--- title: "How popular is Payload CMS? Searches and AI answers in New Zealand" description: "Open-source headless CMS and application backend. 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/nz/brands/payload-cms" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # How popular is Payload CMS? Searches and AI answers in New Zealand Open-source headless CMS and application backend. 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 - **Brand**: Payload CMS - **Market**: New Zealand - **Measured month**: Oct 2026 - **Share of Search among headless CMS platforms**: 11% ## Where does Payload CMS compete? | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Headless CMS platforms | 4 | 11% | 170 | - [Headless CMS platforms](/demand/nz/categories/nz-headless-cms-platforms) ## Top headless CMS platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Payload CMS was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Payload CMS is the fifth most recommended of the seven. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sanity | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Storyblok | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Strapi | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Contentful | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Payload CMS | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Prismic | 6th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Hygraph | 7th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about headless CMS platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which headless CMS should I use in New Zealand?": 1. Sanity, 2. Storyblok, 3. Strapi, 4. Payload CMS, 5. Contentful - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best headless CMSs in New Zealand?": 1. Sanity, 2. Storyblok, 3. Payload CMS, 4. Strapi, 5. Contentful - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best headless CMS in New Zealand for a content team?": 1. Storyblok, 2. Sanity, 3. Contentful - Searched Google, AI Overview "best headless cms": 1. Sanity, 2. Strapi, 3. Payload CMS, 4. Contentful, 5. Prismic, 6. Hygraph - Searched Google, AI Overview "cms for developers": 1. Sanity, 2. Contentful, 3. Strapi Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Payload CMS changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Payload CMS in New Zealand held steady at 170. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Payload CMS’s share of searches among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand peaked at 15.3% in February 2026 and was lowest at 10.8% in November 2025. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Payload CMS rose from 5th to 4th among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand headless CMS platforms in October 2026? - In October 2026, Prismic overtook Contentful to become the leader among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand, with 32.5% of the searches. - In October 2026, Contentful lost share of searches among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand, from 33.3% to 25.3%. - In October 2026, Storyblok lost share of searches among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand, from 10.9% to 9.1%. - In October 2026, Sanity lost share of searches among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand, from 14.7% to 13.6%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Hygraph in New Zealand rose 100% over 12 measured months, from 10 to 20 in October 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Strapi in New Zealand fell 47.6% over 12 measured months, from 210 to 110 in October 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | Headless CMS platforms | 170 | 10.8% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | Headless CMS platforms | 140 | 11.2% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | Headless CMS platforms | 170 | 11.7% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Headless CMS platforms | 260 | 15.3% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Headless CMS platforms | 260 | 13.5% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | Headless CMS platforms | 210 | 12.4% | 4 | | May 2026 | Headless CMS platforms | 210 | 12.3% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | Headless CMS platforms | 210 | 11.7% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | Headless CMS platforms | 210 | 13.5% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | Headless CMS platforms | 210 | 13.3% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | Headless CMS platforms | 170 | 10.9% | 4 | | Oct 2026 | Headless CMS platforms | 170 | 11% | 4 | ## How are Payload CMS’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Payload CMS’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “payload cms” ## Which headless CMS platforms compete with Payload CMS? - [Prismic](/demand/nz/brands/prismic): Head-to-head: /demand/nz/compare/payload-cms-vs-prismic - [Contentful](/demand/nz/brands/contentful): Head-to-head: /demand/nz/compare/contentful-vs-payload-cms - [Sanity](/demand/nz/brands/sanity-cms): Head-to-head: /demand/nz/compare/payload-cms-vs-sanity-cms - [Storyblok](/demand/nz/brands/storyblok): Head-to-head: /demand/nz/compare/payload-cms-vs-storyblok - [Strapi](/demand/nz/brands/strapi): Head-to-head: /demand/nz/compare/payload-cms-vs-strapi - [Hygraph](/demand/nz/brands/hygraph) ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "How popular is Payload CMS? Searches and AI answers in New Zealand". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/brands/payload-cms This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/brands/payload-cms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.