Brandwave

Afends vs The Critical Slide Society:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Afends had more branded searches than The Critical Slide Society among surf brands in Australia. Afends had about 49,500 branded searches, while The Critical Slide Society had 1,300. Afends made up 18.5% of all surf brand searches we track, and The Critical Slide Society accounted for 0.48%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about surf brands, Afends and The Critical Slide Society each appeared in one of the five answers.

Among surf brands in Australia in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Afends, about 38 searches for every 1 for The Critical Slide Society

Afends 49.5K searchesThe Critical Slide Society 1.3K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 1 of 5 answers.

Afends in 1 of 5The Critical Slide Society in 1 of 5

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Top surf brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Afends and The Critical Slide Society were each mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Rip Curl1st
  2. Billabong2nd
  3. Quiksilver3rd
  4. Rhythm4th
  5. Volcom5th
  6. Ocean & Earth6th
  7. Vissla7th
  8. O'Neill8th
  9. Afends9th
  10. +3 more
  11. The Critical Slide Society13th
  12. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Billabong5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Rip Curl5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Quiksilver4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Ocean & Earth3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Volcom2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Rhythm2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • O'Neill2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Rusty2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Vissla2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • The Critical Slide Society1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about surf brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 26, 2026.

Is Afends or The Critical Slide Society more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Afends and The Critical Slide Society by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 surf brands we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.

Afends and The Critical Slide Society among surf brands in Australia, by month

Share of searches by month for Afends, The Critical Slide Society. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBillabongRip CurlAfendsRoxyDeus Ex MachinaVolcomRhythmMamboO'NeillQuiksilverRustyOcean & EarthSalty CrewVisslaThe Critical Slide Society
Oct 202523.4%28.6%15.7%8.6%5.7%3.8%3.1%2.1%1.7%2.6%1.1%1.1%1.1%0.62%0.62%
Nov 202521.9%26.6%21.9%8%4.4%4.4%2.4%1.3%1.6%2.9%1.6%0.87%1.1%0.58%0.58%
Dec 202524.4%29.7%13.3%7.3%4.9%3.3%2.7%4.9%1.5%2.7%1.8%1.2%1.2%0.65%0.65%
Jan 202624.2%29.6%16.2%7.3%4.8%3.2%3.2%2.2%1.8%2.2%1.4%1.4%0.95%0.79%0.62%
Feb 202623.7%23.7%19.4%7.1%5.8%3.9%3.9%3.2%2.1%2.6%1.4%1.1%0.91%0.62%0.62%
Mar 202620.7%25.3%20.7%6.2%7.6%3.4%3.4%2.8%2.3%2.8%1.8%1%1%0.67%0.54%
Apr 202621.7%26.6%17.8%6.5%6.5%3.6%3.6%2.9%2.4%2.9%1.9%1.3%1.1%0.83%0.57%
May 202624%24%16%7.2%7.2%3.9%3.9%3.2%2.6%2.6%1.7%1.2%1.2%0.77%0.63%
Jun 202621.1%21.1%25.8%7.7%5.2%4.2%3.5%2.3%2.3%2.3%1.5%1%0.81%0.56%0.43%
Jul 202624.5%24.5%16.4%9%6%4%3.3%2.7%2.2%2.7%1.4%1.2%0.94%0.64%0.5%
Aug 202623.9%23.9%16%8.7%7.1%3.9%3.9%2.6%2.1%2.6%1.4%1.2%1.2%0.77%0.63%
Sep 202627.6%22.6%18.5%10.1%5.5%3%2.5%2%2%2%1.3%0.9%0.9%0.6%0.48%

How has the Afends and The Critical Slide Society comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for Australia surf brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Afends gained share of searches among surf brands in Australia, from 16% to 18.5%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for The Critical Slide Society in Australia fell 18.8% over 12 measured months, from 1.6K to 1.3K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Afends’ and The Critical Slide Society’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.

Afends

1 branded search term

  • afends

The Critical Slide Society

1 branded search term

  • the critical slide society

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among surf brands

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