--- title: "Payload CMS vs Sanity: Which is more popular in New Zealand?" description: "Is Payload CMS or Sanity 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/payload-cms-vs-sanity-cms" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Payload CMS vs Sanity: Which is more popular in New Zealand? Is Payload CMS or Sanity 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**: Payload CMS and Sanity - **Competitive set**: Headless CMS platforms - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **Payload CMS Share of Search**: 11% - **Sanity Share of Search**: 13.6% ## Is Payload CMS or Sanity more popular in search? - In October 2026, Sanity had more branded searches than Payload CMS among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand. Sanity had about 210 branded searches, while Payload CMS had 170. Sanity made up 13.6% of all headless CMS platform searches we track, and Payload CMS accounted for 11%. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending October 2026: Payload CMS took it in January 2026, Sanity took it in March 2026. - 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. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Sanity’s share of searches among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand moved from 13.3% to 13.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 210. ## Top headless CMS platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Sanity 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. Sanity was listed before Payload CMS in every answer. 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, Sanity lost share of searches among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand, from 14.7% to 13.6%. ## How has branded search for Payload CMS and Sanity changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months? | Month | Payload CMS estimated searches | Payload CMS Share of Search | Payload CMS rank | Sanity estimated searches | Sanity Share of Search | Sanity rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 170 | 10.8% | 5 | 210 | 13.3% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 140 | 11.2% | 4 | 160 | 12.8% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 170 | 11.7% | 3 | 160 | 11% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 260 | 15.3% | 3 | 210 | 12.4% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | 260 | 13.5% | 4 | 280 | 14.5% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 210 | 12.4% | 4 | 300 | 17.6% | 3 | | May 2026 | 210 | 12.3% | 4 | 300 | 17.5% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 210 | 11.7% | 4 | 320 | 17.9% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 210 | 13.5% | 4 | 270 | 17.4% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 210 | 13.3% | 4 | 230 | 14.6% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 170 | 10.9% | 4 | 230 | 14.7% | 3 | | Oct 2026 | 170 | 11% | 4 | 210 | 13.6% | 3 | ## How are Payload CMS’s and Sanity’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Payload CMS’s and Sanity’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. - **Payload CMS**: Measured on the search term “payload cms”. - **Sanity**: Measured on the search terms “cms sanity”, “customize sanity studio”, “headless cms sanity”, “sanity cms”, “sanity headless cms”, “sanity io”, “sanity io cms”, “sanity studio” and “sanity studio cms”, summed into one figure. - [Payload CMS profile](/demand/nz/brands/payload-cms) - [Sanity profile](/demand/nz/brands/sanity-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 Payload CMS or Sanity more popular in search? In October 2026, Sanity had more branded searches than Payload CMS among headless CMS platforms in New Zealand. Sanity had about 210 branded searches, while Payload CMS had 170. Sanity made up 13.6% of all headless CMS platform searches we track, and Payload CMS accounted for 11%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Payload CMS vs Sanity: Which is more popular in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/payload-cms-vs-sanity-cms This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/payload-cms-vs-sanity-cms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.