--- title: "Contentful vs Payload CMS: Which is more popular in New Zealand?" description: "Is Contentful or Payload CMS more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Headless CMS platforms set in New Zealand. 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/compare/contentful-vs-payload-cms" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Contentful vs Payload CMS: Which is more popular in New Zealand? Is Contentful or Payload CMS more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Headless CMS platforms set in New Zealand. 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**: Contentful and Payload CMS - **Competitive set**: Headless CMS platforms - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **Contentful Share of Search**: 25.3% - **Payload CMS Share of Search**: 11% ## Is Contentful or Payload CMS more popular in search? - In October 2026, Contentful had more branded searches than Payload CMS among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand. Contentful had about 390 branded searches, while Payload CMS had 170. Contentful made up 25.3% of all headless CMS platform searches we track, and Payload CMS accounted for 11%. - Contentful was ahead of Payload CMS in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Contentful’s share of searches among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand moved from 29.7% to 25.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 470 to 390. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Payload CMS’s share of searches among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand moved from 10.8% to 11%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 170. ## Top headless CMS platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Contentful appeared in all five answers. 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 was listed before Contentful in three out of five answers. 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 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%. ## How has branded search for Contentful and Payload CMS changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months? | Month | Contentful estimated searches | Contentful Share of Search | Contentful rank | Payload CMS estimated searches | Payload CMS Share of Search | Payload CMS rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 470 | 29.7% | 1 | 170 | 10.8% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 340 | 27.2% | 1 | 140 | 11.2% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 390 | 26.9% | 1 | 170 | 11.7% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 480 | 28.2% | 1 | 260 | 15.3% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 590 | 30.6% | 1 | 260 | 13.5% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | 490 | 28.8% | 1 | 210 | 12.4% | 4 | | May 2026 | 420 | 24.6% | 1 | 210 | 12.3% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 510 | 28.5% | 1 | 210 | 11.7% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | 510 | 32.9% | 1 | 210 | 13.5% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | 480 | 30.4% | 1 | 210 | 13.3% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | 520 | 33.3% | 1 | 170 | 10.9% | 4 | | Oct 2026 | 390 | 25.3% | 2 | 170 | 11% | 4 | ## How are Contentful’s and Payload CMS’s branded searches counted? 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**: Measured on the search terms “app contentful”, “contentful”, “contentful ai”, “contentful apps”, “contentful blog”, “contentful cms”, “contentful company”, “contentful demo”, “contentful ecommerce”, “contentful headless cms”, “contentful launch”, “contentful open source”, “contentful personalization”, “contentful seo” and “contentful video”, summed into one figure. - **Payload CMS**: Measured on the search term “payload cms”. - [Contentful profile](/demand/nz/brands/contentful) - [Payload CMS profile](/demand/nz/brands/payload-cms) - [All headless CMS platforms in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-headless-cms-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Contentful or Payload CMS more popular in search? In October 2026, Contentful had more branded searches than Payload CMS among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand. Contentful had about 390 branded searches, while Payload CMS had 170. Contentful made up 25.3% of all headless CMS platform searches we track, and Payload CMS accounted for 11%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Contentful vs Payload CMS: Which is more popular in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/contentful-vs-payload-cms This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/contentful-vs-payload-cms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.