--- title: "WhatsApp: search popularity and Share of Search in New Zealand" description: "WhatsApp is a messaging app used in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/brands/whatsapp" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # WhatsApp: search popularity and Share of Search in New Zealand WhatsApp is a messaging app used in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Brand**: WhatsApp - **Owned by**: Meta - **Market**: New Zealand - **Measured month**: Aug 2026 - **Share of Search among messaging apps**: 58% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Messaging apps | 1 | 58% | 194K | - [Messaging apps](/demand/nz/categories/nz-messaging-apps) ## How has branded search demand for WhatsApp changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months? - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for WhatsApp in New Zealand rose from 174K to 194K. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, WhatsApp’s estimated Share of Search among messaging apps in New Zealand increased from 51.3% to 58%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, WhatsApp’s estimated Share of Search among messaging apps in New Zealand peaked at 58% in August 2026 and was lowest at 49% in December 2025. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand messaging apps in August 2026? - In August 2026, WhatsApp gained estimated Share of Search among messaging apps in New Zealand, from 55.4% to 58%. - In August 2026, Discord lost estimated Share of Search among messaging apps in New Zealand, from 38.1% to 35.9%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for WeChat in New Zealand fell 13.1% over 11 measured months, from 9.2K to 8K in August 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Viber in New Zealand fell 11.5% over 11 measured months, from 4.7K to 4.2K in August 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Messaging apps | 174K | 51.3% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Messaging apps | 161K | 49.8% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Messaging apps | 134K | 49% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Messaging apps | 160K | 53.1% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Messaging apps | 161K | 53.8% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Messaging apps | 195K | 53.7% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Messaging apps | 174K | 51.4% | 1 | | May 2026 | Messaging apps | 194K | 54% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Messaging apps | 194K | 58% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Messaging apps | 174K | 55.4% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Messaging apps | 194K | 58% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Messaging apps | — | — | — | ## How is WhatsApp measured? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using WhatsApp’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. - “download whatsapp for windows” - “jibi whatsapp” - “my whatsapp” - “whatsapp” - “whatsapp app” - “whatsapp chat” - “whatsapp com” - “whatsapp com web” - “whatsapp download whatsapp download whatsapp” - “whatsapp messages” - “whatsapp near me” - “whatsapp new zealand” - “whatsapp nz” - “whatsapp online” - “whatsapp web” - “whatsapp web app” - “whatsapp web download” - “whatsapp web online” - “whatsapp windows” - “ww whatsapp web” - “www whatsapp app com” - “www whatsapp com web” ## Which messaging apps compete with WhatsApp? - [Discord](/demand/nz/brands/discord): Head-to-head: /demand/nz/compare/discord-vs-whatsapp - [WeChat](/demand/nz/brands/wechat): Head-to-head: /demand/nz/compare/wechat-vs-whatsapp - [Messenger](/demand/nz/brands/messenger): Head-to-head: /demand/nz/compare/messenger-vs-whatsapp - [Viber](/demand/nz/brands/viber): Head-to-head: /demand/nz/compare/viber-vs-whatsapp - [Signal](/demand/nz/brands/signal): Head-to-head: /demand/nz/compare/signal-vs-whatsapp ## Who owns WhatsApp? WhatsApp is owned by Meta. Brandwave also tracks Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Meta Ads, Meta Quest, Threads and Workplace, owned by the same company, in New Zealand. - [Meta](/demand/nz/companies/meta): Owns 9 tracked brands. ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Who owns WhatsApp? WhatsApp is owned by Meta. Brandwave also tracks Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Meta Ads, Meta Quest, Threads and Workplace, owned by the same company, in New Zealand. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "WhatsApp: search popularity and Share of Search in New Zealand". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/brands/whatsapp This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/brands/whatsapp. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.