--- title: "DHL vs Mainfreight: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is DHL or Mainfreight more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Customs brokers set 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/categories/nz-customs-brokers/compare/dhl-vs-mainfreight" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # DHL vs Mainfreight: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is DHL or Mainfreight more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Customs brokers set 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 - **Compared**: DHL and Mainfreight - **Competitive set**: Customs brokers - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **DHL Share of Search**: 41.4% - **Mainfreight Share of Search**: 36.7% ## Is DHL or Mainfreight more popular in search? - In September 2026, DHL had more branded searches than Mainfreight among customs brokers in New Zealand. DHL had about 19,700 branded searches, while Mainfreight had 17,500. DHL made up 41.4% of all customs broker searches we track, and Mainfreight accounted for 36.7%. - The lead changed hands 3 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: DHL took it in December 2025, Mainfreight took it in January 2026, DHL took it in March 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DHL’s share of searches among customs brokers in New Zealand moved from 38.4% to 41.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 19.4K to 19.7K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mainfreight’s share of searches among customs brokers in New Zealand moved from 41.2% to 36.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 20.9K to 17.5K. ## Top customs brokers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Mainfreight was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. DHL was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Mainfreight was listed before DHL in every answer that named either. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Easy Freight | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Just Customs | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Mainfreight | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Rocket Freight International | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Platinum Freight | 5th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Mondiale VGL | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | DHL | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | FedEx | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about customs brokers - Asked ChatGPT "Which customs broker should I hire in New Zealand?": 1. Easy Freight, 2. Just Customs, 3. Rocket Freight International - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best customs brokers in New Zealand?": 1. Easy Freight, 2. Just Customs, 3. Rocket Freight International, 4. Mainfreight, 5. DHL, 6. Mondiale VGL - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best customs broker in New Zealand for an import business?": 1. Easy Freight, 2. Just Customs, 3. Rocket Freight International, 4. Mondiale VGL - Searched Google, AI Overview "customs brokers nz": 1. Easy Freight, 2. Mainfreight, 3. Just Customs, 4. Platinum Freight - Searched Google, AI Overview "import broker nz": 1. Mainfreight, 2. Easy Freight, 3. Just Customs, 4. Platinum Freight Not named in any answer: FedEx. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand customs brokers in September 2026? - In September 2026, Mainfreight gained share of searches among customs brokers in New Zealand, from 36% to 36.7%. - DHL’s share of searches among customs brokers in New Zealand has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 42.7% to 41.4% in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | DHL estimated searches | DHL Share of Search | DHL rank | Mainfreight estimated searches | Mainfreight Share of Search | Mainfreight rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 19.4K | 38.4% | 2 | 20.9K | 41.2% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 19.5K | 35.9% | 2 | 24.6K | 45.3% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 22.9K | 42.7% | 1 | 20.5K | 38.2% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 19.7K | 40.6% | 2 | 20.3K | 41.8% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 19.7K | 40.5% | 2 | 20.3K | 41.8% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 23.3K | 43.1% | 1 | 20.3K | 37.6% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 20.1K | 42.3% | 1 | 17.1K | 35.9% | 2 | | May 2026 | 19.8K | 41.9% | 1 | 17K | 36% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 20.7K | 42.7% | 1 | 17K | 35.1% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 19.6K | 41.7% | 1 | 17K | 36.3% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 19.6K | 41.5% | 1 | 17K | 36% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 19.7K | 41.4% | 1 | 17.5K | 36.7% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using DHL’s and Mainfreight’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **DHL**: Measured on the search terms “DHL”, “dhl ecom”, “DHL Express”, “DHL Lower Hutt”, “DHL Manukau”, “dhl supply chain”, “DHL Tauranga”, “DHL Timaru”, “DHL Whangarei” and “my dhl”, summed into one figure. - **Mainfreight**: Measured on the search terms “don braid mainfreight”, “mainchain mainfreight”, “Mainfreight”, “Mainfreight Hamilton”, “mainfreight mainchain” and “Mainfreight Thames”, summed into one figure. - [DHL profile](/demand/nz/brands/dhl) - [Mainfreight profile](/demand/nz/brands/mainfreight) - [All customs brokers in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-customs-brokers): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is DHL or Mainfreight more popular in search? In September 2026, DHL had more branded searches than Mainfreight among customs brokers in New Zealand. DHL had about 19,700 branded searches, while Mainfreight had 17,500. DHL made up 41.4% of all customs broker searches we track, and Mainfreight accounted for 36.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "DHL vs Mainfreight: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-customs-brokers/compare/dhl-vs-mainfreight This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-customs-brokers/compare/dhl-vs-mainfreight. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.