--- title: "Signal vs Telegram: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Signal or Telegram more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Messaging 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/signal-vs-telegram" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Signal vs Telegram: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Signal or Telegram more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Messaging 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**: Signal and Telegram - **Competitive set**: Messaging apps - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Signal Share of Search**: 0.55% - **Telegram Share of Search**: 4.8% ## Is Signal or Telegram more popular in search? - In September 2026, Telegram had more branded searches than Signal among messaging apps in New Zealand. Telegram had about 16,100 branded searches, while Signal had 1,860. Telegram made up 4.8% of all messaging app searches we track, and Signal accounted for 0.55%. - Telegram was ahead of Signal in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Signal’s share of searches among messaging apps in New Zealand moved from 0.62% to 0.55%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.1K to 1.9K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Telegram’s share of searches among messaging apps in New Zealand moved from 5% to 4.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 17.2K to 16.1K. ## Top messaging apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Signal appeared in all five answers. Telegram was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Signal was listed before Telegram in every answer. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | WhatsApp | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Signal | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Messenger | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Telegram | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Discord | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | WeChat | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Viber | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about messaging apps - Asked ChatGPT "Which messaging app should I use in New Zealand?": 1. WhatsApp, 2. Messenger, 3. Signal, 4. Telegram - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best messaging apps in New Zealand?": 1. Messenger, 2. WhatsApp, 3. Signal, 4. Discord, 5. Telegram - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best messaging app in New Zealand for chat with friends?": 1. WhatsApp, 2. Messenger, 3. Signal, 4. Discord - Searched Google, AI Overview "messaging apps": 1. WhatsApp, 2. Signal, 3. Telegram, 4. Messenger, 5. Discord - Searched Google, AI Overview "secure messaging app": 1. Signal, 2. WhatsApp, 3. Telegram Not named in any answer: WeChat and Viber. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 19, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand messaging apps in September 2026? - In September 2026, Telegram lost share of searches among messaging apps in New Zealand, from 5.7% to 4.8%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Signal in New Zealand fell 13.5% over 12 measured months, from 2.1K to 1.9K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Signal estimated searches | Signal Share of Search | Signal rank | Telegram estimated searches | Telegram Share of Search | Telegram rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 2.1K | 0.62% | 7 | 17.2K | 5% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 1.6K | 0.47% | 7 | 14.5K | 4.4% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 1.9K | 0.69% | 7 | 14K | 5.1% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 2.3K | 0.74% | 7 | 16.7K | 5.4% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 2K | 0.64% | 7 | 16.7K | 5.5% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 2K | 0.55% | 7 | 20.5K | 5.5% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 2K | 0.58% | 7 | 21K | 6% | 3 | | May 2026 | 2.1K | 0.58% | 7 | 20K | 5.4% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 2K | 0.59% | 7 | 20K | 5.8% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 2K | 0.63% | 7 | 19.7K | 6.1% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 1.9K | 0.55% | 7 | 19.4K | 5.7% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 1.9K | 0.55% | 7 | 16.1K | 4.8% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Signal’s and Telegram’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. - **Signal**: Measured on the search terms “signal app”, “signal app message” and “signal messages”, summed into one figure. - **Telegram**: Measured on the search terms “telegram” and “telegram app”, summed into one figure. - [Signal profile](/demand/nz/brands/signal) - [Telegram profile](/demand/nz/brands/telegram) - [All messaging apps in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-messaging-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 Signal or Telegram more popular in search? In September 2026, Telegram had more branded searches than Signal among messaging apps in New Zealand. Telegram had about 16,100 branded searches, while Signal had 1,860. Telegram made up 4.8% of all messaging app searches we track, and Signal accounted for 0.55%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Signal vs Telegram: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/signal-vs-telegram This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/signal-vs-telegram. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.