# Compare Contentful vs Payload 2026 | Capterra

> Unsure of what to choose? Check Capterra to compare Contentful and Payload based on pricing, features, product details, and verified reviews.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/compare/134266-218666/Contentful-vs-Payload-CMS

---

# Contentful vs Payload Features and Cost Comparison

Last updated March 13th, 2026

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews  
moderated by our Reviews Verification team.[Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/)

Your comparison:

ContentfulPayload2/4 selected

[Contentful](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/)[4.5 (63)](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/reviews/)

[Payload](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/)[4.9 (48)](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/reviews/)

[## Contentful](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/)[4.5 (63)](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/reviews/)

Starting Price

$300.00/month

Value-for-Money

4.3

Functionality

4.4

Ease of Use

4.2

Customer Service

4.1

Reviews Sentiment

Based on [63 reviews](#user-reviews)

Positive

58

Neutral

2

Negative

3

[## Payload](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/)[4.9 (48)](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/reviews/)

Starting Price

$35.00/month

Value-for-Money

4.9

Functionality

4.7

Ease of Use

4.8

Customer Service

4.8

Reviews Sentiment

LM

Based on [48 reviews](#user-reviews)

Positive

48

Neutral

0

Negative

0

## Not a match? Find software alternatives tailored to your priorities.

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of reviewers  
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### Agility CMS

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## Summary

* * *

Features in Headless CMS Software

36 / 50

Best performer

43 / 50

Only Payload

-   A/B Testing
-   Asset Lifecycle Management
-   Customizable Forms

User satisfaction

User satisfaction

4.5

User reviews[63](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/reviews/)

Ease of use

4.2

Functionality

4.4

Value for money

4.3

Customer support

4.1

User satisfaction

4.9

User reviews[48](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/reviews/)

Ease of use

4.8

Functionality

4.7

Value for money

4.9

Customer support

4.8

Price starts from

Price starts from

$300Per Feature, Per Month

-   Free version
-   Free trial

Price starts from

$35Other, Per Month

-   Free version
-   Free trial

Best for

Best for

Contentful helps companies unlock the power of digital content so they can build faster and deliver at scale, making their content a strategic business asset.

Best for

Organizations, developers, and teams who need complete control over their content.

## User reviews

Pros & cons

KH

Kyeshuan H.

CEO

> "I love how Contentful customization options and managing content for multiple platforms with on stress changed my..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___6680234)

AN

Angela N.

Research Analyst

> "Pricing for premium features like advanced customizations and additional environments can get too costly."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___6561513)

Trine K.

Communications Manager

> "separation of content and presentation layer, resulting in faster development"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___6671903)

EJ

Efren J.

Software developer

> "I think their own tutorials to get started are not enough to get started, you have to look deeply to start developing there"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___6547061)

CS

Cassidy S.

Consulting Team Lead

> "The ability to work together across teams is greatly enhanced, and content management is made easier for newbies, all..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___4717335)

EJ

Efren J.

Software developer

> "I think it’s what you would expect out of a headless cms"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___6547061)

CS

Cassidy S.

Consulting Team Lead

> "It's equipped to compete with the most excellent content management systems (CMS) and keeps costs down without sacrificing..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___4717335)

RN

Rayvano N.

Digital Marketing Specialist

> "Certain things are hardcoded which can be annoying if you want to change things."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___6200140)

Trine K.

Communications Manager

> "Our eligibility for this programme made the choice so much easier for us."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___6671903)

RN

Rayvano N.

Digital Marketing Specialist

> "The preview also doesn't always work properly."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___6200140)

CS

Cassidy S.

Consulting Team Lead

> "We've found it helpful in automating high-quality content production across multiple channels."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___4717335)

AC

Alicia C.

Content & Social Media Manager

> "The preview feature is a little limited, so it's sometimes difficult to see what a page will look like before publishing."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___3503358)

Felix P.

CEO

> "The multiple language support has also been incredibly useful, as we have a global audience and need to be able to publish..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___4417249)

Richard G.

Communication and Media Analyst

> "Contentful also has limitations on accessing content from others who wish to use it."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___4693852)

CS

Cassidy S.

Consulting Team Lead

> "Contentful's tools are quick and straightforward, and their technical implementation is effective and efficient."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___4717335)

CM

Cesar M.

Senior Frontend Architect

> "This makes working with a "component" based approach painful."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___3503831)

CS

Cassidy S.

Consulting Team Lead

> "With Contentful, even people who aren't web professionals can have a reliable, straightforward, and uncomplicated..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___4717335)

Felix P.

CEO

> "This has added to my frustration with the platform."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___4417249)

HK

Herbert K.

Full Stack Developer

> "We greatly profited from moving to SaaS and headless after struggling with the operating expenses of Episerver (Optimizely..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___3607898)

Yann T.

