Brandwave

Australian Retirement Trust vs Vanguard:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Australian Retirement Trust had more branded searches than Vanguard among super funds in Australia. Australian Retirement Trust had about 110,000 branded searches, while Vanguard had 9,900. Australian Retirement Trust made up 15.2% of all super fund searches we track, and Vanguard accounted for 1.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about super funds, Australian Retirement Trust appeared in three of the five answers and Vanguard in none.

Among super funds in Australia in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Australian Retirement Trust, about 11 searches for every 1 for Vanguard

Australian Retirement Trust 110K searchesVanguard 9.9K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Australian Retirement Trust, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Vanguard in 0

Australian Retirement Trust in 3 of 5Vanguard in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Australian Retirement Trust, the only one of the two named

Australian Retirement Trust first in 3Vanguard never named

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Top super funds in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Australian Retirement Trust was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Vanguard did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Hostplus1st
  2. AustralianSuper2nd
  3. Australian Retirement Trust3rd
  4. Aware Super4th
  5. Cbus5th
  6. UniSuper6th
  7. Rest–
  8. HESTA–
  9. Vanguard–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • AustralianSuper5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Hostplus4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Aware Super3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Australian Retirement Trust3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Cbus1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • UniSuper1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Rest0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • HESTA0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Vanguard0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about super funds

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 22, 2026.

Is Australian Retirement Trust or Vanguard more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Australian Retirement Trust and Vanguard by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine super fund brands we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.

Australian Retirement Trust and Vanguard among super funds in Australia, by month

Share of searches by month for Australian Retirement Trust, Vanguard. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthAware SuperAustralian Retirement TrustHostplusRestAustralianSuperCbusHESTAUniSuperVanguard
Oct 202516.3%13.4%13.4%9%19.9%9%9%9%1.2%
Nov 202516%13.1%13.1%8.8%19.6%10.7%8.8%8.8%1.2%
Dec 202516.5%13.6%13.6%7.4%20.3%9.1%9.1%9.1%1.2%
Jan 202616.1%16.1%13.1%8.8%16.1%10.8%8.8%8.8%1.4%
Feb 202617.1%14%14%9.4%14%11.5%9.4%9.4%1.3%
Mar 202618.2%14.9%14.9%10%14.9%10%8.1%8.1%1.1%
Apr 202617.5%14.3%14.3%9.6%14.3%9.6%9.6%9.6%1.3%
May 202618.3%15%15%10%12.2%10%8.2%10%1.3%
Jun 202618.9%15.5%15.5%10.4%12.7%8.5%8.5%8.5%1.4%
Jul 202617%17%17%9.3%13.9%9.3%7.6%7.6%1.2%
Aug 202618.6%15.2%15.2%10.2%12.4%10.2%8.4%8.4%1.4%
Sep 202618.6%15.2%15.2%12.5%10.2%10.2%8.4%8.4%1.4%

How has the Australian Retirement Trust and Vanguard comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for Australia super funds in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Australian Retirement Trust in Australia fell 18.5% over 12 measured months, from 135K to 110K in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Vanguard in Australia fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 12.1K to 9.9K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Australian Retirement Trust’s and Vanguard’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.

Australian Retirement Trust

1 branded search term

  • australian retirement trust

Vanguard

1 branded search term

  • vanguard super

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among super funds

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