Contentful vs Payload CMS:Which is more popular by branded search?
In August 2026, Contentful had more branded searches than Payload CMS among headless CMS platforms worldwide. Contentful was estimated to have 47K branded searches compared to Payload CMS’s 37.5K, and held a 17.1% Share of Search versus Payload CMS’s 13.7%. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
Follow Contentful vs Payload CMS and get free monthly updates on what changed
By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Which is more popular in search, Contentful or Payload CMS?
API-first platforms for managing structured content across websites and applications. 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.
Share of Search by month for Contentful, Payload CMS. 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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the Contentful and Payload CMS comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Contentful was ahead of Payload CMS in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Contentful’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide moved from 19.2% to 17.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 65.8K to 47K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Payload CMS’s estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide moved from 9.8% to 13.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 33.7K to 37.5K.
How did search popularity change for headless CMS platforms worldwide in August 2026?
2 changes
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%.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Contentful’s and Payload CMS’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Contentful
3 branded search terms
- contentful
- contentful cms
- contentful headless cms
Payload CMS
2 branded search terms
- payload cms
- payloadcms
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.