--- title: "Pixabay vs Shutterstock: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Pixabay or Shutterstock more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Stock image sites 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/pixabay-vs-shutterstock" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Pixabay vs Shutterstock: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Pixabay or Shutterstock more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Stock image sites 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**: Pixabay and Shutterstock - **Competitive set**: Stock image sites - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Pixabay Share of Search**: 17.6% - **Shutterstock Share of Search**: 8.6% ## Is Pixabay or Shutterstock more popular in search? - In September 2026, Pixabay had more branded searches than Shutterstock among stock image sites in New Zealand. Pixabay had about 6,600 branded searches, while Shutterstock had 3,210. Pixabay made up 17.6% of all stock image site searches we track, and Shutterstock accounted for 8.6%. - Pixabay was ahead of Shutterstock in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pixabay’s share of searches among stock image sites in New Zealand moved from 14% to 17.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 6.6K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shutterstock’s share of searches among stock image sites in New Zealand moved from 10% to 8.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.7K to 3.2K. ## Top stock image sites in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Shutterstock appeared in all five answers. Pixabay was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Shutterstock was listed before Pixabay in three out of 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Unsplash | 1st | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Adobe Stock | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Shutterstock | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Pexels | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Truestock | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Pixabay | 6th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | iStock | 7th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Getty Images | 8th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about stock image sites - Asked ChatGPT "Which stock image site should I use in New Zealand?": 1. Adobe Stock, 2. Unsplash, 3. Shutterstock, 4. Pexels - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best stock image sites in New Zealand?": 1. Truestock, 2. Adobe Stock, 3. Shutterstock, 4. Pexels - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best stock image site in New Zealand for marketing images?": 1. Adobe Stock, 2. Truestock, 3. Shutterstock, 4. iStock, 5. Unsplash - Searched Google, AI Overview "stock photos nz": 1. Unsplash, 2. Pexels, 3. Pixabay, 4. Getty Images, 5. iStock, 6. Shutterstock - Searched Google, AI Overview "royalty free images": 1. Unsplash, 2. Pexels, 3. Pixabay, 4. Shutterstock, 5. iStock, 6. Adobe Stock 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 stock image sites in September 2026? - In September 2026, Adobe Stock overtook Pixabay to rank 2nd among stock image sites in New Zealand, with 20.4% of the searches. - In September 2026, Shutterstock gained share of searches among stock image sites in New Zealand, from 7.5% to 8.6%. - In September 2026, Pixabay lost share of searches among stock image sites in New Zealand, from 19.4% to 17.6%. ## Month by month | Month | Pixabay estimated searches | Pixabay Share of Search | Pixabay rank | Shutterstock estimated searches | Shutterstock Share of Search | Shutterstock rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 6.6K | 14% | 3 | 4.7K | 10% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | 8.1K | 17.5% | 3 | 4.8K | 10.3% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 4.4K | 14.3% | 3 | 3.3K | 10.6% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 3.6K | 11% | 5 | 3.3K | 10% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 5.4K | 13.8% | 3 | 3.9K | 9.8% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 8.1K | 16.1% | 3 | 4.7K | 9.4% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 5.4K | 14% | 3 | 3.1K | 8.1% | 6 | | May 2026 | 8.1K | 17.8% | 3 | 3.9K | 8.6% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 6.6K | 15.1% | 3 | 3.9K | 8.9% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | 5.4K | 14.9% | 3 | 3.2K | 8.8% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 8.1K | 19.4% | 2 | 3.1K | 7.5% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 6.6K | 17.6% | 3 | 3.2K | 8.6% | 6 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Pixabay’s and Shutterstock’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. - **Pixabay**: Measured on the search term “pixabay”. - **Shutterstock**: Measured on the search terms “shutterstock”, “shutterstock contributor”, “shutterstock images” and “shutterstock photos”, summed into one figure. - [Pixabay profile](/demand/nz/brands/pixabay) - [Shutterstock profile](/demand/nz/brands/shutterstock) - [All stock image sites in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-stock-image-sites): 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 Pixabay or Shutterstock more popular in search? In September 2026, Pixabay had more branded searches than Shutterstock among stock image sites in New Zealand. Pixabay had about 6,600 branded searches, while Shutterstock had 3,210. Pixabay made up 17.6% of all stock image site searches we track, and Shutterstock accounted for 8.6%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Pixabay vs Shutterstock: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/pixabay-vs-shutterstock This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/pixabay-vs-shutterstock. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.