Columbia vs HOKA:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, HOKA had more branded searches than Columbia among hiking boot brands in Australia. HOKA had about 1,270 branded searches, while Columbia had 1,000. HOKA made up 7.4% of all hiking boot brand searches we track, and Columbia accounted for 5.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about hiking boot brands, Columbia and HOKA each appeared in one of the four answers. Columbia and HOKA were each mentioned first in one of the two answers that named either.
Who do people search for more?
HOKA, about 27% more searches than Columbia
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 1 of 4 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
Each is named first in 1 of 2 answers.
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Top hiking boot brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Columbia and HOKA were each mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Columbia and HOKA were each listed first in one of the two answers that named either.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Merrell4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Salomon3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
SCARPA2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
KEEN2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
LOWA2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
La Sportiva2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers- HOKA1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Columbia1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Kathmandu1 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Altra0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
See every answer about hiking boot brands
4 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which hiking boots should I buy in Australia?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best hiking boot brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best waterproof hiking boots?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“hiking boots”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“walking boots”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 26, 2026.
Is Columbia or HOKA more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Columbia and HOKA by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 hiking boot brands we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.
Share of searches by month for HOKA, Columbia. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Merrell | SCARPA | Salomon | KEEN | HOKA | LOWA | Columbia | Kathmandu | Altra | La Sportiva | Oboz | Meindl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 25.8% | 15.3% | 11.2% | 8.9% | 8.4% | 7.1% | 6.1% | 6.1% | 2.7% | 3.2% | 3.3% | 1.8% |
| Nov 2025 | 25.3% | 15% | 11.5% | 8.9% | 9.7% | 6.3% | 5.3% | 7.8% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 3.6% | 1.6% |
| Dec 2025 | 25.1% | 15.4% | 11.8% | 10.1% | 8.9% | 6.6% | 5.3% | 6.5% | 2.9% | 2.6% | 3.6% | 1.3% |
| Jan 2026 | 26.6% | 15.1% | 12% | 9.3% | 8.6% | 6.6% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 3% | 2.9% | 3% | 1.6% |
| Feb 2026 | 23.7% | 15.4% | 11.9% | 9.4% | 8.2% | 7.6% | 5.3% | 6.5% | 3.6% | 3.2% | 3.6% | 1.6% |
| Mar 2026 | 31.9% | 13.1% | 13.2% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 6.4% | 4.8% | 5.5% | 2.6% | 2% | 4% | 1.4% |
| Apr 2026 | 33.7% | 13.6% | 9.8% | 8.2% | 6.6% | 6.3% | 6.7% | 4.6% | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.1% | 1.7% |
| May 2026 | 37.4% | 13% | 10% | 7.9% | 6.2% | 6.3% | 5.4% | 4.2% | 3.7% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 1.3% |
| Jun 2026 | 26.4% | 13.7% | 12.8% | 10.2% | 7% | 6.9% | 7% | 5.7% | 3.2% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 1.4% |
| Jul 2026 | 27.1% | 15.6% | 12.5% | 8.7% | 7.3% | 6.5% | 6.9% | 5.6% | 3.1% | 2.4% | 3.1% | 1.4% |
| Aug 2026 | 27.2% | 16.3% | 12.5% | 8.7% | 6% | 7% | 8.2% | 4.3% | 3.1% | 2.6% | 2.5% | 1.4% |
| Sep 2026 | 28.6% | 14.6% | 11.1% | 9.3% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 5.8% | 5.1% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 2.8% | 1.5% |
How has the Columbia and HOKA comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands 6 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Columbia took it in April 2026, HOKA took it in May 2026, Columbia took it in June 2026, HOKA took it in July 2026, Columbia took it in August 2026, HOKA took it in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Columbia’s share of searches among hiking boot brands in Australia moved from 6.1% to 5.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 880 to 1K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, HOKA’s share of searches among hiking boot brands in Australia moved from 8.4% to 7.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2K to 1.3K.
How did search popularity change for Australia hiking boot brands in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, HOKA overtook Columbia and LOWA to rank 5th among hiking boot brands in Australia, with 7.4% of the searches.
In September 2026, Columbia lost share of searches among hiking boot brands in Australia, from 8.2% to 5.8%.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Columbia’s and HOKA’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.
Other head-to-heads among hiking boot brands
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