Brandwave

Cbus vs HESTA:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Cbus had more branded searches than HESTA among super funds in Australia. Cbus had about 74,000 branded searches, while HESTA had 60,500. Cbus made up 10.2% of all super fund searches we track, and HESTA accounted for 8.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about super funds, Cbus appeared in one of the five answers and HESTA in none.

Among super funds in Australia in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Cbus, about 22% more searches than HESTA

Cbus 74K searchesHESTA 60.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Cbus, mentioned in 1 of 5 answers, HESTA in 0

Cbus in 1 of 5HESTA in 0 of 5

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Top super funds in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Cbus was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. HESTA 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 Cbus or HESTA more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Cbus and HESTA 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.

Cbus and HESTA among super funds in Australia, by month

Share of searches by month for Cbus, HESTA. 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 Cbus and HESTA comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Cbus was ahead of HESTA in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cbus’ share of searches among super funds in Australia moved from 9% to 10.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 90.5K to 74K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, HESTA’s share of searches among super funds in Australia moved from 9% to 8.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 90.5K to 60.5K.

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

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, Rest overtook AustralianSuper and Cbus to rank 4th among super funds in Australia, with 12.5% of the searches.

  2. Cbus’ share of searches among super funds in Australia has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 8.5% to 10.2% in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for HESTA in Australia fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 90.5K to 60.5K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cbus’ and HESTA’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.

Cbus

2 branded search terms

  • cbus
  • cbus super

HESTA

1 branded search term

  • hesta

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among super funds

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