---
title: "KFC vs Popeyes: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?"
description: "Which is more popular in search, KFC or Popeyes? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Fried chicken chains 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-fried-chicken-chains/compare/kfc-vs-popeyes"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# KFC vs Popeyes: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?

Which is more popular in search, KFC or Popeyes? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Fried chicken chains 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**: KFC and Popeyes
- **Competitive set**: Fried chicken chains
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **KFC Share of Search**: 81%
- **Popeyes Share of Search**: 11.1%

## Which is more popular in search, KFC or Popeyes?

- In August 2026, KFC had more branded searches than Popeyes among fried chicken chains in New Zealand. KFC was estimated to have 301K branded searches compared to Popeyes’ 41.2K, and held an 81% Share of Search versus Popeyes’ 11.1%.
- KFC was ahead of Popeyes in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, KFC’s estimated Share of Search among fried chicken chains in New Zealand moved from 85.7% to 81%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 458K to 301K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Popeyes’ estimated Share of Search among fried chicken chains in New Zealand moved from 8.9% to 11.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 47.4K to 41.2K.

## How did search popularity change for New Zealand fried chicken chains in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Popeyes gained estimated Share of Search among fried chicken chains in New Zealand, from 10.3% to 11.1%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for KFC in New Zealand fell 34.2% over 11 measured months, from 458K to 301K in August 2026.

## Month by month

| Month | KFC estimated searches | KFC Share of Search | KFC rank | Popeyes estimated searches | Popeyes Share of Search | Popeyes rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 458K | 85.7% | 1 | 47.4K | 8.9% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | 375K | 83.7% | 1 | 45.5K | 10.2% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | 396K | 83.6% | 1 | 47.4K | 10% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | 302K | 80% | 1 | 46.7K | 12.3% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | 297K | 82.1% | 1 | 39K | 10.8% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | 303K | 81.4% | 1 | 39.6K | 10.6% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | 303K | 80.5% | 1 | 42.6K | 11.3% | 2 |
| May 2026 | 317K | 80.7% | 1 | 42.4K | 10.8% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | 313K | 81.4% | 1 | 41.2K | 10.7% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | 314K | 81.4% | 1 | 39.6K | 10.3% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | 301K | 81% | 1 | 41.2K | 11.1% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using KFC’s and Popeyes’ 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.

- **KFC**: Measured on the search terms “kfc”, “kfc bombay”, “kfc botany”, “kfc bucket”, “kfc c”, “kfc chicken”, “kfc co nz”, “kfc deals”, “kfc deals with prices”, “kfc delivery”, “kfc eastgate”, “kfc henderson”, “kfc lynfield”, “kfc menu”, “kfc near me”, “kfc nz”, “kfc online”, “kfc pakuranga”, “kfc panmure”, “kfc richmond”, “kfc snack box”, “kfc sylvia park” and “kfc trading hours”, summed into one figure.
- **Popeyes**: Measured on the search terms “biscuits popeyes”, “popeyes”, “popeyes burger”, “popeyes chicken”, “popeyes chicken burger”, “popeyes chicken sandwich”, “popeyes classic chicken sandwich”, “popeyes co nz”, “popeyes deals”, “popeyes delivery”, “popeyes food”, “popeyes fried chicken”, “popeyes hours”, “popeyes louisiana kitchen”, “popeyes menu”, “popeyes near me”, “popeyes new zealand”, “popeyes nz”, “popeyes order online”, “popeyes prices”, “popeyes sandwich”, “popeyes takeaway” and “popeyes us”, summed into one figure.

- [KFC profile](/demand/nz/brands/kfc)
- [Popeyes profile](/demand/nz/brands/popeyes)
- [All fried chicken chains in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-fried-chicken-chains): The set both shares are measured inside, 4 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

### Which is more popular in search, KFC or Popeyes?

In August 2026, KFC had more branded searches than Popeyes among fried chicken chains in New Zealand. KFC was estimated to have 301K branded searches compared to Popeyes’ 41.2K, and held an 81% Share of Search versus Popeyes’ 11.1%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "KFC vs Popeyes: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-fried-chicken-chains/compare/kfc-vs-popeyes

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-fried-chicken-chains/compare/kfc-vs-popeyes. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.
