Brandwave

How popular isGoogle Keyword Planner?

In September 2026, people searched for Google Keyword Planner by name about 356,000 times worldwide, an 18.3% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 18.4% of all global keyword research tool searches, placing Google Keyword Planner second out of seven tools. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about keyword research tools, Google Keyword Planner appeared in all answers and was the second most recommended of the seven.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Google Keyword Planner is the second most searched of 7 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. SemrushShare of searches 43.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. Google Keyword PlannerShare of searches 18.4%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. AhrefsShare of searches 18.2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. UbersuggestShare of searches 8.5%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  5. AnswerThePublicShare of searches 5.7%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th

+2 more

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Top keyword research tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Google Keyword Planner appeared in all five answers. Google Keyword Planner is the second most recommended of the seven.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Semrush1st
  2. Google Keyword Planner2nd
  3. Ahrefs3rd
  4. KWFinder4th
  5. Ubersuggest5th
  6. AnswerThePublic6th
  7. Moz–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Semrush5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Google Keyword Planner5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Ahrefs4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ubersuggest3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • KWFinder3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • AnswerThePublic2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Moz0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about keyword research tools

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 21, 2026.

Which keyword research tools compete with Google Keyword Planner?

Google Keyword Planner against keyword research tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Semrush, Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic, Moz. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSemrushGoogle Keyword PlannerAhrefsUbersuggestAnswerThePublicMozKWFinder
Oct 202535.9%18.7%21.6%10.6%7.1%5.8%0.42%
Nov 202537.9%17.1%18.5%11%9%6%0.44%
Dec 202538.5%17.3%15.8%11.2%9.2%7.5%0.45%
Jan 202633.5%17.3%20.5%12%9.8%6.6%0.39%
Feb 202634.7%17.9%21.2%10.1%10.1%5.5%0.41%
Mar 202652.9%12.6%15.8%8.7%5.8%3.9%0.23%
Apr 202638.6%15.3%20.8%10.6%8.6%5.8%0.28%
May 202634.9%17.2%23.3%9.7%8%6.5%0.26%
Jun 202637.3%16.8%20.7%10%8.2%6.7%0.27%
Jul 202634.7%19.7%24.4%7.9%6.5%6.5%0.26%
Aug 202638.5%17.7%20.7%8.7%7.1%7.1%0.28%
Sep 202643.3%18.4%18.2%8.5%5.7%5.7%0.28%

  1. 1.Semrush

    43.3%

    Held 1st. 838K estimated branded searches, +14.2% vs prior month. Share +4.8 points.

  2. 2.Google Keyword Planner

    18.4%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 356K estimated branded searches, +5.8% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  3. 3.Ahrefs

    18.2%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 352K estimated branded searches, -10.7% vs prior month. Share -2.5 points.

  4. 4.Ubersuggest

    8.5%

    Held 4th. 165K estimated branded searches, -0.02% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  5. 5.AnswerThePublic

    5.7%

    Held 5th. 110K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -1.4 points.

  6. 6.Moz

    5.7%

    Held 6th. 110K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -1.4 points.

  7. 7.KWFinder

    0.28%

    Held 7th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Google Keyword Planner and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Google Keyword Planner

10 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Google Keyword Planner changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Google Keyword Planner worldwide fell from 436K to 356K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Google Keyword Planner’s share of searches among keyword research tools worldwide peaked at 19.7% in July 2026 and was lowest at 12.6% in March 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Google Keyword Planner rose from 3rd to 2nd among keyword research tools worldwide.

How did search popularity change for keyword research tools worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Google Keyword Planner overtook Ahrefs to rank 2nd among keyword research tools worldwide, with 18.4% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Semrush gained share of searches among keyword research tools worldwide, from 38.5% to 43.3%.

  3. In September 2026, Ahrefs lost share of searches among keyword research tools worldwide, from 20.7% to 18.2%.

  4. In September 2026, AnswerThePublic lost share of searches among keyword research tools worldwide, from 7.1% to 5.7%.

  5. In September 2026, Moz lost share of searches among keyword research tools worldwide, from 7.1% to 5.7%.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for KWFinder worldwide fell 45.5% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 5.4K in September 2026.

How are Google Keyword Planner’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

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

  • google keyword planner
  • keyword planner

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns Google Keyword Planner?

Google Keyword Planner is owned by Google. Brandwave also tracks AppSheet, Chrome Remote Desktop, Display & Video 360, Firebase, Fitbit, Gemini, Gmail, Google, Google Ads, Google Alerts, Google Analytics, Google Artifact Registry, Google Authenticator, Google Chat, Google Chrome, Google Chromecast, Google Classroom, Google Cloud, Google Cloud Dataflow, Google Cloud Identity, Google Cloud Pub/Sub, Google Cloud Run, Google Cloud Secret Manager, Google Cloud Speech-to-Text, Google Cloud Storage, Google Cloud Vertex AI, Google Colab, Google DeepMind, Google Display & Video 360, Google Document AI, Google Drive, Google Earth Engine, Google Family Link, Google Forms, Google Keep, Google Maps, Google Maps Platform, Google Meet, Google Meridian, Google Nest, Google Nest Wifi, Google Project Management Certificate, Google Rich Results Test, Google Security Operations, Google Slides, Google Tasks, Google Threat Intelligence, Google Translate, Google Vault, Google Veo, Google Workspace, Looker, Looker Studio, Material Symbols, NotebookLM, Snapseed, TensorFlow Serving, YouTube, YouTube Music, YouTube Studio and YouTube TV, owned by the same company, worldwide.

Do you work for Google Keyword Planner? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

Where does Google Keyword Planner compete?

Google Keyword Planner is ranked in two competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Keyword research tools2nd of 718.4%Shown above
SEO tools2nd of 1019.3%Show ranking
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Is Google Keyword Planner your brand?

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