How popular isPayPal in search?
In August 2026, there were an estimated 161K branded searches for PayPal worldwide which is down 28.6% over the last 11 months. PayPal holds 4.2% estimated Share of Search among online payment platforms worldwide and is ranked 4th of 8 competitors for search popularity. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
Stripe80.5%Airwallex5.4%
Adyen4.6%
PayPal4.2%
GoCardless3.7%
Braintree0.99%
Mollie0.33%
Checkout.com0.18%
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Which online payment platforms compete with PayPal?
Share of Search by month for Stripe, Airwallex, Adyen, PayPal, GoCardless. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Stripe | Airwallex | Adyen | PayPal | GoCardless | Braintree | Mollie | Checkout.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 81.1% | 3.7% | 4.7% | 6% | 3.8% | 0.19% | 0.38% | 0.19% |
| Nov 2025 | 81.7% | 3.8% | 3.9% | 6% | 3.9% | 0.21% | 0.39% | 0.19% |
| Dec 2025 | 77.4% | 6.3% | 5.3% | 5.9% | 4.3% | 0.21% | 0.44% | 0.18% |
| Jan 2026 | 79.1% | 5.4% | 4.5% | 5.7% | 4.5% | 0.2% | 0.38% | 0.18% |
| Feb 2026 | 79.1% | 5.3% | 5.4% | 4.9% | 4.5% | 0.2% | 0.37% | 0.18% |
| Mar 2026 | 82.7% | 4.6% | 3.9% | 4.2% | 3.9% | 0.18% | 0.32% | 0.16% |
| Apr 2026 | 80.6% | 5.4% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 3.8% | 0.2% | 0.33% | 0.16% |
| May 2026 | 80.7% | 5.4% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 3.8% | 0.18% | 0.33% | 0.15% |
| Jun 2026 | 80% | 5.3% | 5.4% | 4.9% | 3.7% | 0.18% | 0.32% | 0.18% |
| Jul 2026 | 81.3% | 5.5% | 3.8% | 5% | 3.8% | 0.17% | 0.33% | 0.19% |
| Aug 2026 | 80.5% | 5.4% | 4.6% | 4.2% | 3.7% | 0.99% | 0.33% | 0.18% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 80.5% | 3.1M | -0.55% | -0.8 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 5.4% | 207K | -0.08% | 0 points | |
| 3, moved from 4th to 3rd | 4.6% | 175K | +21% | +0.8 pointsmoved from 4th to 3rd | |
| 4, moved from 3rd to 4th | 4.2% | 161K | -15.4% | -0.8 pointsmoved from 3rd to 4th | |
| 5, held 5th | 3.7% | 143K | -0.06% | 0 points | |
| 6, moved from 8th to 6th | 0.99% | 37.9K | +483.5% | +0.8 pointsmoved from 8th to 6th | |
| 7, moved from 6th to 7th | 0.33% | 12.6K | +0.24% | 0 pointsmoved from 6th to 7th | |
| 8, moved from 7th to 8th | 0.18% | 7K | -0.85% | 0 pointsmoved from 7th to 8th |
1.
Stripe80.5%
held 1st · 3.1M estimated branded searches · -0.55% vs prior month · -0.8 points
5.4%
held 2nd · 207K estimated branded searches · -0.08% vs prior month · 0 points
3.
4.6%
moved from 4th to 3rd · 175K estimated branded searches · +21% vs prior month · +0.8 points
4.
PayPal4.2%
moved from 3rd to 4th · 161K estimated branded searches · -15.4% vs prior month · -0.8 points
3.7%
held 5th · 143K estimated branded searches · -0.06% vs prior month · 0 points
0.99%
moved from 8th to 6th · 37.9K estimated branded searches · +483.5% vs prior month · +0.8 points
7.
Mollie0.33%
moved from 6th to 7th · 12.6K estimated branded searches · +0.24% vs prior month · 0 points
0.18%
moved from 7th to 8th · 7K estimated branded searches · -0.85% vs prior month · 0 points
Compare search popularity between PayPal and its closest rivals
How has branded search demand for PayPal changed worldwide over the last 12 months?
4 findings
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for PayPal worldwide fell from 225K to 161K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, PayPal’s estimated Share of Search among online payment platforms worldwide decreased from 6% to 4.2%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, PayPal’s estimated Share of Search among online payment platforms worldwide peaked at 6% in November 2025 and was lowest at 4.2% in August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, PayPal fell from 2nd to 4th among online payment platforms worldwide.
How did search popularity change for online payment platforms worldwide in August 2026?
6 changes
In August 2026, Braintree overtook Checkout.com to rank 6th among online payment platforms worldwide, at 0.99%.
In August 2026, Adyen overtook PayPal to rank 3rd among online payment platforms worldwide, at 4.6%.
In August 2026, PayPal lost estimated Share of Search among online payment platforms worldwide, from 5% to 4.2%.
In August 2026, Stripe lost estimated Share of Search among online payment platforms worldwide, from 81.3% to 80.5%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Airwallex worldwide rose 47.9% over 11 measured months, from 140K to 207K in August 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Mollie worldwide fell 12.1% over 11 measured months, from 14.4K to 12.6K in August 2026.
How is PayPal measured?
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using PayPal’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.
23 branded search terms
- paypal business
- paypal business account
- paypal business account charges
- paypal business account cost
- paypal business account fees
- paypal business account price
- paypal business app
- paypal business charges
- paypal business cost
- paypal business fees
- paypal checkout
- paypal commercial account
- paypal company account
- paypal corporate account
- paypal express checkout
- paypal for business
- paypal for company
- paypal merchant
- paypal merchant account
- paypal merchant services
- paypal payment processing
- paypal payments
- paypal to business account
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Is PayPal your brand?
Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.