--- title: "DesignCrowd vs Upwork: Which is more popular in New Zealand?" description: "Is DesignCrowd or Upwork more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Freelance marketplaces 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/compare/designcrowd-vs-upwork" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # DesignCrowd vs Upwork: Which is more popular in New Zealand? Is DesignCrowd or Upwork more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Freelance marketplaces 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**: DesignCrowd and Upwork - **Competitive set**: Freelance marketplaces - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **DesignCrowd Share of Search**: 0.32% - **Upwork Share of Search**: 39.7% ## Is DesignCrowd or Upwork more popular in search? - In October 2026, Upwork had more branded searches than DesignCrowd among freelance marketplaces in New Zealand. Upwork had about 3,720 branded searches, while DesignCrowd had 30. Upwork made up 39.7% of all freelance marketplace searches we track, and DesignCrowd accounted for 0.32%. - Upwork was ahead of DesignCrowd in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, DesignCrowd’s share of searches among freelance marketplaces in New Zealand moved from 0.38% to 0.32%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 50 to 30. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Upwork’s share of searches among freelance marketplaces in New Zealand moved from 34.8% to 39.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.6K to 3.7K. ## Top freelance marketplaces in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Upwork appeared in all five answers. DesignCrowd did not appear in any of the 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Upwork | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Fiverr | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Contra | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Zealancer | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Toptal | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Freelancer | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | 99designs | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | DesignCrowd | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about freelance marketplaces - Asked ChatGPT "Which freelance marketplace should I use in New Zealand?": 1. Upwork, 2. Fiverr, 3. Contra, 4. Toptal - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best freelance marketplaces in New Zealand?": 1. Upwork, 2. Fiverr, 3. Contra, 4. Freelancer, 5. Zealancer, 6. 99designs - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best freelance marketplace in New Zealand for a small business hiring contractors?": 1. Upwork, 2. Zealancer, 3. Fiverr, 4. Freelancer - Searched Google, AI Overview "best freelance marketplace": 1. Upwork, 2. Fiverr, 3. Toptal, 4. 99designs - Searched Google, AI Overview "hire contractors online": 1. Upwork Not named in any answer: DesignCrowd. 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 freelance marketplaces in October 2026? - In October 2026, Upwork lost share of searches among freelance marketplaces in New Zealand, from 40.2% to 39.7%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for DesignCrowd in New Zealand fell 40% over 12 measured months, from 50 to 30 in October 2026. ## How has branded search for DesignCrowd and Upwork changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months? | Month | DesignCrowd estimated searches | DesignCrowd Share of Search | DesignCrowd rank | Upwork estimated searches | Upwork Share of Search | Upwork rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 50 | 0.38% | 6 | 4.6K | 34.8% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 50 | 0.38% | 5 | 4.6K | 34.8% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 70 | 0.49% | 5 | 5.6K | 39.2% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 50 | 0.38% | 5 | 4.7K | 35.6% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 70 | 0.47% | 5 | 6.2K | 41.5% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 50 | 0.34% | 5 | 6K | 41% | 2 | | May 2026 | 40 | 0.29% | 6 | 5.1K | 37.5% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 70 | 0.52% | 5 | 4.9K | 36.4% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 50 | 0.42% | 6 | 4.8K | 40.9% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 50 | 0.42% | 5 | 4.8K | 40.6% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 50 | 0.43% | 5 | 4.7K | 40.2% | 2 | | Oct 2026 | 30 | 0.32% | 5 | 3.7K | 39.7% | 2 | ## How are DesignCrowd’s and Upwork’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using DesignCrowd’s and Upwork’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. - **DesignCrowd**: Measured on the search term “designcrowd”. - **Upwork**: Measured on the search terms “odesk upwork”, “upwork”, “upwork freelance”, “upwork freelance platform”, “upwork freelance writing”, “upwork hire” and “upwork virtual assistant”, summed into one figure. - [DesignCrowd profile](/demand/nz/brands/designcrowd) - [Upwork profile](/demand/nz/brands/upwork) - [All freelance marketplaces in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-freelance-marketplaces): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 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 DesignCrowd or Upwork more popular in search? In October 2026, Upwork had more branded searches than DesignCrowd among freelance marketplaces in New Zealand. Upwork had about 3,720 branded searches, while DesignCrowd had 30. Upwork made up 39.7% of all freelance marketplace searches we track, and DesignCrowd accounted for 0.32%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "DesignCrowd vs Upwork: Which is more popular in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/designcrowd-vs-upwork This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/designcrowd-vs-upwork. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.