Brandwave

Boss vs Roland:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Roland had more branded searches than Boss among drum machine brands in New Zealand. Roland had about 50 branded searches, while Boss had 10. Roland made up 2.3% of all drum machine brand searches we track, and Boss accounted for 0.46%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about drum machine brands, Roland appeared in all five answers and Boss in none.

Among drum machine brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Roland, about 5 searches for every 1 for Boss

Roland 50 searchesBoss 10 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Roland, mentioned in every answer we collected

Roland in 5 of 5Boss in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Roland, the only one of the two named

Roland first in 4Boss never named

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Top drum machine brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Roland appeared in all five answers. Boss did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Roland1st
  2. Elektron2nd
  3. Korg3rd
  4. Arturia4th
  5. Alesis5th
  6. Akai6th
  7. Moog–
  8. Boss–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Roland5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Korg4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Arturia4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Elektron4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Alesis3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Akai2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Moog0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Boss0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about drum machine brands

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 Boss or Roland more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Boss and Roland by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight drum machine brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Boss and Roland among drum machine brands in New Zealand, by month

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthKorgMoogAkaiArturiaAlesisElektronRolandBoss
Oct 202533.2%20.8%14.2%11.5%8.8%6.2%4.9%0.44%
Nov 202539.2%11.3%12.7%19.1%10.3%5.4%1.5%0.49%
Dec 202537.4%16.8%13.7%13.7%11.1%4.7%2.1%0.53%
Jan 202639.5%13.3%13.3%16.4%9.2%5.6%2.1%0.51%
Feb 202638.6%15.7%12.7%15.7%9.6%5.4%1.8%0.6%
Mar 202636%17.2%12.8%12.8%8.9%8.4%3.4%0.49%
Apr 202636.9%17%12.6%12.6%8.7%8.3%3.4%0.49%
May 202638.5%18.3%11.9%11.9%9.2%6.4%3.2%0.46%
Jun 202639.4%16.8%12.5%12.5%9.6%6.7%1.9%0.48%
Jul 202642.6%15.2%10.3%12.7%8.8%6.9%2.5%0.98%
Aug 202646.2%15.8%9%11.1%9.4%6%2.1%0.43%
Sep 202642.6%21.3%9.7%9.7%7.4%6.5%2.3%0.46%

How has the Boss and Roland comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Roland was ahead of Boss in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Boss’ share of searches among drum machine brands in New Zealand moved from 0.44% to 0.46%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 10.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Roland’s share of searches among drum machine brands in New Zealand moved from 4.9% to 2.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 110 to 50.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand drum machine brands in September 2026?

1 change
  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Roland in New Zealand fell 54.5% over 12 measured months, from 110 to 50 in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Boss’ and Roland’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.

Boss

1 branded search term

  • boss drum machine

Roland

1 branded search term

  • roland drum machine

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among drum machine brands

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