--- title: "Ahrefs vs Semrush: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Ahrefs or Semrush more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the SEO tools 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-seo-tools/compare/ahrefs-vs-semrush" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Ahrefs vs Semrush: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Ahrefs or Semrush more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the SEO tools 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**: Ahrefs and Semrush - **Competitive set**: SEO tools - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Ahrefs Share of Search**: 23.3% - **Semrush Share of Search**: 52.2% ## Is Ahrefs or Semrush more popular in search? - In September 2026, Semrush had more branded searches than Ahrefs among SEO tools in New Zealand. Semrush had about 2,020 branded searches, while Ahrefs had 900. Semrush made up 52.2% of all SEO tool searches we track, and Ahrefs accounted for 23.3%. - Semrush was ahead of Ahrefs in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ahrefs’ share of searches among SEO tools in New Zealand moved from 28.2% to 23.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.3K to 900. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Semrush’s share of searches among SEO tools in New Zealand moved from 45.4% to 52.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.1K to 2K. ## Top SEO tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Semrush appeared in all five answers. Ahrefs was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Semrush was listed before Ahrefs in four out of five answers. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Semrush | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Ahrefs | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Screaming Frog | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | SE Ranking | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Moz Pro | 5th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Ubersuggest | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about SEO tools - Asked ChatGPT "Which SEO tool should I use in New Zealand?": 1. Semrush, 2. Ahrefs, 3. SE Ranking - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best SEO tools in New Zealand?": 1. Ahrefs, 2. Semrush, 3. SE Ranking, 4. Screaming Frog - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best SEO tool in New Zealand for a marketing team?": 1. Semrush, 2. Ahrefs, 3. SE Ranking - Searched Google, AI Overview "best seo tool": 1. Semrush, 2. Ahrefs, 3. Screaming Frog, 4. SE Ranking, 5. Moz Pro - Searched Google, AI Overview "technical seo tool": 1. Screaming Frog, 2. Semrush Not named in any answer: Ubersuggest. 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 SEO tools in September 2026? - In September 2026, Semrush gained share of searches among SEO tools in New Zealand, from 50.2% to 52.2%. - In September 2026, Ahrefs lost share of searches among SEO tools in New Zealand, from 24.9% to 23.3%. ## Month by month | Month | Ahrefs estimated searches | Ahrefs Share of Search | Ahrefs rank | Semrush estimated searches | Semrush Share of Search | Semrush rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.3K | 28.2% | 2 | 2.1K | 45.4% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 730 | 19% | 2 | 2K | 51.8% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 600 | 22.1% | 2 | 1.4K | 51.7% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 900 | 23.5% | 2 | 2K | 53.5% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 1K | 25.4% | 2 | 2.1K | 51.4% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 1K | 20.6% | 2 | 2.6K | 53% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 900 | 22.3% | 2 | 2.1K | 51.1% | 1 | | May 2026 | 1K | 23.9% | 2 | 2.1K | 49.4% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 890 | 21.3% | 2 | 2.1K | 49.9% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 890 | 23.2% | 2 | 2.1K | 55.2% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 1K | 24.9% | 2 | 2.1K | 50.2% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 900 | 23.3% | 2 | 2K | 52.2% | 1 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ahrefs’ and Semrush’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. - **Ahrefs**: Measured on the search terms “ahrefs”, “ahrefs backlink” and “ahrefs keyword research”, summed into one figure. - **Semrush**: Measured on the search terms “ranking semrush”, “semrush”, “semrush keyword analysis”, “semrush keyword tool”, “semrush keywords”, “semrush reports”, “semrush seo”, “semrush seo audit”, “semrush seo tools”, “semrush site audit”, “sites like semrush” and “tool semrush”, summed into one figure. - [Ahrefs profile](/demand/nz/brands/ahrefs) - [Semrush profile](/demand/nz/brands/semrush) - [All SEO tools in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-seo-tools): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 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 Ahrefs or Semrush more popular in search? In September 2026, Semrush had more branded searches than Ahrefs among SEO tools in New Zealand. Semrush had about 2,020 branded searches, while Ahrefs had 900. Semrush made up 52.2% of all SEO tool searches we track, and Ahrefs accounted for 23.3%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Ahrefs vs Semrush: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-seo-tools/compare/ahrefs-vs-semrush This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-seo-tools/compare/ahrefs-vs-semrush. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.