Brandwave

How popular isShopify?

In September 2026, people searched for Shopify by name about 5 million times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 4.1% of all global headless commerce platform searches, placing Shopify fourth out of six platforms. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about headless commerce platforms, Shopify appeared in all answers and was the most recommended of the six.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Shopify is the fourth most searched of 6 competitors and the most recommended in AI answers.

  1. BigCommerceShare of searches 70.9%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  2. commercetoolsShare of searches 14.1%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. SaleorShare of searches 7.7%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  4. ShopifyShare of searches 4.1%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. Elastic PathShare of searches 1.9%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th

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Top headless commerce platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

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

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Shopify1st
  2. commercetools2nd
  3. Medusa3rd
  4. BigCommerce4th
  5. Saleor5th
  6. Elastic Path6th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Shopify5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • BigCommerce4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • commercetools4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Saleor4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Medusa4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Elastic Path1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about headless commerce platforms

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 headless commerce platforms compete with Shopify?

Shopify against headless commerce platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for BigCommerce, commercetools, Saleor, Shopify. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBigCommercecommercetoolsSaleorShopifyElastic PathMedusa
Oct 202572.6%14.5%6.5%3.5%2.3%0.58%
Nov 202570.4%14.1%6.3%6.3%2.3%0.68%
Dec 202574.8%12.2%6.6%4.4%1.5%0.48%
Jan 202672.3%14.5%6.4%4.2%1.9%0.7%
Feb 202666.2%16.2%8.8%5.8%2%0.96%
Mar 202662.2%18.6%10.2%5.5%2.4%1.1%
Apr 202666.2%16.2%8.8%5.8%1.8%1.2%
May 202663.6%15.5%10.3%6.8%2.1%1.7%
Jun 202670.4%14.1%7.7%5%1.7%1%
Jul 202668.4%13.6%9.1%6%1.8%0.99%
Aug 202669%13.8%9.2%5%1.8%1.2%
Sep 202670.9%14.1%7.7%4.1%1.9%1.3%

  1. 1.BigCommerce

    70.9%

    Held 1st. 33.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.9 points.

  2. 2.commercetools

    14.1%

    Held 2nd. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  3. 3.Saleor

    7.7%

    Held 3rd. 3.6K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -1.5 points.

  4. 4.Shopify

    4.1%

    Held 4th. 1.9K estimated branded searches, -20.8% vs prior month. Share -0.9 points.

  5. 5.Elastic Path

    1.9%

    Held 5th. 880 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  6. 6.Medusa

    1.3%

    Held 6th. 590 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Shopify and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Shopify

50 comparisons

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

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Shopify worldwide held steady at 5M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shopify’s share of searches among headless commerce platforms worldwide increased from 3.5% to 4.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shopify’s share of searches among headless commerce platforms worldwide peaked at 6.8% in May 2026 and was lowest at 3.5% in October 2025.

How did search popularity change for headless commerce platforms worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, BigCommerce gained share of searches among headless commerce platforms worldwide, from 69% to 70.9%.

  2. In September 2026, Saleor lost share of searches among headless commerce platforms worldwide, from 9.2% to 7.7%.

  3. In September 2026, Shopify lost share of searches among headless commerce platforms worldwide, from 5% to 4.1%.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Medusa worldwide rose 22.9% over 12 measured months, from 480 to 590 in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Elastic Path worldwide fell 53.7% over 12 measured months, from 1.9K to 880 in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for commercetools worldwide fell 45.5% over 12 measured months, from 12.1K to 6.6K in September 2026.

How are Shopify’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

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

  • shopify
  • shopify checkout
  • shopify ecommerce
  • shopify hydrogen

Do you work for Shopify? 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 Shopify compete?

Shopify is ranked in eight competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Marketplace platforms3rd of 86.2%Show ranking
Website builders1st of 826.4%Show ranking
Visual website building platforms1st of 1244.2%Show ranking
Ecommerce platforms1st of 1351.4%Show ranking
Merch platforms1st of 772.7%Show ranking
Retail tech1st of 598.1%Show ranking
Headless commerce platforms4th of 64.1%Shown above
Checkout optimisation platforms3rd of 814.6%Show ranking
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