Brandwave

How popular isstart.gg?

In September 2026, people searched for start.gg by name about 40,500 times worldwide, an 18.2% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 0.76% of all global esports platform searches, placing start.gg third out of six platforms. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about esports platforms, start.gg appeared in four of the five answers and was the third most recommended of the six.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

start.gg is the third most searched of 6 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.

  1. FACEITShare of searches 93.5%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. ESLShare of searches 4.6%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  3. start.ggShare of searches 0.76%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. BattlefyShare of searches 0.51%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. ChallengermodeShare of searches 0.51%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

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Top esports platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, start.gg was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. start.gg is the third most recommended of the six.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Battlefy1st
  2. FACEIT2nd
  3. start.gg3rd
  4. Challengermode4th
  5. Toornament5th
  6. ESL–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Battlefy5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • start.gg4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Challengermode4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • FACEIT3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Toornament3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • ESL0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about esports platforms

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 19, 2026.

Which esports platforms compete with start.gg?

start.gg against esports platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for FACEIT, ESL, start.gg. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthFACEITESLstart.ggBattlefyChallengermodeToornament
Oct 202586.7%9.5%1.6%1%0.86%0.31%
Nov 202590.2%6.6%1.6%0.6%0.73%0.22%
Dec 202591%6.7%0.9%0.49%0.74%0.22%
Jan 202690.5%6.7%1.3%0.6%0.6%0.27%
Feb 202692%5.5%0.91%0.61%0.74%0.22%
Mar 202690.3%6.6%1.3%0.73%0.73%0.27%
Apr 202691.4%5.5%1.4%0.74%0.74%0.22%
May 202691.5%5.5%1.7%0.61%0.61%0.18%
Jun 202690%6.6%2%0.6%0.6%0.15%
Jul 202692.2%5.5%1.1%0.5%0.5%0.18%
Aug 202693.2%4.6%0.92%0.62%0.51%0.12%
Sep 202693.5%4.6%0.76%0.51%0.51%0.1%

  1. 1.FACEIT

    93.5%

    Held 1st. 5M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  2. 2.ESL

    4.6%

    Held 2nd. 246K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  3. 3.start.gg

    0.76%

    Held 3rd. 40.5K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  4. 4.Battlefy

    0.51%

    Held 4th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  5. 5.Challengermode

    0.51%

    Held 5th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.Toornament

    0.1%

    Held 6th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between start.gg and its closest rivals

Every comparison with start.gg

5 comparisons

How has branded search demand for start.gg changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for start.gg worldwide fell from 49.5K to 40.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, start.gg’s share of searches among esports platforms worldwide decreased from 1.6% to 0.76%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, start.gg’s share of searches among esports platforms worldwide peaked at 2% in June 2026 and was lowest at 0.76% in September 2026.

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

5 changes

  1. FACEIT’s share of searches among esports platforms worldwide has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 90% to 93.5% in September 2026.

  2. start.gg’s share of searches among esports platforms worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 2% to 0.76% in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Toornament worldwide fell 45.5% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 5.4K in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for ESL worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 301K to 246K in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Battlefy worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 33.1K to 27.1K in September 2026.

How are start.gg’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

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

  • start gg
  • start.gg

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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