Brandwave

How popular isPexels?

In September 2026, people searched for Pexels by name about 4,440 times in New Zealand, a 19.9% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 11.9% of all New Zealand stock image site searches, placing Pexels fourth out of eight sites. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about stock image sites, Pexels appeared in four of the five answers and was the fourth most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Pexels is the fourth most searched of 8 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. UnsplashShare of searches 23.5%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. Adobe StockShare of searches 20.4%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. PixabayShare of searches 17.6%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  4. PexelsShare of searches 11.9%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  5. Getty ImagesShare of searches 10.9%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 8th

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Top stock image sites in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

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

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Unsplash1st
  2. Adobe Stock2nd
  3. Shutterstock3rd
  4. Pexels4th
  5. Truestock5th
  6. Pixabay6th
  7. iStock7th
  8. Getty Images8th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Shutterstock5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Unsplash4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Adobe Stock4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Pexels4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • iStock3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Pixabay2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Truestock2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Getty Images1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about stock image sites

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

Which stock image sites compete with Pexels?

Pexels against stock image sites in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Unsplash, Adobe Stock, Pixabay, Pexels, Getty Images, Shutterstock, iStock. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthUnsplashAdobe StockPixabayPexelsGetty ImagesShutterstockiStockTruestock
Oct 202522.4%23.9%14%11.8%10.8%10%6.2%0.83%
Nov 202518.8%24.2%17.5%11.8%10.2%10.3%6.3%0.84%
Dec 202519%24.4%14.3%11.9%12.5%10.6%6.6%0.84%
Jan 202622%23%11%13.7%13%10%6.7%0.64%
Feb 202622.2%23.2%13.8%11.4%10.9%9.8%7.9%0.82%
Mar 202621.1%22.3%16.1%10.9%11.5%9.4%7.9%0.77%
Apr 202622.5%23.7%14%11.6%12.2%8.1%6.9%1%
May 202623.2%20.1%17.8%12%10.3%8.6%7.1%0.86%
Jun 202624.1%20.9%15.1%12.5%10.8%8.9%6.9%0.89%
Jul 202624.7%21.1%14.9%12.4%10.9%8.8%6.3%0.88%
Aug 202625.6%18.3%19.4%13.1%9.7%7.5%5.5%0.77%
Sep 202623.5%20.4%17.6%11.9%10.9%8.6%6.1%1%

  1. 1.Unsplash

    23.5%

    Held 1st. 8.8K estimated branded searches, -17.6% vs prior month. Share -2.1 points.

  2. 2.Adobe Stock

    20.4%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 7.6K estimated branded searches, -0.13% vs prior month. Share +2 points.

  3. 3.Pixabay

    17.6%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 6.6K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -1.8 points.

  4. 4.Pexels

    11.9%

    Held 4th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, -18.8% vs prior month. Share -1.3 points.

  5. 5.Getty Images

    10.9%

    Held 5th. 4.1K estimated branded searches, +1.7% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.

  6. 6.Shutterstock

    8.6%

    Held 6th. 3.2K estimated branded searches, +2.2% vs prior month. Share +1 points.

  7. 7.iStock

    6.1%

    Held 7th. 2.3K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.

  8. 8.Truestock

    1%

    Held 8th. 390 estimated branded searches, +21.9% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

Compare popularity between Pexels and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Pexels

7 comparisons

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

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Pexels in New Zealand fell from 5.5K to 4.4K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pexels’ share of searches among stock image sites in New Zealand peaked at 13.7% in January 2026 and was lowest at 10.9% in March 2026.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand stock image sites in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Adobe Stock overtook Pixabay to rank 2nd among stock image sites in New Zealand, with 20.4% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Getty Images gained share of searches among stock image sites in New Zealand, from 9.7% to 10.9%.

  3. In September 2026, Shutterstock gained share of searches among stock image sites in New Zealand, from 7.5% to 8.6%.

  4. In September 2026, iStock gained share of searches among stock image sites in New Zealand, from 5.5% to 6.1%.

  5. In September 2026, Unsplash lost share of searches among stock image sites in New Zealand, from 25.6% to 23.5%.

  6. In September 2026, Pixabay lost share of searches among stock image sites in New Zealand, from 19.4% to 17.6%.

How are Pexels’ branded searches counted?

2 search terms

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

  • pexels
  • pexels images

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