Brandwave

Nurofen vs Panadol:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Panadol had more branded searches than Nurofen among pain relief brands in New Zealand. Panadol had about 6,260 branded searches, while Nurofen had 4,810. Panadol made up 34.5% of all pain relief brand searches we track, and Nurofen accounted for 26.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about pain relief brands, Nurofen and Panadol each appeared in four of the five answers. Panadol was mentioned before Nurofen in every answer that named either.

Among pain relief brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Panadol, about 30% more searches than Nurofen

Panadol 6.3K searchesNurofen 4.8K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 4 of 5 answers.

Nurofen in 4 of 5Panadol in 4 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Panadol, named ahead of Nurofen in 4 of 4 answers

Panadol first in 4Nurofen never first

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Top pain relief brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Nurofen and Panadol were each mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Panadol was listed before Nurofen in every answer that named either.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Panadol1st
  2. Nurofen2nd
  3. Maxigesic3rd
  4. Voltaren4th
  5. Deep Heat5th
  6. Disprin6th
  7. Naprogesic7th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Panadol4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Nurofen4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Voltaren3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Maxigesic2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Deep Heat1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Naprogesic1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Disprin1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about pain relief brands

5 answers

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

Is Nurofen or Panadol more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Nurofen and Panadol by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven pain relief brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Nurofen and Panadol among pain relief brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Panadol, Nurofen. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthPanadolNurofenDeep HeatMaxigesicNaprogesicDisprinVoltaren
Oct 202534.9%27%12.8%13.4%6.9%4.4%0.61%
Nov 202535%26.8%13.4%13%6.8%4.1%0.85%
Dec 202538.6%25.7%12.5%12.2%6.4%4%0.63%
Jan 202635.3%28.5%13.4%11.2%7%3.9%0.63%
Feb 202636.8%25.3%14%11.8%7.2%4.3%0.59%
Mar 202634.2%28.8%12.7%13.2%6.7%3.8%0.54%
Apr 202632.6%26.2%12.5%18.5%6.3%3.2%0.66%
May 202633.8%25.4%15.1%15.1%6.2%3.8%0.69%
Jun 202633.2%28.8%15.1%13.1%6.2%3.1%0.5%
Jul 202632.2%28.5%14.7%14.3%6%3.7%0.61%
Aug 202637.1%27.1%13.6%13.7%4.7%3.2%0.56%
Sep 202634.5%26.5%16%12.8%6.1%3.9%0.39%

How has the Nurofen and Panadol comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Panadol was ahead of Nurofen in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Nurofen’s share of searches among pain relief brands in New Zealand moved from 27% to 26.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4K to 4.8K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Panadol’s share of searches among pain relief brands in New Zealand moved from 34.9% to 34.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5.2K to 6.3K.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand pain relief brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Panadol lost share of searches among pain relief brands in New Zealand, from 37.1% to 34.5%.

  2. In September 2026, Nurofen lost share of searches among pain relief brands in New Zealand, from 27.1% to 26.5%.

How are branded searches counted?

23 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Nurofen’s and Panadol’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.

Nurofen

11 branded search terms

  • gel nurofen
  • nurofen
  • nurofen for toothache
  • nurofen headache
  • nurofen ibuprofen
  • nurofen liquid
  • nurofen liquid capsules
  • nurofen pain relief
  • nurofen period pain
  • nurofen tableta
  • nurofen zavance

Panadol

12 branded search terms

  • codeine panadol
  • infant panadol
  • panadol
  • panadol extra
  • panadol headache
  • panadol optizorb
  • panadol pain relief
  • panadol paracetamol
  • panadol pregnancy
  • panadol rapid
  • panadol tablets
  • panadol v paracetamol

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among pain relief brands

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