--- title: "Pocket Casts vs Spotify: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Pocket Casts or Spotify more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Podcast and radio apps 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/pocket-casts-vs-spotify" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Pocket Casts vs Spotify: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Pocket Casts or Spotify more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Podcast and radio apps 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**: Pocket Casts and Spotify - **Competitive set**: Podcast and radio apps - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Pocket Casts Share of Search**: 0.03% - **Spotify Share of Search**: 44% ## Is Pocket Casts or Spotify more popular in search? - In September 2026, Spotify had more branded searches than Pocket Casts among podcast and radio apps in New Zealand. Spotify had about 310,000 branded searches, while Pocket Casts had 180. Spotify made up 44% of all podcast and radio app searches we track, and Pocket Casts accounted for 0.03%. - Spotify was ahead of Pocket Casts in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pocket Casts’ share of searches among podcast and radio apps in New Zealand held steady at 0.03%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 210 to 180. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Spotify’s share of searches among podcast and radio apps in New Zealand moved from 43.8% to 44%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 310K. ## Top podcast and radio apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Spotify was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Pocket Casts was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Spotify was listed before Pocket Casts in three out of four answers that named either. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | RNZ | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Spotify | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | rova | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Pocket Casts | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | iHeartRadio | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Apple Podcasts | 6th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Overcast | 7th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about podcast and radio apps - Asked ChatGPT "Which podcast or radio app should I use in New Zealand?": 1. RNZ, 2. Spotify, 3. Pocket Casts, 4. iHeartRadio - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best podcast and radio apps in New Zealand?": 1. RNZ, 2. iHeartRadio, 3. Spotify, 4. Apple Podcasts, 5. Pocket Casts, 6. rova - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best podcast or radio app in New Zealand for listening on the go?": 1. RNZ, 2. rova, 3. Spotify, 4. Apple Podcasts - Searched Google, AI Overview "best podcast app": 1. Pocket Casts, 2. Overcast, 3. Apple Podcasts, 4. Spotify - Searched Google, AI Overview "radio apps nz": 1. rova, 2. RNZ, 3. iHeartRadio 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 podcast and radio apps in September 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for Pocket Casts in New Zealand fell 14.3% over 12 measured months, from 210 to 180 in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Pocket Casts estimated searches | Pocket Casts Share of Search | Pocket Casts rank | Spotify estimated searches | Spotify Share of Search | Spotify rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 210 | 0.03% | 7 | 310K | 43.8% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 170 | 0.03% | 7 | 309K | 48.4% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 210 | 0.04% | 7 | 256K | 43.9% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 270 | 0.04% | 7 | 211K | 34.9% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 180 | 0.03% | 7 | 311K | 48.7% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 220 | 0.03% | 7 | 379K | 48.9% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 220 | 0.03% | 7 | 256K | 39.3% | 2 | | May 2026 | 220 | 0.03% | 7 | 383K | 49.2% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 220 | 0.03% | 7 | 385K | 54% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 180 | 0.03% | 7 | 262K | 39.9% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 210 | 0.03% | 7 | 313K | 44.2% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 180 | 0.03% | 7 | 310K | 44% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Pocket Casts’ and Spotify’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. - **Pocket Casts**: Measured on the search terms “pocket casts”, “pocket casts podcasts” and “pocketcasts”, summed into one figure. - **Spotify**: Measured on the search terms “michael jackson spotify”, “play spotify web”, “spotify”, “spotify dl”, “spotify family”, “spotify gift card”, “spotify playlist downloader” and “spotify podcast”, summed into one figure. - [Pocket Casts profile](/demand/nz/brands/pocket-casts) - [Spotify profile](/demand/nz/brands/spotify) - [All podcast and radio apps in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-podcast-apps): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 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 Pocket Casts or Spotify more popular in search? In September 2026, Spotify had more branded searches than Pocket Casts among podcast and radio apps in New Zealand. Spotify had about 310,000 branded searches, while Pocket Casts had 180. Spotify made up 44% of all podcast and radio app searches we track, and Pocket Casts accounted for 0.03%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Pocket Casts vs Spotify: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/pocket-casts-vs-spotify This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/pocket-casts-vs-spotify. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.