Contentful vs Payload

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

contentful

Very Popular

Version 11.10.5

85
Excellent

Client for Contentful's Content Delivery API

Weekly Downloads
1.1M
↑23%
Bundle (gzip)
28.4 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

payload

Popular

Version 3.78.0

88
Excellent

Node, React, Headless CMS and Application Framework built on Next.js

Weekly Downloads
262.7K
↑38%
Bundle (gzip)
2.0 MB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
80
Quality
80
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Contentful and Payload? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.

Downloads & Popularity

Contentful leads with 1.1M weekly downloads — roughly 4.0x more. Payload has 262.7K weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Contentful has the smallest gzipped bundle at 28.4 KB. Payload comes in at 2.0 MB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Payload has an overall health score of 88/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, quality, security, popularity scores. Contentful has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose Contentful if you value large community support, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Payload if you value actively maintained, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Contentful and Payload are solid choices for JavaScript development. Payload has the edge in overall health score (88/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is contentful better than payload?
It depends on your needs. Contentful has a health score of 85/100 while Payload scores 88/100. Contentful has more weekly downloads (1.1M), suggesting broader adoption. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, contentful or payload?
Contentful has the smaller gzipped bundle at 28.4 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use contentful vs payload?
Based on npm download statistics, Contentful has approximately 1.1M weekly downloads and Payload has approximately 262.7K weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, contentful or payload?
Payload currently has the higher overall health score at 88/100. Contentful has a maintenance score of 100/100 and Payload scores 100/100 on maintenance.

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