Brandwave

How popular isDuckDuckGo?

In October 2026, people searched for DuckDuckGo by name about 63,200 times in New Zealand, a 20.5% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 2.3% of all New Zealand search engine searches, placing DuckDuckGo second out of seven engines. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about search engines, DuckDuckGo appeared in all answers and was the third most recommended of the seven.

Search and AI answers in October 2026

DuckDuckGo is the second most searched of 7 competitors and the third most recommended in the AI answers we collected.

  1. GoogleShare of searches 95.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. DuckDuckGoShare of searches 2.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  3. BingShare of searches 2%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  4. StartpageShare of searches 0.2%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  5. EcosiaShare of searches 0.07%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th

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Top search engines in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, DuckDuckGo appeared in all five answers. DuckDuckGo is the third most recommended of the seven.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Google1st
  2. Bing2nd
  3. DuckDuckGo3rd
  4. Brave Search4th
  5. Startpage5th
  6. Ecosia6th
  7. Yahoo–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Google5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • DuckDuckGo5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Bing5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Ecosia3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Brave Search3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Startpage2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Yahoo0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about search engines

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

How often do people search for DuckDuckGo compared with other New Zealand search engines?

DuckDuckGo against search engines in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogleDuckDuckGoBingStartpageEcosiaBrave SearchYahoo
Nov 202595.2%2.2%2.3%0.15%0.05%0.04%0.07%
Dec 202592.8%3.3%3.5%0.18%0.07%0.06%0.09%
Jan 202693%3.1%3.3%0.17%0.17%0.08%0.1%
Feb 202695.6%2%2.1%0.14%0.1%0.05%0.05%
Mar 202696.5%1.5%1.6%0.13%0.1%0.05%0.05%
Apr 202694.8%2.3%2.5%0.16%0.1%0.06%0.07%
May 202695.7%2.1%1.8%0.18%0.13%0.05%0.05%
Jun 202695.8%2.1%1.8%0.18%0.11%0.04%0.05%
Jul 202694.7%2.4%2.4%0.24%0.12%0.07%0.07%
Aug 202695.4%2.1%2.2%0.21%0.09%0.05%0.04%
Sep 202695.6%2.2%1.9%0.18%0.09%0.05%0.05%
Oct 202695.3%2.3%2%0.2%0.07%0.06%0.05%

  1. 1.Google

    95.3%

    Held 1st. 2.6M estimated branded searches, -6.6% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  2. 2.DuckDuckGo

    2.3%

    Held 2nd. 63.2K estimated branded searches, -0.54% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  3. 3.Bing

    2%

    Held 3rd. 55.2K estimated branded searches, +0.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  4. 4.Startpage

    0.2%

    Held 4th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.Ecosia

    0.07%

    Held 5th. 1.9K estimated branded searches, -28.8% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.Brave Search

    0.06%

    Held 6th. 1.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Yahoo

    0.05%

    Held 7th. 1.3K estimated branded searches, -19% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between DuckDuckGo and its closest rivals

Every comparison with DuckDuckGo

6 comparisons

How has branded search demand for DuckDuckGo changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for DuckDuckGo in New Zealand rose from 52.4K to 63.2K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, DuckDuckGo’s share of searches among search engines in New Zealand peaked at 3.3% in December 2025 and was lowest at 1.5% in March 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, DuckDuckGo rose from 3rd to 2nd among search engines in New Zealand.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand search engines in October 2026?

6 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Ecosia in New Zealand rose 77.6% over 12 measured months, from 1.1K to 1.9K in October 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Brave Search in New Zealand rose 60% over 12 measured months, from 1K to 1.6K in October 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Startpage in New Zealand rose 50% over 12 measured months, from 3.6K to 5.4K in October 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for DuckDuckGo in New Zealand rose 20.5% over 12 measured months, from 52.4K to 63.2K in October 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Google in New Zealand rose 16.1% over 12 measured months, from 2.3M to 2.6M in October 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Yahoo in New Zealand fell 21.5% over 12 measured months, from 1.6K to 1.3K in October 2026.

How are DuckDuckGo’s branded searches counted?

7 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using DuckDuckGo’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • duckduckgo
  • duckduckgo app
  • duckduckgo browser
  • duckduckgo dark
  • duckduckgo privacy browser
  • duckduckgo search
  • duckduckgo search engine

Do you work for DuckDuckGo? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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