Translator

> "The full website is managed through Contentful, which means a lot of different pages and content listed, and at times it..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___2422286)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Software Engineer Intern

> "Our team comprises some non-technical users, for them, it is very convenient to make changes to our organization's..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___3637226)

Felix P.

CEO

> "Another issue I've had with Contentful is the price."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___4417249)

Felix P.

CEO

> "In addition to these core features, I've also appreciated the ability to integrate Contentful with other tools and..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___4417249)

RP

Rachael P.

Marketing Generalist

> "Frustrating, being treated like an imbecile with over simplified explanations of content types which still don't answer the..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___2261532)

PB

Piotr B.

Digital Marketing Specialist

> "It's easy to use and assets library is also working well."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___6199152)

BA

Brent A.

Chief Architect

> "The first paid for tier feels pricey if all I need was simply that third "not-free" CMS. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___2142278)

HK

Herbert K.

Full Stack Developer

> "It enables several teams to work together on a single project."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___3607898)

RP

Rachael P.

Marketing Generalist

> "I notice also that they don't offer phone support, only email. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#Capterra___2261532)

[View Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/reviews/)

LM

Lou M.

Software Developer

> "The documentation was clear and effective, there were many examples that could be found on their own GitHub, and they have a very active discord community that are always willing to..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/#Capterra___6710547)

CP

Cameron P.

CEO

> "There are not as may enterprise-grade features built-in and there is a lack of third-party plugins compared to something like strapi or contentfulReview collected by and hosted on..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/#Capterra___4812400)

LM

Lou M.

Software Developer

> "It's a very modern and sleek workflow, and can solve many of the required tasks out of the box."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/#Capterra___6710547)

Seth S.

Founder & President

> "Doesn't have enough traction in the community at the moment, and still missing some features that I'd love to see."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/#Capterra___3287888)

[View Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/reviews/)

## User interface

[Contentful](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/)

4.46 (63)

[Payload](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/)

4.88 (48)

## Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation

Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs.

### Features

Contentful

36/50

-   A/B Testing
-   Access Controls/Permissions
-   Activity Dashboard
-   AI Copilot
-   API
-   Approval Process Control
-   Asset Lifecycle Management
-   Categorization/Grouping
-   Collaboration Tools
-   Compliance Management
-   Configurable Workflow
-   Content Library
-   Content Management
-   Content Publishing Options
-   Customizable Forms
-   Customizable Templates
-   De-Coupled Front & Back Ends
-   Document Management
-   Drag & Drop
-   Filtering
-   For Developers
-   For Marketers
-   Full Text Search
-   Generative AI
-   Historical Reporting
-   Image Editing
-   Interactive Content
-   Mobile Access
-   Multi-Channel Distribution
-   Multi-Channel Management
-   Multi-Channel Marketing
-   Multi-Language
-   Preview Functionality
-   Reporting/Analytics
-   Rich Text Editor
-   Role-Based Permissions
-   Rule Based Publishing
-   Scheduling
-   SDKs
-   SEO Management
-   Single Sign On
-   Tagging
-   Template Management
-   Text Editing
-   Third-Party Integrations
-   Two-Factor Authentication
-   User Management
-   Version Control
-   Web Forms
-   Website Analytics

[See all features](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/#features)

Payload

Top features

43/50

-   A/B Testing
-   Access Controls/Permissions
-   Activity Dashboard
-   AI Copilot
-   API
-   Approval Process Control
-   Asset Lifecycle Management
-   Categorization/Grouping
-   Collaboration Tools
-   Compliance Management
-   Configurable Workflow
-   Content Library
-   Content Management
-   Content Publishing Options
-   Customizable Forms
-   Customizable Templates
-   De-Coupled Front & Back Ends
-   Document Management
-   Drag & Drop
-   Filtering
-   For Developers
-   For Marketers
-   Full Text Search
-   Generative AI
-   Historical Reporting
-   Image Editing
-   Interactive Content
-   Mobile Access
-   Multi-Channel Distribution
-   Multi-Channel Management
-   Multi-Channel Marketing
-   Multi-Language
-   Preview Functionality
-   Reporting/Analytics
-   Rich Text Editor
-   Role-Based Permissions
-   Rule Based Publishing
-   Scheduling
-   SDKs
-   SEO Management
-   Single Sign On
-   Tagging
-   Template Management
-   Text Editing
-   Third-Party Integrations
-   Two-Factor Authentication
-   User Management
-   Version Control
-   Web Forms
-   Website Analytics

[See all features](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/#features)

