Brandwave

How popular isPixabay?

In September 2026, people searched for Pixabay by name about 3.4 million times worldwide, an 18.1% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 74.7% of all global royalty-free music library searches, placing Pixabay first out of seven libraries. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about royalty-free music libraries, Pixabay appeared in three of the five answers and was the third most recommended of the seven.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Pixabay is the most searched of 7 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.

  1. PixabayShare of searches 74.7%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  2. ArtlistShare of searches 12.4%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. Epidemic SoundShare of searches 10.4%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  4. MusicbedShare of searches 1.1%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  5. BensoundShare of searches 0.74%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

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Top royalty-free music libraries in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Pixabay was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Pixabay is the third most recommended of the seven.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Epidemic Sound1st
  2. Artlist2nd
  3. Pixabay3rd
  4. Musicbed4th
  5. Bensound4th
  6. Soundstripe4th
  7. PremiumBeat7th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Epidemic Sound4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Pixabay3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Artlist3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Musicbed3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Soundstripe3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Bensound2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • PremiumBeat1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about royalty-free music libraries

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Which royalty-free music libraries compete with Pixabay?

Pixabay against royalty-free music libraries worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Pixabay, Artlist, Epidemic Sound. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthPixabayArtlistEpidemic SoundMusicbedBensoundSoundstripePremiumBeat
Oct 202573.9%14.7%8.4%0.9%1.1%0.68%0.27%
Nov 202577.7%12.3%7.2%0.78%1.1%0.58%0.28%
Dec 202577.9%12.3%7.3%0.78%0.94%0.58%0.23%
Jan 202676.6%12.1%8.7%0.93%0.93%0.48%0.23%
Feb 202674.6%14.1%8.5%0.91%1.1%0.55%0.22%
Mar 202676.5%12.2%8.7%0.93%0.93%0.5%0.23%
Apr 202676.8%12%8.7%0.94%0.93%0.44%0.19%
May 202673.2%14%10.2%1.1%0.89%0.43%0.22%
Jun 202675.2%11.8%10.5%1.1%0.74%0.43%0.22%
Jul 202671.4%13.7%12.1%1.3%0.71%0.5%0.26%
Aug 202671.2%14%12.1%1.3%0.7%0.49%0.26%
Sep 202674.7%12.4%10.4%1.1%0.74%0.42%0.22%

  1. 1.Pixabay

    74.7%

    Held 1st. 3.4M estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +3.6 points.

  2. 2.Artlist

    12.4%

    Held 2nd. 556K estimated branded searches, +3% vs prior month. Share -1.6 points.

  3. 3.Epidemic Sound

    10.4%

    Held 3rd. 466K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.7 points.

  4. 4.Musicbed

    1.1%

    Held 4th. 49.6K estimated branded searches, -0.08% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  5. 5.Bensound

    0.74%

    Held 5th. 33.1K estimated branded searches, +22.1% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.Soundstripe

    0.42%

    Held 6th. 18.8K estimated branded searches, -0.32% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  7. 7.PremiumBeat

    0.22%

    Held 7th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Pixabay and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Pixabay

17 comparisons

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

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Pixabay worldwide fell from 4.1M to 3.4M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pixabay’s share of searches among royalty-free music libraries worldwide increased from 73.9% to 74.7%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pixabay’s share of searches among royalty-free music libraries worldwide peaked at 77.9% in December 2025 and was lowest at 71.2% in August 2026.

How did search popularity change for royalty-free music libraries worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Pixabay gained share of searches among royalty-free music libraries worldwide, from 71.2% to 74.7%.

  2. In September 2026, Epidemic Sound lost share of searches among royalty-free music libraries worldwide, from 12.1% to 10.4%.

  3. In September 2026, Artlist lost share of searches among royalty-free music libraries worldwide, from 14% to 12.4%.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Soundstripe worldwide fell 49.7% over 12 measured months, from 37.4K to 18.8K in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Bensound worldwide fell 45.3% over 12 measured months, from 60.5K to 33.1K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for PremiumBeat worldwide fell 33.2% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 9.9K in September 2026.

How are Pixabay’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

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

  • pixabay

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Pixabay compete?

Pixabay is ranked in four competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Stock image sites1st of 730.8%Show ranking
Stock photo libraries1st of 838%Show ranking
Stock footage libraries1st of 744.1%Show ranking
Royalty-free music libraries1st of 774.7%Shown above
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

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