How popular isPayload CMS in search?
In August 2026, there were an estimated 37.5K branded searches for Payload CMS worldwide which is up 11.3% over the last 11 months. Payload CMS holds 13.7% estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide and is ranked 4th of 8 competitors for search popularity. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Which headless CMS platforms compete with Payload CMS?
Share of Search by month for Prismic, Strapi, Contentful, Payload CMS, Storyblok, Directus, Sanity. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Prismic | Strapi | Contentful | Payload CMS | Storyblok | Directus | Sanity | Hygraph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 17.8% | 24.8% | 19.2% | 9.8% | 12.3% | 8.6% | 5.5% | 2% |
| Nov 2025 | 19.5% | 27.1% | 17.2% | 10.4% | 11% | 7.7% | 5.2% | 1.8% |
| Dec 2025 | 20.9% | 24% | 18.6% | 11.2% | 9.8% | 8.3% | 5.6% | 1.6% |
| Jan 2026 | 18.2% | 25.7% | 19.6% | 10% | 10.3% | 8.8% | 6% | 1.4% |
| Feb 2026 | 18.2% | 25.6% | 17% | 11.5% | 10.4% | 8.8% | 7.1% | 1.4% |
| Mar 2026 | 16.9% | 23.9% | 19.5% | 10.7% | 9.6% | 10% | 8% | 1.3% |
| Apr 2026 | 18.6% | 22.2% | 17.6% | 11.8% | 10.6% | 9.2% | 8.9% | 1.2% |
| May 2026 | 18.8% | 22% | 17.4% | 11.8% | 10.7% | 9.1% | 9% | 1.2% |
| Jun 2026 | 17.3% | 20.9% | 23.4% | 10.7% | 10% | 8.5% | 8.1% | 1.1% |
| Jul 2026 | 20.2% | 19.9% | 16.2% | 12.4% | 11.5% | 9.8% | 9.1% | 1% |
| Aug 2026 | 22.2% | 17.9% | 17.1% | 13.7% | 10.5% | 9% | 8.6% | 1.1% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 22.2% | 60.8K | -0.11% | +2 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 17.9% | 49K | -18.3% | -2 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 17.1% | 47K | -3.7% | +1 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 13.7% | 37.5K | 0% | +1.3 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 10.5% | 28.7K | -17.3% | -1 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 9% | 24.6K | -16.6% | -0.8 points | |
| 7, held 7th | 8.6% | 23.5K | -14.9% | -0.6 points | |
| 8, held 8th | 1.1% | 3.1K | 0% | +0.1 points |
1.
Prismic22.2%
held 1st · 60.8K estimated branded searches · -0.11% vs prior month · +2 points
2.
Strapi
17.9%
held 2nd · 49K estimated branded searches · -18.3% vs prior month · -2 points
17.1%
held 3rd · 47K estimated branded searches · -3.7% vs prior month · +1 points
13.7%
held 4th · 37.5K estimated branded searches · 0% vs prior month · +1.3 points
10.5%
held 5th · 28.7K estimated branded searches · -17.3% vs prior month · -1 points
6.
Directus9%
held 6th · 24.6K estimated branded searches · -16.6% vs prior month · -0.8 points
7.
Sanity8.6%
held 7th · 23.5K estimated branded searches · -14.9% vs prior month · -0.6 points
8.
Hygraph1.1%
held 8th · 3.1K estimated branded searches · 0% vs prior month · +0.1 points
Compare search popularity between Payload CMS and its closest rivals
How has branded search demand for Payload CMS changed worldwide over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Payload CMS worldwide rose from 33.7K to 37.5K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Payload CMS’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide increased from 9.8% to 13.7%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Payload CMS rose from 5th to 4th among headless CMS platforms worldwide.
How did search popularity change for headless CMS platforms worldwide in August 2026?
6 changes
In August 2026, Prismic gained estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide, from 20.2% to 22.2%.
In August 2026, Payload CMS gained estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide, from 12.4% to 13.7%.
In August 2026, Contentful gained estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide, from 16.2% to 17.1%.
In August 2026, Strapi lost estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide, from 19.9% to 17.9%.
In August 2026, Storyblok lost estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide, from 11.5% to 10.5%.
In August 2026, Directus lost estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide, from 9.8% to 9%.
How is Payload CMS measured?
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Payload CMS’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.
2 branded search terms
- payload cms
- payloadcms
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Is Payload CMS your brand?
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