Buy now pay later services in Australia:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, Afterpay was the most searched buy now pay later service in Australia, accounting for 71.6% of all searches among the five services we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Zip and PayPal showed up in every answer. PayPal was recommended most often, coming first in two out of five responses.
AfterpayShare of searches 71.6%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
ZipShare of searches 11.8%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
KlarnaShare of searches 7.9%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
hummShare of searches 5.3%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
PayPalShare of searches 3.5%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
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Top buy now pay later services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Zip and PayPal appeared every time. PayPal was recommended most often, coming first in two out of five answers. Zip was second, and Afterpay was third.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Zip5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- PayPal5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Afterpay4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Klarna3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- humm1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about buy now pay later services
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which buy now pay later service should I use in Australia?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best buy now pay later services in Australia?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best buy now pay later option in Australia for a large purchase?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“buy now pay later”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“afterpay alternatives”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 22, 2026.
Which buy now pay later services do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each buy now pay later service by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all five buy now pay later services we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.
Share of searches by month for Afterpay, Zip, Klarna, humm, PayPal. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Afterpay | Zip | Klarna | humm | PayPal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 70.7% | 11.6% | 7.8% | 6.4% | 3.5% |
| Nov 2025 | 68.4% | 13.8% | 7.5% | 6.2% | 4.1% |
| Dec 2025 | 71% | 11.7% | 7.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Jan 2026 | 70.2% | 11.6% | 7.7% | 6.3% | 4.2% |
| Feb 2026 | 66.4% | 13.4% | 8.9% | 7.3% | 4% |
| Mar 2026 | 67.5% | 13.6% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 4.1% |
| Apr 2026 | 70.7% | 11.6% | 7.8% | 6.4% | 3.5% |
| May 2026 | 70.7% | 11.6% | 7.8% | 6.4% | 3.5% |
| Jun 2026 | 68.4% | 13.8% | 7.5% | 6.2% | 4.1% |
| Jul 2026 | 71.6% | 11.8% | 7.9% | 5.3% | 3.5% |
| Aug 2026 | 71.6% | 11.8% | 7.9% | 5.3% | 3.5% |
| Sep 2026 | 71.6% | 11.8% | 7.9% | 5.3% | 3.5% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 71.6% | 246K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 11.8% | 40.5K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 7.9% | 27.1K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 5.3% | 18.1K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 3.5% | 12.1K | 0% | 0 points |
1.
Afterpay71.6%
Held 1st. 246K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
2.
Zip11.8%
Held 2nd. 40.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
3.
Klarna7.9%
Held 3rd. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
4.
humm5.3%
Held 4th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
5.
PayPal3.5%
Held 5th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among buy now pay later services in Australia?
5 brands
In September 2026, Afterpay was the most searched among buy now pay later services in Australia, with an estimated 246K branded searches, 71.6% of all searches for the five we track. Zip is in 2nd place, 59.8 percentage points behind at 11.8%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afterpay | 70.7% → 71.6% | 71.6%Jul 2026 | 66.4%Feb 2026 | 1st |
| Zip | 11.6% → 11.8% | 13.8%Jun 2026 | 11.6%Jan 2026 | 2nd |
| Klarna | 7.8% → 7.9% | 8.9%Feb 2026 | 7.4%Mar 2026 | 3rd |
| humm | 6.4% → 5.3% | 7.4%Mar 2026 | 5.2%Dec 2025 | 4th |
| PayPal | 3.5% | 4.3%Dec 2025 | 3.5%Apr 2026 | 5th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Afterpay’s share of searches among buy now pay later services in Australia increased from 70.7% to 71.6%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, humm’s share of searches among buy now pay later services in Australia decreased from 6.4% to 5.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Afterpay’s share of searches among buy now pay later services in Australia peaked at 71.6% in July 2026 and was lowest at 66.4% in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zip’s share of searches among buy now pay later services in Australia peaked at 13.8% in June 2026 and was lowest at 11.6% in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Klarna’s share of searches among buy now pay later services in Australia peaked at 8.9% in February 2026 and was lowest at 7.4% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, humm’s share of searches among buy now pay later services in Australia peaked at 7.4% in March 2026 and was lowest at 5.2% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zip, Klarna and PayPal held steady: their share of searches among buy now pay later services in Australia each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for Australia buy now pay later services in September 2026?
5 changes
Estimated monthly branded searches for humm in Australia fell 33.2% over 12 measured months, from 27.1K to 18.1K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Afterpay in Australia fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 301K to 246K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for PayPal in Australia fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 12.1K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Zip in Australia fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 49.5K to 40.5K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Klarna in Australia fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 33.1K to 27.1K in September 2026.
Compare popularity between leading brands
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- Compare any of these brands
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