How popular isPDFgear?
In September 2026, people searched for PDFgear by name about 246,000 times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 0.34% of all global PDF editor searches, placing PDFgear seventh out of 13 editors. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about PDF editors, PDFgear appeared in all answers and was the second most recommended of the 13.
PDFgear is the seventh most searched of 13 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.
iLovePDFShare of searches 86.1%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
Adobe AcrobatShare of searches 5%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
SejdaShare of searches 3.1%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
SmallpdfShare of searches 2.1%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
PDFgearShare of searches 0.34%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
Follow PDFgear and get free monthly updates on what changed
By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Top PDF editors in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, PDFgear appeared in all five answers. PDFgear is the second most recommended of the 13.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Adobe Acrobat1st
PDFgear2nd
Foxit3rd
PDF Expert4th
pdfFiller5th
PDF-XChange6th
PDFescape7th
iLovePDF–
Sejda–
Smallpdf–- +3 more
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Adobe Acrobat5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
PDFgear5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Foxit4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
PDF Expert3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
PDF-XChange2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
pdfFiller2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
PDFescape1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
iLovePDF0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Sejda0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Smallpdf0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about PDF editors
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which PDF editor should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best PDF editors?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best PDF editor for editing documents?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“pdf editors”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“edit pdf files”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.
Which PDF editors compete with PDFgear?
Share of searches by month for iLovePDF, Adobe Acrobat, Sejda, Smallpdf, PDFgear. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | iLovePDF | Adobe Acrobat | Sejda | Smallpdf | PDF24 | Foxit | PDFgear | PDF-XChange | PDFescape | Nitro | pdfFiller | Xodo | PDF Expert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 82.4% | 7.3% | 3.3% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 0.88% | 0.37% | 0.45% | 0.45% | 0.19% | 0.22% | 0.11% | 0.06% |
| Nov 2025 | 83.7% | 6.2% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 0.78% | 0.3% | 0.41% | 0.37% | 0.2% | 0.17% | 0.11% | 0.06% |
| Dec 2025 | 83.4% | 5.9% | 3.7% | 3.1% | 1.4% | 0.83% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.33% | 0.18% | 0.19% | 0.12% | 0.05% |
| Jan 2026 | 82.1% | 6.8% | 3.6% | 3% | 1.6% | 0.83% | 0.49% | 0.49% | 0.4% | 0.21% | 0.23% | 0.12% | 0.07% |
| Feb 2026 | 81.7% | 7.5% | 3.6% | 3.1% | 1.6% | 0.83% | 0.4% | 0.39% | 0.32% | 0.18% | 0.19% | 0.1% | 0.05% |
| Mar 2026 | 83.4% | 6.4% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 0.78% | 0.45% | 0.45% | 0.3% | 0.17% | 0.22% | 0.09% | 0.06% |
| Apr 2026 | 84% | 5.8% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 0.78% | 0.46% | 0.42% | 0.31% | 0.17% | 0.17% | 0.09% | 0.05% |
| May 2026 | 84% | 6.1% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 0.7% | 0.37% | 0.37% | 0.31% | 0.17% | 0.15% | 0.09% | 0.05% |
| Jun 2026 | 85.4% | 5.3% | 3.1% | 2.9% | 1.4% | 0.61% | 0.34% | 0.34% | 0.23% | 0.16% | 0.16% | 0.07% | 0.04% |
| Jul 2026 | 84.4% | 5.8% | 3.4% | 2.6% | 1.5% | 0.69% | 0.46% | 0.37% | 0.25% | 0.21% | 0.14% | 0.08% | 0.04% |
| Aug 2026 | 85.5% | 5% | 3.5% | 2.4% | 1.5% | 0.68% | 0.38% | 0.35% | 0.25% | 0.18% | 0.14% | 0.08% | 0.04% |
| Sep 2026 | 86.1% | 5% | 3.1% | 2.1% | 1.7% | 0.63% | 0.34% | 0.34% | 0.23% | 0.16% | 0.13% | 0.07% | 0.04% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 86.1% | 62.1M | +12.3% | +0.6 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 5% | 3.6M | +11.6% | 0 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 3.1% | 2.2M | 0% | -0.4 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 2.1% | 1.5M | +0.16% | -0.2 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 1.7% | 1.2M | +22% | +0.1 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 0.63% | 453K | +2.5% | -0.1 points | |
| 7, held 7th | 0.34% | 246K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 8, held 8th | 0.34% | 245K | +8.6% | 0 points | |
| 9, held 9th | 0.23% | 165K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 10, held 10th | 0.16% | 116K | -3.4% | 0 points | |
| 11, held 11th | 0.13% | 93.2K | +0.19% | 0 points | |
| 12, held 12th | 0.07% | 49.5K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 13, held 13th | 0.04% | 27.1K | 0% | 0 points |
1.
iLovePDF86.1%
Held 1st. 62.1M estimated branded searches, +12.3% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.
5%
Held 2nd. 3.6M estimated branded searches, +11.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
3.
Sejda3.1%
Held 3rd. 2.2M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
4.
Smallpdf2.1%
Held 4th. 1.5M estimated branded searches, +0.16% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
5.
PDF241.7%
Held 5th. 1.2M estimated branded searches, +22% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
6.
Foxit0.63%
Held 6th. 453K estimated branded searches, +2.5% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
7.
PDFgear0.34%
Held 7th. 246K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
0.34%
Held 8th. 245K estimated branded searches, +8.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
0.23%
Held 9th. 165K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
10.
Nitro0.16%
Held 10th. 116K estimated branded searches, -3.4% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
11.
pdfFiller0.13%
Held 11th. 93.2K estimated branded searches, +0.19% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
12.
Xodo0.07%
Held 12th. 49.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
13.
PDF Expert0.04%
Held 13th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
Compare popularity between PDFgear and its closest rivals
Every comparison with PDFgear
12 comparisons
How has branded search demand for PDFgear changed worldwide over the last 12 months?
2 findings
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for PDFgear worldwide held steady at 246K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PDFgear rose from 9th to 7th among PDF editors worldwide.
How did search popularity change for PDF editors worldwide in September 2026?
6 changes

In September 2026, iLovePDF gained share of searches among PDF editors worldwide, from 85.5% to 86.1%.

Smallpdf’s share of searches among PDF editors worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 2.9% to 2.1% in September 2026.

Estimated monthly branded searches for PDF24 worldwide rose 22% over 12 measured months, from 1M to 1.2M in September 2026.

Estimated monthly branded searches for PDFescape worldwide fell 45.2% over 12 measured months, from 301K to 165K in September 2026.

Estimated monthly branded searches for pdfFiller worldwide fell 37% over 12 measured months, from 148K to 93.2K in September 2026.

Estimated monthly branded searches for Xodo worldwide fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 74K to 49.5K in September 2026.
How are PDFgear’s branded searches counted?
1 search term
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using PDFgear’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.
- pdfgear
Do you work for PDFgear? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

Is PDFgear 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.