IMS Payroll vs Smartly:Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?
In August 2026, Smartly had more branded searches than IMS Payroll among payroll and rostering software in New Zealand. Smartly was estimated to have 4.9K branded searches compared to IMS Payroll’s 300, and held a 6.8% Share of Search versus IMS Payroll’s 0.42%.
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Which is more popular in search, IMS Payroll or Smartly?
Compare payroll, timesheet, and rostering software used by New Zealand employers, using branded searches made 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.
Share of Search by month for Smartly, IMS Payroll. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | PayHero | iPayroll | Employment Hero | Smartly | PaySauce | Thankyou Payroll | IMS Payroll | Ace Payroll | Deputy | Tanda |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 34.7% | 33.1% | 13.2% | 6% | 5.9% | 5.7% | 0.37% | 0.48% | 0.57% | 0.11% |
| Nov 2025 | 34% | 32.3% | 13% | 7.1% | 5.7% | 6.7% | 0.45% | 0.4% | 0.37% | 0.12% |
| Dec 2025 | 30.5% | 35.7% | 11.7% | 7.3% | 6.3% | 7.4% | 0.4% | 0.35% | 0.29% | 0.08% |
| Jan 2026 | 33.3% | 33% | 13% | 7.1% | 5.7% | 6.5% | 0.42% | 0.39% | 0.47% | 0.09% |
| Feb 2026 | 33% | 31.7% | 12.9% | 7.8% | 6.8% | 6.5% | 0.43% | 0.38% | 0.48% | 0.13% |
| Mar 2026 | 30.6% | 33.3% | 13.5% | 7.9% | 5.9% | 6.9% | 0.57% | 0.55% | 0.65% | 0.15% |
| Apr 2026 | 33% | 32% | 12.6% | 7.5% | 5.5% | 7.8% | 0.52% | 0.42% | 0.44% | 0.16% |
| May 2026 | 32.7% | 30.6% | 15.1% | 7.4% | 6.5% | 6.3% | 0.39% | 0.35% | 0.41% | 0.2% |
| Jun 2026 | 30.1% | 33.6% | 13.5% | 7.6% | 7.2% | 6.9% | 0.3% | 0.26% | 0.39% | 0.14% |
| Jul 2026 | 32.6% | 30.5% | 15% | 6.7% | 6.5% | 7.6% | 0.34% | 0.29% | 0.31% | 0.14% |
| Aug 2026 | 33.8% | 30.4% | 15.2% | 6.8% | 6.4% | 6.2% | 0.42% | 0.36% | 0.31% | 0.21% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the IMS Payroll and Smartly comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Smartly was ahead of IMS Payroll in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, IMS Payroll’s estimated Share of Search among payroll and rostering software in New Zealand moved from 0.37% to 0.42%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 300.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Smartly’s estimated Share of Search among payroll and rostering software in New Zealand moved from 6% to 6.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.8K to 4.9K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand payroll and rostering software in August 2026?
1 change
In August 2026, Smartly rose from 5th to 4th among payroll and rostering software in New Zealand.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using IMS Payroll’s and Smartly’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.
IMS Payroll
2 branded search terms
- IMS Payroll
- MYOB IMS Payroll
Smartly
8 branded search terms
- Smart Payroll
- smart payroll nz
- smartly app
- smartly nz
- Smartly payroll
- smartly payroll app
- smartly payroll nz
- smartly pricing
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