Brandwave

How popular isTombow?

In October 2026, people searched for Tombow by name about 16,700 times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 43.3% of all global brush pen brand searches, placing Tombow first out of eight brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about brush pen brands, Tombow appeared in all answers and was the most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in October 2026

Tombow is the most searched of 8 competitors and the most recommended in the AI answers we collected.

  1. TombowShare of searches 43.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. PentelShare of searches 25.7%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. KuretakeShare of searches 17.1%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. EcolineShare of searches 7.5%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. Faber-CastellShare of searches 4.2%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd

+3 more

Tombow website (opens in a new tab)

Follow Tombow 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 brush pen brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

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

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Tombow1st
  2. Pentel2nd
  3. Faber-Castell3rd
  4. Kuretake4th
  5. Sakura5th
  6. Ecoline–
  7. Arteza–
  8. Sharpie–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Tombow5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Pentel4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kuretake2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Faber-Castell2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sakura1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Ecoline0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Arteza0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Sharpie0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about brush pen brands

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 27, 2026.

How often do people search for Tombow compared with other brush pen brands worldwide?

Tombow against brush pen brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Tombow, Pentel, Kuretake, Ecoline, Faber-Castell. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthTombowPentelKuretakeEcolineFaber-CastellArtezaSakuraSharpie
Nov 202540.1%24.2%19.8%8.8%4.6%0.95%0.95%0.51%
Dec 202548.6%19.6%16%8.7%4.7%0.95%0.95%0.51%
Jan 202638.4%33.9%15.2%6.8%3.6%0.73%0.9%0.49%
Feb 202643.7%25.2%16.8%7.4%4.1%0.99%1.2%0.66%
Mar 202644.6%25%16.6%7.3%4%0.81%0.98%0.66%
Apr 202641.7%24.1%19.7%7.2%4.8%0.95%0.95%0.63%
May 202645.9%22.7%18.5%6.7%3.6%0.9%1.1%0.59%
Jun 202649.9%20.1%16.4%7.3%4%0.79%0.97%0.52%
Jul 202652.5%21.3%14.2%6.3%3.4%0.84%1%0.45%
Aug 202648.9%23.6%15.7%5.7%3.8%0.76%0.93%0.5%
Sep 202639.4%27.9%18.6%6.8%4.5%1.1%1.4%0.48%
Oct 202643.3%25.7%17.1%7.5%4.2%0.83%0.83%0.54%

  1. 1.Tombow

    43.3%

    Held 1st. 16.7K estimated branded searches, +19.3% vs prior month. Share +3.9 points.

  2. 2.Pentel

    25.7%

    Held 2nd. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2.2 points.

  3. 3.Kuretake

    17.1%

    Held 3rd. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.5 points.

  4. 4.Ecoline

    7.5%

    Held 4th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, +20.8% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  5. 5.Faber-Castell

    4.2%

    Held 5th. 1.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  6. 6.Arteza

    0.83%

    Moved from 7th to 6th. 320 estimated branded searches, -17.9% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  7. 7.Sakura

    0.83%

    Moved from 6th to 7th. 320 estimated branded searches, -33.3% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  8. 8.Sharpie

    0.54%

    Held 8th. 210 estimated branded searches, +23.5% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

Pentel, Faber-Castell and Sharpie sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “pentel brush pen”.

Compare popularity between Tombow and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Tombow

7 comparisons

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

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Tombow worldwide held steady, from 16.4K to 16.7K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Tombow’s share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide increased from 40.1% to 43.3%.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Tombow’s share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide peaked at 52.5% in July 2026 and was lowest at 38.4% in January 2026.

How did search popularity change for brush pen brands worldwide in October 2026?

6 changes

  1. In October 2026, Tombow gained share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide, from 39.4% to 43.3%.

  2. In October 2026, Ecoline gained share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide, from 6.8% to 7.5%.

  3. In October 2026, Pentel lost share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide, from 27.9% to 25.7%.

  4. In October 2026, Kuretake lost share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide, from 18.6% to 17.1%.

  5. In October 2026, Sakura lost share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide, from 1.4% to 0.83%.

  6. In October 2026, Arteza rose from 7th to 6th among brush pen brands worldwide.

How are Tombow’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

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

  • tombow brush pen
  • tombow dual brush

Do you work for Tombow? 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

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Tombow 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.

Start free