--- title: "Upwork vs Zealancer: Which is more popular in New Zealand?" description: "Is Upwork or Zealancer more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Freelance marketplaces 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/upwork-vs-zealancer" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Upwork vs Zealancer: Which is more popular in New Zealand? Is Upwork or Zealancer more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Freelance marketplaces 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**: Upwork and Zealancer - **Competitive set**: Freelance marketplaces - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **Upwork Share of Search**: 39.7% - **Zealancer Share of Search**: 0.11% ## Is Upwork or Zealancer more popular in search? - In October 2026, Upwork had more branded searches than Zealancer among freelance marketplaces in New Zealand. Upwork had about 3,720 branded searches, while Zealancer had 10. Upwork made up 39.7% of all freelance marketplace searches we track, and Zealancer accounted for 0.11%. - Upwork was ahead of Zealancer in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Upwork’s share of searches among freelance marketplaces in New Zealand moved from 34.8% to 39.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.6K to 3.7K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Zealancer’s share of searches among freelance marketplaces in New Zealand moved from 0.3% to 0.11%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40 to 10. ## Top freelance marketplaces in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Upwork appeared in all five answers. Zealancer was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Upwork was listed before Zealancer 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Upwork | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Fiverr | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Contra | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Zealancer | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Toptal | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Freelancer | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | 99designs | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | DesignCrowd | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about freelance marketplaces - Asked ChatGPT "Which freelance marketplace should I use in New Zealand?": 1. Upwork, 2. Fiverr, 3. Contra, 4. Toptal - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best freelance marketplaces in New Zealand?": 1. Upwork, 2. Fiverr, 3. Contra, 4. Freelancer, 5. Zealancer, 6. 99designs - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best freelance marketplace in New Zealand for a small business hiring contractors?": 1. Upwork, 2. Zealancer, 3. Fiverr, 4. Freelancer - Searched Google, AI Overview "best freelance marketplace": 1. Upwork, 2. Fiverr, 3. Toptal, 4. 99designs - Searched Google, AI Overview "hire contractors online": 1. Upwork Not named in any answer: DesignCrowd. 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 freelance marketplaces in October 2026? - In October 2026, Upwork lost share of searches among freelance marketplaces in New Zealand, from 40.2% to 39.7%. - In October 2026, Zealancer fell from 7th to 8th among freelance marketplaces in New Zealand. ## How has branded search for Upwork and Zealancer changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months? | Month | Upwork estimated searches | Upwork Share of Search | Upwork rank | Zealancer estimated searches | Zealancer Share of Search | Zealancer rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 4.6K | 34.8% | 2 | 40 | 0.3% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | 4.6K | 34.8% | 2 | 20 | 0.15% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | 5.6K | 39.2% | 2 | 30 | 0.21% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 4.7K | 35.6% | 2 | 20 | 0.15% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | 6.2K | 41.5% | 2 | 30 | 0.2% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | 6K | 41% | 2 | 30 | 0.21% | 7 | | May 2026 | 5.1K | 37.5% | 2 | 20 | 0.15% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | 4.9K | 36.4% | 2 | 10 | 0.07% | 8 | | Jul 2026 | 4.8K | 40.9% | 2 | 10 | 0.08% | 8 | | Aug 2026 | 4.8K | 40.6% | 2 | 20 | 0.17% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 4.7K | 40.2% | 2 | 20 | 0.17% | 7 | | Oct 2026 | 3.7K | 39.7% | 2 | 10 | 0.11% | 8 | ## How are Upwork’s and Zealancer’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Upwork’s and Zealancer’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. - **Upwork**: Measured on the search terms “odesk upwork”, “upwork”, “upwork freelance”, “upwork freelance platform”, “upwork freelance writing”, “upwork hire” and “upwork virtual assistant”, summed into one figure. - **Zealancer**: Measured on the search term “zealancer”. - [Upwork profile](/demand/nz/brands/upwork) - [Zealancer profile](/demand/nz/brands/zealancer) - [All freelance marketplaces in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-freelance-marketplaces): 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 Upwork or Zealancer more popular in search? In October 2026, Upwork had more branded searches than Zealancer among freelance marketplaces in New Zealand. Upwork had about 3,720 branded searches, while Zealancer had 10. Upwork made up 39.7% of all freelance marketplace searches we track, and Zealancer accounted for 0.11%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Upwork vs Zealancer: Which is more popular in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/upwork-vs-zealancer This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/upwork-vs-zealancer. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.