--- title: "Headless CMS platforms: Which brands are most popular in search?" description: "API-first platforms for managing structured content across websites and applications. Share of Search among Prismic, Strapi, Contentful, Payload CMS, Storyblok, Directus, Sanity and Hygraph, the headless CMS platforms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/headless-cms-platforms" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Headless CMS platforms: Which brands are most popular in search? API-first platforms for managing structured content across websites and applications. Share of Search among Prismic, Strapi, Contentful, Payload CMS, Storyblok, Directus, Sanity and Hygraph, the headless CMS platforms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Competitive set**: Headless CMS platforms - **Market**: Global - **Brands compared**: 8 - **Month measured**: Aug 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: Prismic, 22.2% ## Which brand is most popular in search among headless CMS platforms worldwide? - In August 2026, Prismic was the most searched among headless CMS platforms worldwide, with an estimated 60.8K branded searches and 22.2% estimated Share of Search within this set. - Strapi is in 2nd place, 4.3 percentage points behind at 17.9% Share of Search. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Prismic’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide increased from 17.8% to 22.2%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Strapi’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide decreased from 24.8% to 17.9%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Contentful’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide decreased from 19.2% to 17.1%. - 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, Storyblok’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide decreased from 12.3% to 10.5%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sanity’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide increased from 5.5% to 8.6%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Hygraph’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide decreased from 2% to 1.1%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Prismic’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide peaked at 22.2% in August 2026 and was lowest at 16.9% in March 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Strapi’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide peaked at 27.1% in November 2025 and was lowest at 17.9% in August 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Contentful’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide peaked at 23.4% in June 2026 and was lowest at 16.2% in July 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Storyblok’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide peaked at 12.3% in October 2025 and was lowest at 9.6% in March 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Directus’ estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide peaked at 10% in March 2026 and was lowest at 7.7% in November 2025. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sanity’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide peaked at 9.1% in July 2026 and was lowest at 5.2% in November 2025. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Prismic rose from 3rd to 1st among headless CMS platforms worldwide. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Strapi fell from 1st to 2nd among headless CMS platforms worldwide. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Contentful fell from 2nd to 3rd among headless CMS platforms worldwide. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Payload CMS rose from 5th to 4th among headless CMS platforms worldwide. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Storyblok fell from 4th to 5th among headless CMS platforms worldwide. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Directus held steady: its estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide moved less than 0.5 percentage points. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [Prismic vs Strapi: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/prismic-vs-strapi): 22.2% against 17.9% Share of Search. - [Prismic vs Contentful: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/contentful-vs-prismic): 22.2% against 17.1% Share of Search. - [Prismic vs Payload CMS: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/payload-cms-vs-prismic): 22.2% against 13.7% Share of Search. - [Prismic vs Storyblok: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/prismic-vs-storyblok): 22.2% against 10.5% Share of Search. - [Strapi vs Contentful: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/contentful-vs-strapi): 17.9% against 17.1% Share of Search. - [Strapi vs Payload CMS: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/payload-cms-vs-strapi): 17.9% against 13.7% Share of Search. - [Strapi vs Storyblok: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/storyblok-vs-strapi): 17.9% against 10.5% Share of Search. - [Contentful vs Payload CMS: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/contentful-vs-payload-cms): 17.1% against 13.7% Share of Search. - [Contentful vs Storyblok: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/contentful-vs-storyblok): 17.1% against 10.5% Share of Search. - [Payload CMS vs Storyblok: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/payload-cms-vs-storyblok): 13.7% against 10.5% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for headless CMS platforms worldwide in August 2026? - 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%. - In August 2026, Sanity lost estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide, from 9.1% to 8.6%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Hygraph worldwide fell 55.6% over 11 measured months, from 6.9K to 3.1K in August 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Prismic | 22.2% | 60.8K | -0.1% | Prismic | | 2 | Strapi | 17.9% | 49K | -18.3% | Strapi | | 3 | Contentful | 17.1% | 47K | -3.7% | Contentful | | 4 | Payload CMS | 13.7% | 37.5K | 0.0% | Payload CMS | | 5 | Storyblok | 10.5% | 28.7K | -17.3% | Storyblok | | 6 | Directus | 9% | 24.6K | -16.6% | Directus | | 7 | Sanity | 8.6% | 23.5K | -14.9% | Sanity | | 8 | Hygraph | 1.1% | 3.1K | 0.0% | Hygraph | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Strapi | 85.2K | 24.8% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | Contentful | 65.8K | 19.2% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | Prismic | 61.1K | 17.8% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | Storyblok | 42.1K | 12.3% | 4 | | Oct 2025 | Payload CMS | 33.7K | 9.8% | 5 | | Oct 2025 | Directus | 29.5K | 8.6% | 6 | | Oct 2025 | Sanity | 19K | 5.5% | 7 | | Oct 2025 | Hygraph | 6.9K | 2% | 8 | | Nov 2025 | Strapi | 84.9K | 27.1% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Prismic | 61K | 19.5% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | Contentful | 53.8K | 17.2% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Storyblok | 34.4K | 11% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | Payload CMS | 32.5K | 10.4% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | Directus | 24.1K | 7.7% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | Sanity | 16.3K | 5.2% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | Hygraph | 5.7K | 1.8% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | Strapi | 69.9K | 24% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Prismic | 60.8K | 20.9% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | Contentful | 54K | 18.6% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Payload CMS | 32.5K | 11.2% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | Storyblok | 28.4K | 9.8% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | Directus | 24.1K | 8.3% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | Sanity | 16.3K | 5.6% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | Hygraph | 4.7K | 1.6% | 8 | | Jan 2026 | Strapi | 86.3K | 25.7% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Contentful | 65.7K | 19.6% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | Prismic | 61K | 18.2% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Storyblok | 34.7K | 10.3% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | Payload CMS | 33.7K | 10% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | Directus | 29.5K | 8.8% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | Sanity | 20.1K | 6% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | Hygraph | 4.7K | 1.4% | 8 | | Feb 2026 | Strapi | 85.5K | 25.6% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Prismic | 61K | 18.2% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | Contentful | 56.7K | 17% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Payload CMS | 38.5K | 11.5% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | Storyblok | 34.7K | 10.4% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | Directus | 29.5K | 8.8% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | Sanity | 23.8K | 7.1% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | Hygraph | 4.7K | 1.4% | 8 | | Mar 2026 | Strapi | 86.3K | 23.9% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Contentful | 70.3K | 19.5% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | Prismic | 61K | 16.9% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Payload CMS | 38.5K | 10.7% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | Directus | 36K | 10% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | Storyblok | 34.7K | 9.6% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | Sanity | 28.9K | 8% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | Hygraph | 4.7K | 1.3% | 8 | | Apr 2026 | Strapi | 72.8K | 22.2% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Prismic | 61K | 18.6% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | Contentful | 57.5K | 17.6% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Payload CMS | 38.5K | 11.8% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | Storyblok | 34.7K | 10.6% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | Directus | 30K | 9.2% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | Sanity | 29.2K | 8.9% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | Hygraph | 3.8K | 1.2% | 8 | | May 2026 | Strapi | 71.5K | 22% | 1 | | May 2026 | Prismic | 61K | 18.8% | 2 | | May 2026 | Contentful | 56.7K | 17.4% | 3 | | May 2026 | Payload CMS | 38.5K | 11.8% | 4 | | May 2026 | Storyblok | 34.7K | 10.7% | 5 | | May 2026 | Directus | 29.5K | 9.1% | 6 | | May 2026 | Sanity | 29.2K | 9% | 7 | | May 2026 | Hygraph | 3.9K | 1.2% | 8 | | Jun 2026 | Contentful | 82K | 23.4% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Strapi | 73.3K | 20.9% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Prismic | 60.9K | 17.3% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Payload CMS | 37.5K | 10.7% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | Storyblok | 35K | 10% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | Directus | 30K | 8.5% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | Sanity | 28.6K | 8.1% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | Hygraph | 3.9K | 1.1% | 8 | | Jul 2026 | Prismic | 60.9K | 20.2% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Strapi | 60K | 19.9% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Contentful | 48.8K | 16.2% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Payload CMS | 37.5K | 12.4% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | Storyblok | 34.7K | 11.5% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | Directus | 29.5K | 9.8% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | Sanity | 27.6K | 9.1% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | Hygraph | 3.1K | 1% | 8 | | Aug 2026 | Prismic | 60.8K | 22.2% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Strapi | 49K | 17.9% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Contentful | 47K | 17.1% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Payload CMS | 37.5K | 13.7% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | Storyblok | 28.7K | 10.5% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | Directus | 24.6K | 9% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | Sanity | 23.5K | 8.6% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | Hygraph | 3.1K | 1.1% | 8 | | Sep 2026 | Contentful | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Directus | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Hygraph | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Payload CMS | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Prismic | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Sanity | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Storyblok | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Strapi | — | — | — | ## What is being compared - **Contentful**: Measured on the search terms “contentful”, “contentful cms” and “contentful headless cms”, summed into one figure. - **Directus**: Measured on the search terms “directus” and “directus cms”, summed into one figure. - **Hygraph**: Measured on the search terms “hygraph” and “hygraph cms”, summed into one figure. - **Payload CMS**: Measured on the search terms “payload cms” and “payloadcms”, summed into one figure. - **Prismic**: Measured on the search terms “prismic”, “prismic io” and “prismicio”, summed into one figure. - **Sanity**: Measured on the search terms “sanity cms”, “sanity headless cms” and “sanity io”, summed into one figure. - **Storyblok**: Measured on the search terms “storyblok” and “storyblok cms”, summed into one figure. - **Strapi**: Measured on the search terms “strapi”, “strapi cms” and “strapi headless cms”, summed into one figure. - [Contentful](/demand/global-en/brands/contentful) - [Directus](/demand/global-en/brands/directus) - [Hygraph](/demand/global-en/brands/hygraph) - [Payload CMS](/demand/global-en/brands/payload-cms) - [Prismic](/demand/global-en/brands/prismic) - [Sanity](/demand/global-en/brands/sanity-cms) - [Storyblok](/demand/global-en/brands/storyblok) - [Strapi](/demand/global-en/brands/strapi) ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among headless CMS platforms worldwide? In August 2026, Prismic was the most searched among headless CMS platforms worldwide, with an estimated 60.8K branded searches and 22.2% estimated Share of Search within this set. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Headless CMS platforms: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/headless-cms-platforms This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/headless-cms-platforms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.