Brandwave

How popular isOBS Studio?

In September 2026, people searched for OBS Studio by name about 4.8 million times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 85.1% of all global stream overlay tool searches, placing OBS Studio first out of six tools. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about stream overlay tools, OBS Studio appeared in all answers and was the fifth most recommended of the six.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

OBS Studio is the most searched of 6 competitors and the fifth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. OBS StudioShare of searches 85.1%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  2. StreamlabsShare of searches 8.1%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  3. StreamElementsShare of searches 6.6%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  4. OWN3DShare of searches 0.15%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  5. Nerd or DieShare of searches 0.08%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

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Top stream overlay tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, OBS Studio appeared in all five answers. OBS Studio is the fifth most recommended of the six.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. StreamElements1st
  2. OWN3D2nd
  3. Streamlabs3rd
  4. Nerd or Die4th
  5. OBS Studio5th
  6. Muxy–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • OBS Studio5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Streamlabs5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • StreamElements4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • OWN3D4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Nerd or Die4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Muxy0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about stream overlay 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 stream overlay tools compete with OBS Studio?

OBS Studio against stream overlay tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for OBS Studio, Streamlabs, StreamElements. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthOBS StudioStreamlabsStreamElementsOWN3DNerd or DieMuxy
Oct 202583.3%9.8%6.5%0.22%0.14%<0.01%
Nov 202586.1%7.5%6.1%0.2%0.13%<0.01%
Dec 202586.1%7.5%6.1%0.2%0.11%<0.01%
Jan 202686.5%7.3%6%0.2%0.11%<0.01%
Feb 202684.8%8.2%6.7%0.22%0.12%<0.01%
Mar 202684.8%8.2%6.7%0.22%0.12%<0.01%
Apr 202686.1%7.5%6.1%0.16%0.09%0.02%
May 202683.6%8%8%0.18%0.1%0.06%
Jun 202687.4%6.8%5.6%0.15%0.07%0.03%
Jul 202683.6%8.8%7.2%0.19%0.11%0.04%
Aug 202683.6%8.8%7.2%0.19%0.11%0.03%
Sep 202685.1%8.1%6.6%0.15%0.08%0.02%

  1. 1.OBS Studio

    85.1%

    Held 1st. 4.7M estimated branded searches, +11% vs prior month. Share +1.4 points.

  2. 2.Streamlabs

    8.1%

    Held 2nd. 450K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.

  3. 3.StreamElements

    6.6%

    Held 3rd. 368K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  4. 4.OWN3D

    0.15%

    Held 4th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.Nerd or Die

    0.08%

    Held 5th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.Muxy

    0.02%

    Held 6th. 1K estimated branded searches, -37.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between OBS Studio and its closest rivals

Every comparison with OBS Studio

39 comparisons

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

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for OBS Studio worldwide held steady at 4.8M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, OBS Studio’s share of searches among stream overlay tools worldwide increased from 83.3% to 85.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, OBS Studio’s share of searches among stream overlay tools worldwide peaked at 87.4% in June 2026 and was lowest at 83.3% in October 2025.

How did search popularity change for stream overlay tools worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, OBS Studio gained share of searches among stream overlay tools worldwide, from 83.6% to 85.1%.

  2. In September 2026, Streamlabs lost share of searches among stream overlay tools worldwide, from 8.8% to 8.1%.

  3. In September 2026, StreamElements lost share of searches among stream overlay tools worldwide, from 7.2% to 6.6%.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Muxy worldwide rose 156.4% over 12 measured months, from 390 to 1K in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Nerd or Die worldwide fell 45.7% over 12 measured months, from 8.1K to 4.4K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for OWN3D worldwide fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 12.1K to 8.1K in September 2026.

How are OBS Studio’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using OBS Studio’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.

  • obs
  • obs screen recording
  • obs studio
  • obsstudio

Do you work for OBS Studio? 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 OBS Studio compete?

OBS Studio is ranked in seven competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Screen recording software1st of 1270.7%Show ranking
Broadcast software1st of 1479.2%Show ranking
Live streaming software1st of 780.3%Show ranking
Stream overlay tools1st of 685.1%Shown above
Live event production software1st of 889.4%Show ranking
Screen capture tools1st of 1091%Show ranking
Game capture software1st of 496.4%Show ranking
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