Brandwave

Social media platforms in New Zealand:Which brands are most popular in search?

In August 2026, YouTube was the most searched among social media platforms in New Zealand, with an estimated 3.5M branded searches and 43% estimated Share of Search within this set.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. YouTube43%
  2. Facebook30.5%
  3. Instagram7.2%
  4. Pinterest5.7%
  5. TikTok4.9%
  6. Reddit4.5%
  7. LinkedIn2.8%
  8. Snapchat1.5%
  9. Threads<0.01%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the social media platforms New Zealanders and New Zealand brands spend time on. 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.

Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand, by month

Share of Search by month for YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Reddit, LinkedIn. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthYouTubeFacebookInstagramPinterestTikTokRedditLinkedInSnapchatThreads
Oct 202543.8%30.3%8.9%4.8%4.1%3.9%2.8%1.6%<0.01%
Nov 202544.6%31%7.5%4.8%4.2%4%2.4%1.6%<0.01%
Dec 202545.5%31.6%7.6%4.1%4.2%3.9%2%1.1%<0.01%
Jan 202644.8%31.4%7.5%4%4.2%4.7%2.4%1.1%<0.01%
Feb 202644.5%31.3%7.5%4.8%4.1%3.8%2.4%1.6%<0.01%
Mar 202646.9%27.4%7.8%5.1%4.4%4.1%2.5%1.7%<0.01%
Apr 202643.8%30.9%7.3%4.7%4.9%4.6%2.3%1.5%<0.01%
May 202642.6%30.1%8.6%5.7%4.8%4.4%2.3%1.5%<0.01%
Jun 202643.3%30.6%7.2%5.8%4.9%4.4%2.3%1.5%<0.01%
Jul 202644.2%31.3%7.4%4.8%4.1%4.5%2.4%1.3%<0.01%
Aug 202643%30.5%7.2%5.7%4.9%4.5%2.8%1.5%<0.01%
Sep 2026—————————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.YouTube

    43%

    held 1st · 3.5M estimated branded searches · +<0.01% vs prior month · -1.2 points

  2. 2.Facebook

    30.5%

    held 2nd · 2.5M estimated branded searches · +0.4% vs prior month · -0.8 points

  3. 3.Instagram

    7.2%

    held 3rd · 582K estimated branded searches · -0.22% vs prior month · -0.2 points

  4. 4.Pinterest

    5.7%

    held 4th · 462K estimated branded searches · +21.5% vs prior month · +0.9 points

  5. 5.TikTok

    4.9%

    moved from 6th to 5th · 395K estimated branded searches · +21% vs prior month · +0.7 points

  6. 6.Reddit

    4.5%

    moved from 5th to 6th · 361K estimated branded searches · +1.7% vs prior month · -0.1 points

  7. 7.LinkedIn

    2.8%

    held 7th · 226K estimated branded searches · +21.6% vs prior month · +0.4 points

  8. 8.Snapchat

    1.5%

    held 8th · 124K estimated branded searches · +21% vs prior month · +0.2 points

  9. 9.Threads

    <0.01%

    held 9th · 350 estimated branded searches · -16.7% vs prior month · 0 points

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among social media platforms in New Zealand?

In August 2026, YouTube was the most searched among social media platforms in New Zealand, with an estimated 3.5M branded searches and 43% estimated Share of Search within this set. Facebook is in 2nd place, 12.5 percentage points behind at 30.5% Share of Search.

New Zealand social media platforms, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
YouTube43.8% → 43%46.9%Mar 202642.6%May 20261st
Facebook30.3% → 30.5%31.6%Dec 202527.4%Mar 20262nd
Instagram8.9% → 7.2%8.9%Oct 20257.2%Aug 20263rd
Pinterest4.8% → 5.7%5.8%Jun 20264%Jan 20264th
TikTok4.1% → 4.9%4.9%Apr 20264.1%Oct 20255th
Reddit3.9% → 4.5%4.7%Jan 20263.8%Feb 20266th
LinkedIn2.8%2.8%Aug 20262%Dec 20257th
Snapchat1.6% → 1.5%1.7%Mar 20261.1%Jan 20268th
Threads<0.01%<0.01%Jan 2026<0.01%Aug 20269th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, YouTube’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand decreased from 43.8% to 43%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Instagram’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand decreased from 8.9% to 7.2%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Pinterest’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand increased from 4.8% to 5.7%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, TikTok’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand increased from 4.1% to 4.9%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Reddit’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand increased from 3.9% to 4.5%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, YouTube’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand peaked at 46.9% in March 2026 and was lowest at 42.6% in May 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Facebook’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand peaked at 31.6% in December 2025 and was lowest at 27.4% in March 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Pinterest’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand peaked at 5.8% in June 2026 and was lowest at 4% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat and Threads held steady: their estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand social media platforms in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, TikTok overtook Reddit to rank 5th among social media platforms in New Zealand, at 4.9%.

  2. In August 2026, Pinterest gained estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand, from 4.8% to 5.7%.

  3. In August 2026, YouTube lost estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand, from 44.2% to 43%.

  4. In August 2026, Facebook lost estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand, from 31.3% to 30.5%.

  5. LinkedIn’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms in New Zealand has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 2.3% to 2.8% in August 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Reddit in New Zealand rose 15.6% over 11 measured months, from 312K to 361K in August 2026.

  7. Estimated monthly branded searches for Instagram in New Zealand fell 17.9% over 11 measured months, from 709K to 582K in August 2026.

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