Brandwave

How popular isPayPal?

In September 2026, people searched for PayPal by name about 20.5 million times worldwide, an 18.1% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 86.3% of all global payment gateway searches, placing PayPal first out of eight gateways. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about payment gateways, PayPal appeared in all answers and was the second most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

PayPal is the most searched of 8 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. PayPalShare of searches 86.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. StripeShare of searches 12.4%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. AdyenShare of searches 0.74%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  4. WorldpayShare of searches 0.26%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. BraintreeShare of searches 0.13%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th

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Top payment gateways in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

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

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Stripe1st
  2. PayPal2nd
  3. Square3rd
  4. Authorize.net4th
  5. Helcim5th
  6. Adyen6th
  7. Braintree7th
  8. Worldpay–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • PayPal5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Stripe5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Square4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Adyen2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Helcim2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Braintree1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Authorize.net1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Worldpay0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about payment gateways

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 payment gateways compete with PayPal?

PayPal against payment gateways worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for PayPal, Stripe. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthPayPalStripeAdyenWorldpayBraintreeHelcimAuthorize.netSquare
Oct 202588.4%10.5%0.62%0.26%0.02%0.08%0.06%<0.01%
Nov 202588.6%10.5%0.51%0.26%0.03%0.06%0.06%<0.01%
Dec 202590.2%8.9%0.62%0.22%0.02%0.07%0.05%<0.01%
Jan 202688.5%10.5%0.61%0.26%0.03%0.08%0.06%<0.01%
Feb 202686.1%12.5%0.88%0.26%0.03%0.09%0.06%<0.01%
Mar 202683.9%14.9%0.72%0.3%0.03%0.11%0.07%<0.01%
Apr 202686.2%12.6%0.73%0.26%0.03%0.11%0.06%<0.01%
May 202686.2%12.6%0.73%0.26%0.03%0.09%0.06%<0.01%
Jun 202685.9%12.7%0.88%0.31%0.03%0.09%0.06%<0.01%
Jul 202686.3%12.6%0.61%0.26%0.03%0.11%0.06%<0.01%
Aug 202686.1%12.6%0.73%0.26%0.16%0.11%0.06%<0.01%
Sep 202686.3%12.4%0.74%0.26%0.13%0.11%0.06%<0.01%

  1. 1.PayPal

    86.3%

    Held 1st. 20.4M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  2. 2.Stripe

    12.4%

    Held 2nd. 2.9M estimated branded searches, -1.2% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  3. 3.Adyen

    0.74%

    Held 3rd. 174K estimated branded searches, +0.47% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  4. 4.Worldpay

    0.26%

    Held 4th. 60.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.Braintree

    0.13%

    Held 5th. 31.6K estimated branded searches, -16.3% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.Helcim

    0.11%

    Held 6th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Authorize.net

    0.06%

    Held 7th. 13.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.Square

    <0.01%

    Held 8th. 1.3K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between PayPal and its closest rivals

Every comparison with PayPal

33 comparisons

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

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for PayPal worldwide fell from 25M to 20.5M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PayPal’s share of searches among payment gateways worldwide decreased from 88.4% to 86.3%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PayPal’s share of searches among payment gateways worldwide peaked at 90.2% in December 2025 and was lowest at 83.9% in March 2026.

How did search popularity change for payment gateways worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Braintree worldwide rose 352.1% over 12 measured months, from 7K to 31.6K in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Helcim worldwide rose 22.1% over 12 measured months, from 22.2K to 27.1K in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Square worldwide fell 19.4% over 12 measured months, from 1.6K to 1.3K in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Authorize.net worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 16.4K to 13.4K in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Worldpay worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 74K to 60.5K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for PayPal worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 24.9M to 20.4M in September 2026.

How are PayPal’s branded searches counted?

14 search terms

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.

  • paypal
  • paypal business
  • paypal business app
  • paypal business charges
  • paypal business cost
  • paypal business fees
  • paypal checkout
  • paypal express checkout
  • paypal fastlane
  • paypal for company
  • paypal merchant
  • paypal merchant services
  • paypal payment processing
  • paypal payments

Do you work for PayPal? 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 PayPal compete?

PayPal is ranked in five competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Money transfer services1st of 1246.6%Show ranking
Payment processors1st of 1571.5%Show ranking
Creator payout platforms1st of 584.3%Show ranking
Payment gateways1st of 886.3%Shown above
Checkout optimisation platforms7th of 82%Show ranking
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

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.

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