### Recognition

No recognitions have been awarded to Contentful

No recognitions have been awarded to Payload

### Deployment & support

Contentful

Deployment

-   Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
-   Desktop Mac
-   Desktop Windows
-   Desktop Linux
-   On-Premise Windows
-   On-Premise Linux
-   Desktop Chromebook
-   Mobile Android
-   Mobile iPhone
-   Mobile iPad

Support

-   Email/Help Desk
-   FAQs/Forum
-   Knowledge Base
-   Phone Support
-   24/7 (Live rep)
-   Chat

Training

-   In Person
-   Live Online
-   Webinars
-   Documentation
-   Videos

Payload

Deployment

-   Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
-   Desktop Mac
-   Desktop Windows
-   Desktop Linux
-   On-Premise Windows
-   On-Premise Linux
-   Desktop Chromebook
-   Mobile Android
-   Mobile iPhone
-   Mobile iPad

Support

-   Email/Help Desk
-   FAQs/Forum
-   Knowledge Base
-   Phone Support
-   24/7 (Live rep)
-   Chat

Training

-   In Person
-   Live Online
-   Webinars
-   Documentation
-   Videos

### Company Details

Contentful

-   By Contentful
-   Located in Germany
-   Founded in 2013

Payload

-   By Payload CMS
-   Located in United States
-   Founded in

## Popular Comparisons

[Contentful](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/)[4.46 (63)](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/reviews/)

vs

[Kontent.ai](https://www.capterra.com/p/168433/Kontent/)[4.52 (48)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168433/Kontent/reviews/)

$300/month

Price

Contact vendor for pricing

4.4

Features

4.2

4.2

Ease of Use

4.4

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/134266-168433/Contentful-vs-Kontent)

[Payload](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/)[4.88 (48)](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/reviews/)

vs

[Kontent.ai](https://www.capterra.com/p/168433/Kontent/)[4.52 (48)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168433/Kontent/reviews/)

$35/month

Price

Contact vendor for pricing

4.7

Features

4.2

4.8

Ease of Use

4.4

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/168433-218666/Kontent-vs-Payload-CMS)

[Contentful](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/)[4.46 (63)](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/reviews/)

vs

[Strapi](https://www.capterra.com/p/170599/Strapi/)[4.69 (65)](https://www.capterra.com/p/170599/Strapi/reviews/)

$300/month

Price

$99/month

4.4

Features

4.5

4.2

Ease of Use

4.5

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/134266-170599/Contentful-vs-Strapi)

[Payload](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/)[4.88 (48)](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/reviews/)

vs

[Strapi](https://www.capterra.com/p/170599/Strapi/)[4.69 (65)](https://www.capterra.com/p/170599/Strapi/reviews/)

$35/month

Price

$99/month

4.7

Features

4.5

4.8

Ease of Use

4.5

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/170599-218666/Strapi-vs-Payload-CMS)

[Contentful](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/)[4.46 (63)](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/reviews/)

vs

[Storyblok](https://www.capterra.com/p/213991/Storyblok/)[4.31 (13)](https://www.capterra.com/p/213991/Storyblok/reviews/)

$300/month

Price

Contact vendor for pricing

4.4

Features

3.8

4.2

Ease of Use

4.5

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/134266-213991/Contentful-vs-Storyblok)

[Payload](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/)[4.88 (48)](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/reviews/)

vs

[Agility CMS](https://www.capterra.com/p/88191/Agility-CMS/)[4.40 (48)](https://www.capterra.com/p/88191/Agility-CMS/reviews/)

$35/month

Price

$1249/month

4.7

Features

4.1

4.8

Ease of Use

4.4

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/88191-218666/Agility-CMS-vs-Payload-CMS)

[Contentful](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/)[4.46 (63)](https://www.capterra.com/p/134266/Contentful/reviews/)

vs

[Directus](https://www.capterra.com/p/156619/Directus/)[4.52 (60)](https://www.capterra.com/p/156619/Directus/reviews/)

$300/month

Price

$25/month

4.4

Features

4.4

4.2

Ease of Use

4.5

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/134266-156619/Contentful-vs-Directus)

[Payload](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/)[4.88 (48)](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/reviews/)

vs

[Directus](https://www.capterra.com/p/156619/Directus/)[4.52 (60)](https://www.capterra.com/p/156619/Directus/reviews/)

$35/month

Price

$25/month

4.7

Features

4.4

4.8

Ease of Use

4.5

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/156619-218666/Directus-vs-Payload-CMS)

[Payload](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/)[4.88 (48)](https://www.capterra.com/p/218666/Payload-CMS/reviews/)

vs

[Sanity](https://www.capterra.com/p/199501/Sanity/)[4.67 (3)](https://www.capterra.com/p/199501/Sanity/#reviews)

$35/month

Price

$99/month

4.7

Features

4.3

4.8

Ease of Use

3.3

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/199501-218666/Sanity-vs-Payload-CMS)