Brandwave

How popular isDuckDuckGo?

In September 2026, people searched for DuckDuckGo by name about 68 million times worldwide, a 22.3% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 12.1% of all global search engine searches, placing DuckDuckGo second out of 13 engines. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about search engines, DuckDuckGo appeared in three of the five answers and was the second most recommended of the 13.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

DuckDuckGo is the second most searched of 13 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. GoogleShare of searches 81.9%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. DuckDuckGoShare of searches 12.1%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. BingShare of searches 2.4%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. PerplexityShare of searches 2.4%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th
  5. Brave SearchShare of searches 0.73%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th

+8 more

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Top search engines in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, DuckDuckGo was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. DuckDuckGo is the second most recommended of the 13.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Google1st
  2. DuckDuckGo2nd
  3. Bing3rd
  4. Algolia4th
  5. Brave Search5th
  6. Elastic6th
  7. Perplexity7th
  8. Meilisearch8th
  9. Typesense9th
  10. Ecosia10th
  11. +3 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Google4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Bing4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • DuckDuckGo3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Perplexity3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Brave Search3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ecosia2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Algolia2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Elastic2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Meilisearch1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Solr1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

+3 more

See every answer about search engines

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Which search engines compete with DuckDuckGo?

DuckDuckGo against search engines worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, Perplexity. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogleDuckDuckGoBingPerplexityBrave SearchYahooEcosiaOpenSearchAlgoliaMeilisearchSolrTypesenseElastic
Oct 202580.6%9.8%2.4%6.5%0.48%0.18%0.08%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Nov 202583.2%8.2%2.5%5.3%0.5%0.18%0.08%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Dec 202584.3%8.5%2.5%3.9%0.51%0.19%0.08%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Jan 202684.6%8.5%2.5%3.4%0.51%0.19%0.19%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Feb 202682.5%9.8%2.9%3.9%0.59%0.18%0.14%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Mar 202683.1%10.1%2.5%3.4%0.61%0.18%0.15%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Apr 202684.7%8.4%2.5%3.5%0.62%0.18%0.12%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
May 202683.4%10.3%2.5%2.9%0.62%0.18%0.12%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Jun 202683.6%10.5%2.6%2.4%0.63%0.19%0.13%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Jul 202683.8%10.6%2.6%2.1%0.52%0.19%0.11%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Aug 202683.8%10.5%2.6%2.1%0.63%0.23%0.13%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Sep 202681.9%12.1%2.4%2.4%0.73%0.27%0.18%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%

  1. 1.Google

    81.9%

    Held 1st. 460M estimated branded searches, +3.4% vs prior month. Share -2 points.

  2. 2.DuckDuckGo

    12.1%

    Held 2nd. 68M estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +1.6 points.

  3. 3.Bing

    2.4%

    Held 3rd. 13.6M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  4. 4.Perplexity

    2.4%

    Held 4th. 13.4M estimated branded searches, +21.4% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  5. 5.Brave Search

    0.73%

    Held 5th. 4.1M estimated branded searches, +22.1% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  6. 6.Yahoo

    0.27%

    Held 6th. 1.5M estimated branded searches, +23% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Ecosia

    0.18%

    Held 7th. 1M estimated branded searches, +48.6% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  8. 8.OpenSearch

    0.01%

    Held 8th. 60.5K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.Algolia

    <0.01%

    Held 9th. 42.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  10. 10.Meilisearch

    <0.01%

    Held 10th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  11. 11.Solr

    <0.01%

    Held 11th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  12. 12.Typesense

    <0.01%

    Held 12th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  13. 13.Elastic

    <0.01%

    Held 13th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between DuckDuckGo and its closest rivals

Every comparison with DuckDuckGo

12 comparisons

How has branded search demand for DuckDuckGo changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for DuckDuckGo worldwide rose from 55.6M to 68M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DuckDuckGo’s share of searches among search engines worldwide increased from 9.8% to 12.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DuckDuckGo’s share of searches among search engines worldwide peaked at 12.1% in September 2026 and was lowest at 8.2% in November 2025.

How did search popularity change for search engines worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, DuckDuckGo gained share of searches among search engines worldwide, from 10.5% to 12.1%.

  2. In September 2026, Google lost share of searches among search engines worldwide, from 83.8% to 81.9%.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Ecosia worldwide rose 122.2% over 12 measured months, from 450K to 1M in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Yahoo worldwide rose 50% over 12 measured months, from 1M to 1.5M in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Brave Search worldwide rose 49.3% over 12 measured months, from 2.7M to 4.1M in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Perplexity worldwide fell 63.6% over 12 measured months, from 36.8M to 13.4M in September 2026.

How are DuckDuckGo’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using DuckDuckGo’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • duckduckgo

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