---
title: "Shutterstock vs Unsplash: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?"
description: "Which is more popular in search, Shutterstock or Unsplash? 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/shutterstock-vs-unsplash"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Shutterstock vs Unsplash: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?

Which is more popular in search, Shutterstock or Unsplash? 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**: Shutterstock and Unsplash
- **Competitive set**: Stock image sites
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Shutterstock Share of Search**: 9.1%
- **Unsplash Share of Search**: 34.3%

## Which is more popular in search, Shutterstock or Unsplash?

- In August 2026, Unsplash had more branded searches than Shutterstock among stock image sites in New Zealand. Unsplash was estimated to have 12.3K branded searches compared to Shutterstock’s 3.3K, and held a 34.3% Share of Search versus Shutterstock’s 9.1%.
- Unsplash was ahead of Shutterstock in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Shutterstock’s estimated Share of Search among stock image sites in New Zealand moved from 11.9% to 9.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5K to 3.3K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Unsplash’s estimated Share of Search among stock image sites in New Zealand moved from 26.8% to 34.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 11.2K to 12.3K.

## How did search popularity change for New Zealand stock image sites in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Unsplash gained estimated Share of Search among stock image sites in New Zealand, from 31.8% to 34.3%.
- In August 2026, Shutterstock lost estimated Share of Search among stock image sites in New Zealand, from 10% to 9.1%.

## Month by month

| Month | Shutterstock estimated searches | Shutterstock Share of Search | Shutterstock rank | Unsplash estimated searches | Unsplash Share of Search | Unsplash rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 5K | 11.9% | 5 | 11.2K | 26.8% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | 5K | 12.6% | 4 | 9.3K | 23.5% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | 3.4K | 12.3% | 5 | 6.3K | 22.8% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | 3.4K | 11.3% | 5 | 7.6K | 25% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | 4K | 11.3% | 5 | 9.3K | 26.1% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | 4.9K | 11.1% | 5 | 11.4K | 25.9% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | 3.3K | 9.4% | 5 | 9.4K | 27% | 2 |
| May 2026 | 4.1K | 10.4% | 5 | 11.7K | 29.7% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | 4.1K | 10.1% | 5 | 12.4K | 30.7% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | 3.4K | 10% | 5 | 10.6K | 31.8% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | 3.3K | 9.1% | 5 | 12.3K | 34.3% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Shutterstock’s and Unsplash’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.

- **Shutterstock**: Measured on the search terms “shutterstock”, “shutterstock com”, “shutterstock contributor”, “shutterstock free”, “shutterstock images”, “shutterstock near me”, “shutterstock nz” and “shutterstock photos”, summed into one figure.
- **Unsplash**: Measured on the search terms “images free unsplash”, “images unsplash”, “royalty free images unsplash”, “unsplash”, “unsplash com”, “unsplash free”, “unsplash free images”, “unsplash near me”, “unsplash new zealand”, “unsplash nz”, “unsplash online”, “unsplash photos” and “unsplash video”, summed into one figure.

- [Shutterstock profile](/demand/nz/brands/shutterstock)
- [Unsplash profile](/demand/nz/brands/unsplash)
- [All stock image sites in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-stock-image-sites): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 brands.

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is more popular in search, Shutterstock or Unsplash?

In August 2026, Unsplash had more branded searches than Shutterstock among stock image sites in New Zealand. Unsplash was estimated to have 12.3K branded searches compared to Shutterstock’s 3.3K, and held a 34.3% Share of Search versus Shutterstock’s 9.1%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Shutterstock vs Unsplash: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/shutterstock-vs-unsplash

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/shutterstock-vs-unsplash. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.
