Brandwave

How popular isNative Instruments?

In October 2026, people searched for Native Instruments by name about 121,000 times worldwide, a 44.3% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 2.4% of all global audio plugin brand searches, placing Native Instruments 13th out of 15 brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about audio plugin brands, Native Instruments appeared in two of the five answers and was the sixth most recommended of the 15.

Search and AI answers in October 2026

Native Instruments is the 13th most searched of 15 competitors and the sixth most recommended in the AI answers we collected.

  1. FabFilterShare of searches 15%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. Plugin AllianceShare of searches 15%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 8th
  3. Slate DigitalShare of searches 15%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. iZotopeShare of searches 10%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  5. Native InstrumentsShare of searches 2.4%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th

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Top audio plugin brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Native Instruments was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Native Instruments is the sixth most recommended of the 15.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. FabFilter1st
  2. Waves2nd
  3. Soundtoys3rd
  4. Universal Audio4th
  5. iZotope5th
  6. Native Instruments6th
  7. Xfer Records7th
  8. Plugin Alliance8th
  9. Valhalla DSP9th
  10. u-he10th
  11. +5 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • FabFilter3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • iZotope3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Soundtoys3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Waves3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Plugin Alliance2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Universal Audio2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Native Instruments2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • u-he1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Valhalla DSP1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Xfer Records1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about audio plugin brands

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 27, 2026.

How often do people search for Native Instruments compared with other audio plugin brands worldwide?

Native Instruments against audio plugin brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for FabFilter, Plugin Alliance, Slate Digital, iZotope, u-he, Soundtoys, Valhalla DSP, Waves, Universal Audio, Xfer Records, Kilohearts, Spectrasonics, Native Instruments. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthFabFilterPlugin AllianceSlate DigitaliZotopeu-heSoundtoysValhalla DSPWavesUniversal AudioXfer RecordsKiloheartsSpectrasonicsNative InstrumentsOutputEventide
Nov 202515.1%12.4%5.6%12.4%8.6%12.4%8.3%6.8%6.8%2.6%2%3.1%2%1.4%0.26%
Dec 20259.1%9.1%4%13.5%6.4%36.8%5%3.3%5%2%1.5%1.5%1.6%1.1%0.23%
Jan 202616.2%13.2%7.2%13.2%8.1%8.9%8.9%5.9%4.9%3.6%2.2%2.6%2.9%2%0.22%
Feb 202616.4%13.4%7.3%13.4%8.2%7.3%9%6%4.9%3.7%2.7%2.7%2.9%2%0.27%
Mar 202615.3%12.5%6.9%15.3%8.9%8.4%8.4%5.6%4.6%3.6%2.5%3.1%2.7%1.8%0.25%
Apr 202615%12.3%6.7%12.3%10.2%10.1%8.2%5.5%6.7%3.5%2.5%2.5%2.4%1.8%0.25%
May 202616.2%10.8%7.2%13.2%11%7.2%8.8%5.9%4.8%3.8%3.2%2.6%2.6%2.1%0.27%
Jun 202617.7%11.8%7.9%11.8%10.3%7.9%7.9%5.3%5.3%3.4%2.9%2.9%2.6%2%0.29%
Jul 202614.5%11.9%6.5%14.5%10.3%9.7%7.9%5.3%5.3%3.4%2.9%2.9%2.6%1.8%0.29%
Aug 202615.2%12.5%6.8%12.5%10.8%8.3%8.3%5.6%4.6%3.8%3%3%3%2.1%0.31%
Sep 202615.6%10.4%7%12.8%11.1%8.5%8.5%5.7%4.7%3.9%3.1%3.1%3.1%2.1%0.31%
Oct 202615%15%15%10%8.7%8.2%6.7%5.5%3.7%3.1%2.5%2.5%2.4%1.6%0.25%

  1. 1.FabFilter

    15%

    Held 1st. 60.5K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  2. 2.Plugin Alliance

    15%

    Moved from 4th to 2nd. 60.5K estimated branded searches, +82.8% vs prior month. Share +4.6 points.

  3. 3.Slate Digital

    15%

    Moved from 7th to 3rd. 60.5K estimated branded searches, +172.5% vs prior month. Share +8 points.

  4. 4.iZotope

    10%

    Moved from 2nd to 4th. 40.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2.7 points.

  5. 5.u-he

    8.7%

    Moved from 3rd to 5th. 35.2K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2.4 points.

  6. 6.Soundtoys

    8.2%

    Moved from 5th to 6th. 33.1K estimated branded searches, +22.1% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  7. 7.Valhalla DSP

    6.7%

    Moved from 6th to 7th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.8 points.

  8. 8.Waves

    5.5%

    Held 8th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  9. 9.Universal Audio

    3.7%

    Held 9th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1 points.

  10. 10.Xfer Records

    3.1%

    Held 10th. 12.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.

  11. 11.Kilohearts

    2.5%

    Held 11th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.

  12. 12.Spectrasonics

    2.5%

    Held 12th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.

  13. 13.Native Instruments

    2.4%

    Held 13th. 9.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.

  14. 14.Output

    1.6%

    Held 14th. 6.3K estimated branded searches, -7.4% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  15. 15.Eventide

    0.25%

    Held 15th. 1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Native Instruments and Universal Audio sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “native instruments kontakt”.

Compare popularity between Native Instruments and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Native Instruments

27 comparisons

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

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Native Instruments worldwide fell from 218K to 121K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Native Instruments’ share of searches among audio plugin brands worldwide peaked at 3.1% in September 2026 and was lowest at 1.6% in December 2025.

How did search popularity change for audio plugin brands worldwide in October 2026?

6 changes

  1. In October 2026, Plugin Alliance overtook iZotope and u-he to rank 2nd among audio plugin brands worldwide, with 15% of the searches.

  2. In October 2026, Slate Digital overtook iZotope and 3 others to rank 3rd among audio plugin brands worldwide, with 15% of the searches.

  3. In October 2026, iZotope lost share of searches among audio plugin brands worldwide, from 12.8% to 10%.

  4. In October 2026, u-he lost share of searches among audio plugin brands worldwide, from 11.1% to 8.7%.

  5. In October 2026, Valhalla DSP lost share of searches among audio plugin brands worldwide, from 8.5% to 6.7%.

  6. In October 2026, Universal Audio lost share of searches among audio plugin brands worldwide, from 4.7% to 3.7%.

How are Native Instruments’ branded searches counted?

7 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Native Instruments’ 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.

  • native instruments
  • native instruments dj controller
  • native instruments keyboard controller
  • native instruments komplete
  • native instruments kontakt
  • native instruments midi controller
  • native instruments midi keyboard

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

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Native Instruments compete?

Native Instruments is ranked by how often people search for it in four competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Audio plugin brands13th of 152.4%Shown above
DJ equipment brands2nd of 828%Show ranking
MIDI controller brands1st of 655.5%Show ranking
DJ controllers6th of 60.71%Show ranking
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

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