Brandwave

How popular isWhatsApp in search?

In September 2026, there were an estimated 277M branded searches for WhatsApp worldwide which is up 22.6% over the last 12 months. WhatsApp holds 85.5% estimated Share of Search among messaging apps worldwide and is ranked 1st of 6 competitors for search popularity. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, September 2026
  1. WhatsApp85.5%
  2. Discord9.4%
  3. Messenger4.2%
  4. Signal0.31%
  5. Viber0.31%
  6. WeChat0.25%
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Which messaging apps compete with WhatsApp?

WhatsApp against messaging apps worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for WhatsApp, Discord, Messenger. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthWhatsAppDiscordMessengerSignalViberWeChat
Oct 202579.7%13.1%5.9%0.43%0.53%0.35%
Nov 202580.7%13.3%4.9%0.44%0.44%0.29%
Dec 202577.4%15.6%5.7%0.51%0.51%0.34%
Jan 202677.4%15.6%5.7%0.51%0.51%0.34%
Feb 202679.7%13.1%5.9%0.53%0.53%0.29%
Mar 202680.7%13.3%4.9%0.44%0.44%0.29%
Apr 202682.8%11.1%5%0.37%0.45%0.3%
May 202680.8%13.3%4.9%0.36%0.44%0.29%
Jun 202682.8%11.1%5%0.37%0.45%0.3%
Jul 202682.9%11.1%5%0.3%0.37%0.3%
Aug 202680.8%13.3%4.9%0.36%0.36%0.29%
Sep 202685.5%9.4%4.2%0.31%0.31%0.25%

  1. 1.WhatsApp

    85.5%

    Held 1st. 277M estimated branded searches, +22.6% vs prior month. Share +4.7 points.

  2. 2.Discord

    9.4%

    Held 2nd. 30.4M estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -3.9 points.

  3. 3.Messenger

    4.2%

    Held 3rd. 13.6M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.

  4. 4.Signal

    0.31%

    Held 4th. 1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.Viber

    0.31%

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

  6. 6.WeChat

    0.25%

    Held 6th. 823K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare search popularity between WhatsApp and its closest rivals

Every comparison with WhatsApp

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

  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for WhatsApp worldwide rose from 226M to 277M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WhatsApp’s estimated Share of Search among messaging apps worldwide increased from 79.7% to 85.5%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WhatsApp’s estimated Share of Search among messaging apps worldwide peaked at 85.5% in September 2026 and was lowest at 77.4% in December 2025.

How did search popularity change for messaging apps worldwide in September 2026?

  1. In September 2026, WhatsApp gained estimated Share of Search among messaging apps worldwide, from 80.8% to 85.5%.

  2. In September 2026, Discord lost estimated Share of Search among messaging apps worldwide, from 13.3% to 9.4%.

  3. In September 2026, Messenger lost estimated Share of Search among messaging apps worldwide, from 4.9% to 4.2%.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Viber worldwide fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 1.5M to 1M in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Signal worldwide fell 18% over 12 measured months, from 1.2M to 1M in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for WeChat worldwide fell 17.7% over 12 measured months, from 1M to 823K in September 2026.

How is WhatsApp measured?

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

1 branded search term

  • whatsapp

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns WhatsApp?

WhatsApp is owned by Meta. Brandwave also tracks Meta AI, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Meta Ads, Meta Quest and Threads, owned by the same company, worldwide.

Do you work for WhatsApp? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

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