8.encode(CharBuffer.wrap(data)));
+    return create(StandardCharsets.UTF_8.encode(CharBuffer.wrap(data)), null);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -124,33 +119,33 @@ public static Payload create(CharSequence data) {
    * @return a payload.
    */
   public static Payload create(CharSequence data, @Nullable CharSequence metadata) {
-    return new DefaultPayload(
+    return create(
         StandardCharsets.UTF_8.encode(CharBuffer.wrap(data)),
         metadata == null ? null : StandardCharsets.UTF_8.encode(CharBuffer.wrap(metadata))
     );
   }
 
   public static Payload create(CharSequence data, Charset dataCharset) {
-    return new DefaultPayload(dataCharset.encode(CharBuffer.wrap(data)));
+    return create(dataCharset.encode(CharBuffer.wrap(data)), null);
   }
 
   public static Payload create(CharSequence data, Charset dataCharset, @Nullable CharSequence metadata, Charset metadataCharset) {
-    return new DefaultPayload(
+    return create(
         dataCharset.encode(CharBuffer.wrap(data)),
         metadata == null ? null : metadataCharset.encode(CharBuffer.wrap(metadata))
     );
   }
 
   public static Payload create(byte[] data) {
-    return new DefaultPayload(ByteBuffer.wrap(data));
+    return create(ByteBuffer.wrap(data), null);
   }
 
   public static Payload create(byte[] data, @Nullable byte[] metadata) {
-    return new DefaultPayload(ByteBuffer.wrap(data), metadata == null ? null : ByteBuffer.wrap(metadata));
+    return create(ByteBuffer.wrap(data), metadata == null ? null : ByteBuffer.wrap(metadata));
   }
 
   public static Payload create(ByteBuffer data) {
-    return new DefaultPayload(data);
+    return create(data, null);
   }
 
   public static Payload create(ByteBuffer data, @Nullable ByteBuffer metadata) {
@@ -158,6 +153,6 @@ public static Payload create(ByteBuffer data, @Nullable ByteBuffer metadata) {
   }
 
   public static Payload create(Payload payload) {
-    return new DefaultPayload(payload.getData(), payload.hasMetadata() ? payload.getMetadata() : null);
+    return create(payload.getData(), payload.hasMetadata() ? payload.getMetadata() : null);
   }
 }
diff --git a/rsocket-core/src/test/java/io/rsocket/util/DefaultPayloadTest.java b/rsocket-core/src/test/java/io/rsocket/util/DefaultPayloadTest.java
index d97682850..aa30c2a62 100644
--- a/rsocket-core/src/test/java/io/rsocket/util/DefaultPayloadTest.java
+++ b/rsocket-core/src/test/java/io/rsocket/util/DefaultPayloadTest.java
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 
 package io.rsocket.util;
 
-import static io.rsocket.util.DefaultPayload.create;
 import static org.hamcrest.MatcherAssert.*;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.*;
 
@@ -32,14 +31,6 @@ public void testReuse() {
     assertDataAndMetadata(p, DATA_VAL, METADATA_VAL);
   }
 
-  @Test
-  public void testReuseWithExternalMark() {
-    Payload p = DefaultPayload.create(DATA_VAL, METADATA_VAL);
-    assertDataAndMetadata(p, DATA_VAL, METADATA_VAL);
-    p.getData().position(2).mark();
-    assertDataAndMetadata(p, DATA_VAL, METADATA_VAL);
-  }
-
   public void assertDataAndMetadata(Payload p, String dataVal, @Nullable String metadataVal) {
     assertThat("Unexpected data.", p.getDataUtf8(), equalTo(dataVal));
     if (metadataVal == null) {
diff --git a/rsocket-test/build.gradle b/rsocket-test/build.gradle
index 10705bd19..8c0243533 100644
--- a/rsocket-test/build.gradle
+++ b/rsocket-test/build.gradle
@@ -20,5 +20,5 @@ dependencies {
     compile "org.mockito:mockito-core:2.10.0"
     compile "org.hamcrest:hamcrest-library:1.3"
     compile "org.hdrhistogram:HdrHistogram:2.1.9"
-    compile "io.projectreactor:reactor-test:3.1.0.RELEASE"
+    compile "io.projectreactor:reactor-test:3.1.1.RELEASE"
 }