Brandwave

DuckDuckGo vs Google:Which is more popular in New Zealand?

In October 2026, Google had more branded searches than DuckDuckGo among search engines in New Zealand. Google had about 2.6 million branded searches, while DuckDuckGo had 63,200. Google made up 95.3% of all search engine searches we track, and DuckDuckGo accounted for 2.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about search engines, both DuckDuckGo and Google appeared in all five answers. Google was mentioned before DuckDuckGo in four out of five answers.

Among search engines in New Zealand in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Google, about 41 searches for every 1 for DuckDuckGo

Google 2.6M searchesDuckDuckGo 63.2K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

DuckDuckGo in 5 of 5Google in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Google, named ahead of DuckDuckGo in 4 of 5 answers

Google first in 4DuckDuckGo first in 1

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Top search engines in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both DuckDuckGo and Google showed up in all five answers. Google was listed before DuckDuckGo in four of them.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Google1st
  2. Bing2nd
  3. DuckDuckGo3rd
  4. Brave Search4th
  5. Startpage5th
  6. Ecosia6th
  7. Yahoo–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Google5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • DuckDuckGo5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Bing5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Ecosia3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Brave Search3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Startpage2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Yahoo0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about search engines

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 19, 2026.

Is DuckDuckGo or Google more popular in search?

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

DuckDuckGo and Google among search engines in New Zealand, by month

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogleDuckDuckGoBingStartpageEcosiaBrave SearchYahoo
Nov 202595.2%2.2%2.3%0.15%0.05%0.04%0.07%
Dec 202592.8%3.3%3.5%0.18%0.07%0.06%0.09%
Jan 202693%3.1%3.3%0.17%0.17%0.08%0.1%
Feb 202695.6%2%2.1%0.14%0.1%0.05%0.05%
Mar 202696.5%1.5%1.6%0.13%0.1%0.05%0.05%
Apr 202694.8%2.3%2.5%0.16%0.1%0.06%0.07%
May 202695.7%2.1%1.8%0.18%0.13%0.05%0.05%
Jun 202695.8%2.1%1.8%0.18%0.11%0.04%0.05%
Jul 202694.7%2.4%2.4%0.24%0.12%0.07%0.07%
Aug 202695.4%2.1%2.2%0.21%0.09%0.05%0.04%
Sep 202695.6%2.2%1.9%0.18%0.09%0.05%0.05%
Oct 202695.3%2.3%2%0.2%0.07%0.06%0.05%

How has branded search for DuckDuckGo and Google changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Google was ahead of DuckDuckGo in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, DuckDuckGo’s share of searches among search engines in New Zealand moved from 2.2% to 2.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 52.4K to 63.2K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Google’s share of searches among search engines in New Zealand moved from 95.2% to 95.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.3M to 2.6M.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand search engines in October 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for DuckDuckGo in New Zealand rose 20.5% over 12 measured months, from 52.4K to 63.2K in October 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Google in New Zealand rose 16.1% over 12 measured months, from 2.3M to 2.6M in October 2026.

How are DuckDuckGo’s and Google’s branded searches counted?

21 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using DuckDuckGo’s and Google’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.

DuckDuckGo

7 branded search terms

  • duckduckgo
  • duckduckgo app
  • duckduckgo browser
  • duckduckgo dark
  • duckduckgo privacy browser
  • duckduckgo search
  • duckduckgo search engine

Google

14 branded search terms

  • disk google
  • google
  • google calendar
  • google cla
  • google docs
  • google docs forms
  • google documents
  • google flights
  • google games
  • google photos
  • google presentation software
  • google search
  • google search engine
  • google sheets

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among search engines

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