Brandwave

PayPal vs Windcave:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, PayPal had more branded searches than Windcave among payment providers in New Zealand. PayPal had about 34,700 branded searches, while Windcave had 3,860. PayPal made up 80.1% of all payment provider searches we track, and Windcave accounted for 8.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about payment providers, Windcave appeared in all five answers and PayPal in four. Windcave was mentioned before PayPal in four out of five answers.

Among payment providers in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

PayPal, about 9 searches for every 1 for Windcave

PayPal 34.7K searchesWindcave 3.9K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Windcave, mentioned in every answer we collected

Windcave in 5 of 5PayPal in 4 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Windcave, named ahead of PayPal in 4 of 5 answers

Windcave first in 4PayPal first in 1

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Top payment providers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Windcave appeared in all five answers. PayPal was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Windcave was listed before PayPal in four out of five answers.

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.

Is PayPal or Windcave more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for PayPal and Windcave by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine payment providers we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

PayPal and Windcave among payment providers in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for PayPal, Windcave. 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%

How has the PayPal and Windcave comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • PayPal was ahead of Windcave in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PayPal’s share of searches among payment providers in New Zealand moved from 78.5% to 80.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 42.1K to 34.7K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Windcave’s share of searches among payment providers in New Zealand moved from 9% to 8.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.8K to 3.9K.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand payment providers in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, PayPal gained share of searches among payment providers in New Zealand, from 79.4% to 80.1%.

  2. 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.

How are branded searches counted?

20 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using PayPal’s and Windcave’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.

PayPal

15 branded search terms

  • my paypal
  • paypal
  • paypal app
  • paypal aus
  • paypal card
  • paypal contacts
  • paypal currency exchange
  • paypal debit card
  • paypal eftpos
  • paypal founders
  • paypal gift card
  • paypal me
  • paypal me link
  • paypal payment gateway
  • paypal share

Windcave

5 branded search terms

  • windcave
  • windcave eftpos
  • windcave ltd
  • windcave payment
  • windcave payment gateway

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among payment providers

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