Brandwave

Brooks vs New Balance:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, New Balance had more branded searches than Brooks among running shoe brands in New Zealand. New Balance had about 65,700 branded searches, while Brooks had 2,690. New Balance made up 44.6% of all running shoe brand searches we track, and Brooks accounted for 1.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about running shoe brands, both Brooks and New Balance appeared in all five answers. Brooks was mentioned before New Balance in every answer.

Among running shoe brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

New Balance, about 24 searches for every 1 for Brooks

New Balance 65.7K searchesBrooks 2.7K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

Brooks in 5 of 5New Balance in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Brooks, named ahead of New Balance in every answer

Brooks first in 4New Balance never first

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Top running shoe brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Brooks and New Balance showed up in all five answers. Brooks was listed before New Balance in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. ASICS1st
  2. Brooks2nd
  3. HOKA3rd
  4. New Balance4th
  5. Saucony5th
  6. On–
  7. Mizuno–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • New Balance5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • ASICS5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • HOKA5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Brooks5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Saucony2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • On0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Mizuno0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about running shoe 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 19, 2026.

Is Brooks or New Balance more popular in search?

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

Brooks and New Balance among running shoe brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for New Balance, Brooks. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNew BalanceASICSHOKAOnMizunoSauconyBrooks
Oct 202544.4%28.3%14.1%5.9%3.1%2.4%1.7%
Nov 202544.9%28.3%14.8%5.4%2.6%2.3%1.7%
Dec 202545.7%26.1%16.2%5.6%2.7%1.9%1.8%
Jan 202640.1%31.2%15.3%5.6%3.5%2.3%1.9%
Feb 202638.5%33.3%15.6%4.8%3.7%2.2%1.9%
Mar 202641.8%31.8%13.4%5.2%4%2.2%1.7%
Apr 202642.5%29.9%13.6%5.9%4%2.3%1.8%
May 202647.3%28.2%11%5.8%3.4%2.1%2.2%
Jun 202648.6%27.3%10.7%6.5%3%2%1.9%
Jul 202644.2%31.7%11.7%4.9%3.4%2%2.2%
Aug 202644.9%31.1%11.6%5%3.3%2.2%1.9%
Sep 202644.6%30.3%11.4%6.4%3.2%2.2%1.8%

How has the Brooks and New Balance comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • New Balance was ahead of Brooks in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Brooks’ share of searches among running shoe brands in New Zealand moved from 1.7% to 1.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.1K to 2.7K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, New Balance’s share of searches among running shoe brands in New Zealand moved from 44.4% to 44.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 54.5K to 65.7K.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand running shoe brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Brooks in New Zealand rose 28.7% over 12 measured months, from 2.1K to 2.7K in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for New Balance in New Zealand rose 20.6% over 12 measured months, from 54.5K to 65.7K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

17 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Brooks’ and New Balance’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.

Brooks

6 branded search terms

  • brooks glycerin shoes
  • brooks running
  • brooks running adrenaline
  • brooks running shoes
  • brooks shoes
  • brooks trainers

New Balance

11 branded search terms

  • new balance
  • new balance 1080
  • new balance 2002r
  • new balance 530
  • new balance 550
  • new balance 574
  • new balance 740
  • new balance 9060
  • new balance outlets
  • newbalance
  • newbalance 327

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among running shoe brands

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