Brandwave

How popular isPayPal?

In September 2026, people searched for PayPal by name about 34,700 times in New Zealand, a 17.6% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 80.1% of all New Zealand payment provider searches, placing PayPal first out of nine providers. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about payment providers, PayPal appeared in four of the five answers and was the third most recommended of the nine.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

PayPal is the most searched of 9 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.

  1. PayPalShare of searches 80.1%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  2. WindcaveShare of searches 8.9%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. SmartpayShare of searches 2.6%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  4. POLiShare of searches 1.9%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th
  5. StripeShare of searches 1.9%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st

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Top payment providers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, PayPal was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. PayPal is the third most recommended of the nine.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Stripe1st
  2. Windcave2nd
  3. PayPal3rd
  4. Paystation4th
  5. Worldline5th
  6. Smartpay6th
  7. POLi7th
  8. Square8th
  9. Adyen–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Windcave5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Stripe5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • PayPal4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • POLi2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Paystation2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Smartpay1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Worldline1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Square1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Adyen0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about payment providers

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 21, 2026.

Which payment providers compete with PayPal?

PayPal against payment providers in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for PayPal, Windcave, Smartpay. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthPayPalWindcaveSmartpayPOLiStripeWorldlineSquarePaystationAdyen
Oct 202578.5%9%3.2%2.6%1.4%2.8%1.1%0.73%0.67%
Nov 202578.7%7.9%3.9%2.8%1.5%2.6%1.1%0.9%0.66%
Dec 202580.9%7.7%3.4%2.3%1.2%2.4%0.85%0.62%0.56%
Jan 202680.5%7.5%3.4%2.4%1.5%2.3%1.2%0.61%0.57%
Feb 202680%7.6%3.3%2.3%1.8%2.5%1%0.74%0.65%
Mar 202678.6%7.5%3.9%2.3%1.6%3.4%1.2%0.9%0.68%
Apr 202679.8%7.6%3.4%2%1.5%3.2%1.1%0.74%0.68%
May 202680.4%7.9%2.7%2.3%1.6%2.5%1.2%0.75%0.69%
Jun 202680.1%7.8%2.7%2%2.2%2.6%1.2%0.74%0.7%
Jul 202682.3%7.7%2.1%1.9%1.7%1.8%1.2%0.76%0.58%
Aug 202679.4%9.1%2.4%2.4%1.8%1.7%1.5%0.89%0.71%
Sep 202680.1%8.9%2.6%1.9%1.9%1.6%1.4%0.9%0.67%

  1. 1.PayPal

    80.1%

    Held 1st. 34.7K estimated branded searches, -0.26% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  2. 2.Windcave

    8.9%

    Held 2nd. 3.9K estimated branded searches, -3.5% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  3. 3.Smartpay

    2.6%

    Held 3rd. 1.1K estimated branded searches, +3.7% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  4. 4.POLi

    1.9%

    Held 4th. 840 estimated branded searches, -18.4% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  5. 5.Stripe

    1.9%

    Held 5th. 810 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.Worldline

    1.6%

    Held 6th. 700 estimated branded searches, -7.9% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  7. 7.Square

    1.4%

    Held 7th. 600 estimated branded searches, -10.4% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  8. 8.Paystation

    0.9%

    Held 8th. 390 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.Adyen

    0.67%

    Held 9th. 290 estimated branded searches, -6.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between PayPal and its closest rivals

Every comparison with PayPal

18 comparisons

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

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for PayPal in New Zealand fell from 42.1K to 34.7K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PayPal’s share of searches among payment providers in New Zealand increased from 78.5% to 80.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PayPal’s share of searches among payment providers in New Zealand peaked at 82.3% in July 2026 and was lowest at 78.5% in October 2025.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand payment providers in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, PayPal gained share of searches among payment providers in New Zealand, from 79.4% to 80.1%.

  2. Worldline’s share of searches among payment providers in New Zealand has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 2.6% to 1.6% in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for POLi in New Zealand fell 38.7% over 12 measured months, from 1.4K to 840 in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Smartpay in New Zealand fell 36.2% over 12 measured months, from 1.7K to 1.1K in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Windcave in New Zealand fell 20.1% over 12 measured months, from 4.8K to 3.9K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Adyen in New Zealand fell 19.4% over 12 measured months, from 360 to 290 in September 2026.

How are PayPal’s branded searches counted?

15 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using PayPal’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.

  • my paypal
  • paypal
  • paypal app
  • paypal aus
  • paypal card
  • paypal contacts
  • paypal currency exchange
  • paypal debit card
  • paypal eftpos
  • paypal founders
  • paypal gift card
  • paypal me
  • paypal me link
  • paypal payment gateway
  • paypal share

Do you work for PayPal? 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

Where does PayPal compete?

PayPal is ranked in three competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Buy now pay later2nd of 429.4%Show ranking
Payment processors1st of 1561.1%Show ranking
Payment providers1st of 980.1%Shown above
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Is PayPal your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

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