--- title: "HBF: search popularity in Australia" description: "HBF is a not-for-profit health insurer. 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/au/brands/hbf" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # HBF: search popularity in Australia HBF is a not-for-profit health insurer. 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 - **Brand**: HBF - **Market**: Australia - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among health insurance funds**: 17.1% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Health insurance funds | 3 | 17.1% | 61.6K | - [Health insurance funds](/demand/au/categories/au-health-insurance-funds) ## Top health insurance funds in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, HBF was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. HBF is the second most recommended of the nine. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | HCF | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | HBF | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Medibank | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | ahm | 4th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Frank | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | GMHBA | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Bupa | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | nib | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Australian Unity | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about health insurance funds - Asked ChatGPT "Which health insurance fund should I join in Australia?": 1. HCF, 2. HBF, 3. GMHBA, 4. Medibank - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best private health insurance funds in Australia?": 1. HCF, 2. HBF, 3. Medibank, 4. Bupa, 5. Frank - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best private health insurance in Australia for a young couple?": 1. HCF, 2. ahm, 3. Frank, 4. Medibank - Searched Google, AI Overview "private health insurance": 1. Medibank, 2. Bupa, 3. HCF, 4. nib - Searched Google, AI Overview "health insurance comparison": named none of the brands we track Not named in any answer: Australian Unity. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in Australia on October 22, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for HBF changed in Australia over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for HBF in Australia fell from 70.4K to 61.6K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, HBF’s share of searches among health insurance funds in Australia peaked at 19.4% in July 2026 and was lowest at 15.3% in January 2026. ## How did search popularity change for Australia health insurance funds in September 2026? - In September 2026, HCF overtook GMHBA to rank 6th among health insurance funds in Australia, with 6.2% of the searches. - In September 2026, Bupa gained share of searches among health insurance funds in Australia, from 9.8% to 11.2%. - In September 2026, ahm gained share of searches among health insurance funds in Australia, from 6.6% to 7.5%. - In September 2026, Australian Unity gained share of searches among health insurance funds in Australia, from 2% to 2.7%. - In September 2026, Medibank lost share of searches among health insurance funds in Australia, from 32.8% to 30.5%. - In September 2026, nib lost share of searches among health insurance funds in Australia, from 19.1% to 17.8%. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Health insurance funds | 70.4K | 17.1% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Health insurance funds | 59.4K | 15.3% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Health insurance funds | 57.6K | 17.2% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Health insurance funds | 59.4K | 15.3% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Health insurance funds | 72.6K | 16.8% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Health insurance funds | 96.2K | 16.1% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Health insurance funds | 75.3K | 17.1% | 2 | | May 2026 | Health insurance funds | 72.6K | 17.6% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Health insurance funds | 70.4K | 17.1% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Health insurance funds | 82.1K | 19.4% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Health insurance funds | 70.4K | 17.1% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Health insurance funds | 61.6K | 17.1% | 3 | ## How are HBF’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using HBF’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “hbf” - “hbf health insurance” ## Which health insurance funds compete with HBF? - [Medibank](/demand/au/brands/medibank): Head-to-head: /demand/au/compare/hbf-vs-medibank - [nib](/demand/au/brands/nib): Head-to-head: /demand/au/compare/hbf-vs-nib - [Bupa](/demand/au/brands/bupa): Head-to-head: /demand/au/compare/bupa-vs-hbf - [ahm](/demand/au/brands/ahm): Head-to-head: /demand/au/compare/ahm-vs-hbf - [HCF](/demand/au/brands/hcf): Head-to-head: /demand/au/compare/hbf-vs-hcf - [GMHBA](/demand/au/brands/gmhba) - [Australian Unity](/demand/au/brands/australian-unity) - [Frank](/demand/au/brands/frank-health-insurance) ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "HBF: search popularity in Australia". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/au/brands/hbf This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/au/brands/hbf. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.