---
title: "Directus vs Payload CMS: Which is more popular by branded search?"
description: "Which is more popular in search, Directus or Payload CMS? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Headless CMS platforms set worldwide. 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/compare/directus-vs-payload-cms"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Directus vs Payload CMS: Which is more popular by branded search?

Which is more popular in search, Directus or Payload CMS? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Headless CMS platforms set worldwide. 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

- **Compared**: Directus and Payload CMS
- **Competitive set**: Headless CMS platforms
- **Market**: Global
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Directus Share of Search**: 9%
- **Payload CMS Share of Search**: 13.7%

## Which is more popular in search, Directus or Payload CMS?

- In August 2026, Payload CMS had more branded searches than Directus among headless CMS platforms worldwide. Payload CMS was estimated to have 37.5K branded searches compared to Directus’ 24.6K, and held a 13.7% Share of Search versus Directus’ 9%.
- Payload CMS was ahead of Directus in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Directus’ estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide moved from 8.6% to 9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 29.5K to 24.6K.
- 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?

- In August 2026, Payload CMS gained estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide, from 12.4% to 13.7%.
- In August 2026, Directus lost estimated Share of Search among headless CMS platforms worldwide, from 9.8% to 9%.

## Month by month

| Month | Directus estimated searches | Directus Share of Search | Directus rank | Payload CMS estimated searches | Payload CMS Share of Search | Payload CMS rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 29.5K | 8.6% | 6 | 33.7K | 9.8% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | 24.1K | 7.7% | 6 | 32.5K | 10.4% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | 24.1K | 8.3% | 6 | 32.5K | 11.2% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | 29.5K | 8.8% | 6 | 33.7K | 10% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | 29.5K | 8.8% | 6 | 38.5K | 11.5% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | 36K | 10% | 5 | 38.5K | 10.7% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | 30K | 9.2% | 6 | 38.5K | 11.8% | 4 |
| May 2026 | 29.5K | 9.1% | 6 | 38.5K | 11.8% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | 30K | 8.5% | 6 | 37.5K | 10.7% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | 29.5K | 9.8% | 6 | 37.5K | 12.4% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | 24.6K | 9% | 6 | 37.5K | 13.7% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Directus’ 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.

- **Directus**: Measured on the search terms “directus” and “directus cms”, summed into one figure.
- **Payload CMS**: Measured on the search terms “payload cms” and “payloadcms”, summed into one figure.

- [Directus profile](/demand/global-en/brands/directus)
- [Payload CMS profile](/demand/global-en/brands/payload-cms)
- [All headless CMS platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/headless-cms-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands.

## 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 is more popular in search, Directus or Payload CMS?

In August 2026, Payload CMS had more branded searches than Directus among headless CMS platforms worldwide. Payload CMS was estimated to have 37.5K branded searches compared to Directus’ 24.6K, and held a 13.7% Share of Search versus Directus’ 9%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Directus vs Payload CMS: Which is more popular by branded search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/directus-vs-payload-cms

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/directus-vs-payload-cms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.