How popular isYouTube in search?

In September 2026, there were an estimated 1380M branded searches for YouTube worldwide which is down 17.9% over the last 12 months. YouTube holds 72.3% estimated Share of Search among adblocker brands worldwide and is ranked 1st of 4 competitors for search popularity. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

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Which adblocker brands compete with YouTube?

YouTube against adblocker brands worldwide, by month

Month	YouTube	Google	Spotify	Opera
Oct 2025	76%	20.8%	3.1%	0.1%
Nov 2025	72.3%	24.1%	3.6%	0.12%
Dec 2025	76.3%	20.5%	3.1%	0.1%
Jan 2026	72.6%	23.7%	3.6%	0.12%
Feb 2026	75.8%	21.1%	3.1%	0.1%
Mar 2026	76%	20.8%	3.1%	0.1%
Apr 2026	72.3%	24.1%	3.6%	0.1%
May 2026	72.6%	23.7%	3.6%	0.12%
Jun 2026	72.9%	23.5%	3.6%	0.1%
Jul 2026	73.5%	23.4%	3%	0.1%
Aug 2026	73.3%	23.6%	3%	0.1%
Sep 2026	72.3%	24.1%	3.6%	0.12%

Rank	Brand	Share of Search	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	YouTube Google	72.3%	1380M	0%	-1.1 points
2, held 2nd	Google	24.1%	460M	+3.4%	+0.4 points
3, held 3rd	Spotify	3.6%	68M	+22.3%	+0.6 points
4, held 4th	Opera	0.12%	2.2M	+22.4%	0 points

1.YouTube
72.3%
Held 1st. 1380M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.
2.Google
24.1%
Held 2nd. 460M estimated branded searches, +3.4% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.
3.Spotify
3.6%
Held 3rd. 68M estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.
4.Opera
0.12%
Held 4th. 2.2M estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare search popularity between YouTube and its closest rivals

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

3 findings

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for YouTube worldwide fell from 1680M to 1380M.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, YouTube’s estimated Share of Search among adblocker brands worldwide decreased from 76% to 72.3%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, YouTube’s estimated Share of Search among adblocker brands worldwide peaked at 76.3% in December 2025 and was lowest at 72.3% in November 2025.

How did search popularity change for adblocker brands worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

In September 2026, Spotify gained estimated Share of Search among adblocker brands worldwide, from 3% to 3.6%.
In September 2026, YouTube lost estimated Share of Search among adblocker brands worldwide, from 73.3% to 72.3%.

Where does YouTube compete?

YouTube is ranked in four competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.

Competitor set	Rank	Share of Search	Ranking
Social media platforms	1st of 9	46.7%	Show ranking
Rank Tracker brands	1st of 6	68.1%	Show ranking
Adblocker brands	1st of 4	72.3%	Shown above
Video hosting platforms	1st of 8	98.9%	Show ranking

How is YouTube measured?

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using YouTube’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