Brandwave

How popular isSquare?

In September 2026, people searched for Square by name about 1,060 times in New Zealand, a 27.7% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 1.4% of all New Zealand payment provider searches, placing Square seventh out of nine providers. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about payment providers, Square appeared in one of the five answers and was the eighth most recommended of the nine.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Square is the seventh most searched of 9 competitors and the eighth 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. SquareShare of searches 1.4%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 8th

+4 more

Square website (opens in a new tab)

Follow Square and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Top payment providers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Square was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Square is the eighth 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 Square?

Square against payment providers in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for PayPal, Windcave, Smartpay, Square. 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 Square and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Square

27 comparisons

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

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Square in New Zealand rose from 830 to 1.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Square’s share of searches among payment providers in New Zealand held steady, from 1.1% to 1.4%.

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 Square’s branded searches counted?

13 search terms

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

  • square appointments
  • square eftpos
  • square it
  • square payment
  • square payment gateway
  • square payment processor
  • square payments
  • square pos
  • square pos system
  • square reader
  • square restaurant
  • square space site
  • square terminal

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns Square?

Square is owned by Block. Brandwave also tracks Afterpay, owned by the same company, in New Zealand.

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

Where does Square compete?

Square is ranked in five competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Payment processors9th of 150.86%Show ranking
Payment providers7th of 91.4%Shown above
Salon and clinic booking software7th of 80.71%Show ranking
POS terminal brands5th of 77.3%Show ranking
POS systems3rd of 611.8%Show ranking
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Square 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.

Start free