Brandwave

How popular isPayPal in search?

In September 2026, there were an estimated 20.5M branded searches for PayPal worldwide which is down 18.1% over the last 12 months. PayPal holds 59.1% estimated Share of Search among payment processors worldwide and is ranked 1st of 15 competitors for search popularity. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, September 2026
  1. PayPal59.1%
  2. Shopify14.6%
  3. Revolut13.6%
  4. Stripe8.5%
  5. Wise1.8%
  6. Adyen0.51%
  7. Airwallex0.49%
  8. GoCardless0.4%
  9. Square0.29%
  10. Worldline0.26%
  11. +5 more
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Which payment processors compete with PayPal?

PayPal against payment processors worldwide, by month

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

View monthly share of search table
MonthPayPalShopifyRevolutStripeWiseAdyenAirwallexGoCardlessSquareWorldlineCloudbedsEpos NowBraintreeShopify POSMollie
Oct 202565.3%13.2%10.2%7.7%1.5%0.46%0.36%0.37%0.25%0.35%0.13%0.09%0.02%0.07%0.03%
Nov 202566.5%13.4%8.6%7.8%1.5%0.38%0.37%0.38%0.24%0.36%0.13%0.09%0.02%0.07%0.03%
Dec 202567.3%13.6%8.7%6.6%1.6%0.47%0.55%0.38%0.22%0.3%0.14%0.09%0.02%0.06%0.03%
Jan 202665%13.2%10.1%7.7%1.7%0.45%0.53%0.45%0.26%0.29%0.13%0.09%0.02%0.07%0.03%
Feb 202661.6%15.2%9.7%8.9%1.7%0.63%0.61%0.52%0.34%0.33%0.15%0.1%0.02%0.08%0.04%
Mar 202659.1%14.6%11.3%10.4%1.7%0.51%0.59%0.49%0.41%0.48%0.15%0.1%0.02%0.08%0.04%
Apr 202661.5%15.3%9.8%8.9%1.9%0.52%0.61%0.43%0.45%0.33%0.15%0.1%0.02%0.08%0.03%
May 202660.3%15%11.4%8.8%1.8%0.51%0.6%0.41%0.53%0.32%0.15%0.12%0.02%0.08%0.03%
Jun 202660.1%15%11.3%8.9%1.8%0.62%0.6%0.41%0.56%0.32%0.15%0.1%0.02%0.08%0.03%
Jul 202660.4%15%11.5%8.8%1.8%0.43%0.6%0.41%0.46%0.27%0.15%0.1%0.02%0.08%0.03%
Aug 202660.2%14.9%11.5%8.8%1.9%0.51%0.6%0.41%0.39%0.27%0.15%0.1%0.11%0.05%0.03%
Sep 202659.1%14.6%13.6%8.5%1.8%0.51%0.49%0.4%0.29%0.26%0.15%0.1%0.09%0.05%0.03%

  1. 1.PayPal

    59.1%

    Held 1st. 20.5M estimated branded searches, +0.05% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.

  2. 2.Shopify

    14.6%

    Held 2nd. 5M estimated branded searches, -0.31% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  3. 3.Revolut

    13.6%

    Held 3rd. 4.7M estimated branded searches, +20.7% vs prior month. Share +2.1 points.

  4. 4.Stripe

    8.5%

    Held 4th. 2.9M estimated branded searches, -1.2% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  5. 5.Wise

    1.8%

    Held 5th. 623K estimated branded searches, -5.3% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  6. 6.Adyen

    0.51%

    Moved from 7th to 6th. 176K estimated branded searches, +0.47% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Airwallex

    0.49%

    Moved from 6th to 7th. 168K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  8. 8.GoCardless

    0.4%

    Held 8th. 140K estimated branded searches, +0.34% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.Square

    0.29%

    Held 9th. 102K estimated branded searches, -23.6% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  10. 10.Worldline

    0.26%

    Held 10th. 90.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  11. 11.Cloudbeds

    0.15%

    Held 11th. 51.1K estimated branded searches, -1.8% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  12. 12.Epos Now

    0.1%

    Moved from 13th to 12th. 34K estimated branded searches, +0.06% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  13. 13.Braintree

    0.09%

    Moved from 12th to 13th. 31.6K estimated branded searches, -16.3% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  14. 14.Shopify POS

    0.05%

    Held 14th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  15. 15.Mollie

    0.03%

    Held 15th. 8.8K estimated branded searches, -16.7% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare search popularity between PayPal and its closest rivals

Every comparison with PayPal

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

  • 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 estimated Share of Search among payment processors worldwide decreased from 65.3% to 59.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PayPal’s estimated Share of Search among payment processors worldwide peaked at 67.3% in December 2025 and was lowest at 59.1% in March 2026.

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

  1. In September 2026, Revolut gained estimated Share of Search among payment processors worldwide, from 11.5% to 13.6%.

  2. In September 2026, PayPal lost estimated Share of Search among payment processors worldwide, from 60.2% to 59.1%.

  3. In September 2026, Adyen rose from 7th to 6th among payment processors worldwide.

  4. In September 2026, Epos Now rose from 13th to 12th among payment processors worldwide.

  5. In September 2026, Airwallex fell from 6th to 7th among payment processors worldwide.

  6. In September 2026, Braintree fell from 12th to 13th among payment processors worldwide.

Where does PayPal compete?

PayPal is ranked in nine competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of SearchRanking
Send Money brands1st of 757.9%Show ranking
Payment processors1st of 1559.1%Shown above
Money transfer apps1st of 669.1%Show ranking
Creator payout platforms1st of 582.2%Show ranking
Alternative brands1st of 584.4%Show ranking
Online payment platforms1st of 885.5%Show ranking
Pos Hardware brands1st of 785.7%Show ranking
Payment gateway platforms1st of 686.1%Show ranking
Business bank account providers1st of 587.1%Show ranking

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.

13 branded search terms

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

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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