AI PDF tools:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, NotebookLM was the most searched AI PDF tool worldwide, accounting for 86.2% of all searches among the seven tools we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Adobe Acrobat and ChatPDF showed up in every answer. Adobe Acrobat was recommended most often, coming first in two out of five responses.
NotebookLMShare of searches 86.2%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
Adobe AcrobatShare of searches 12.8%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
ChatPDFShare of searches 0.87%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
HumataShare of searches 0.05%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
PDF.aiShare of searches 0.05%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
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Top AI PDF tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Adobe Acrobat and ChatPDF appeared every time. Adobe Acrobat was recommended most often, coming first in two out of five answers. NotebookLM was second, and ChatPDF was third. Humata, which ranked fourth in searches, was not mentioned at all.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Adobe Acrobat5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- ChatPDF5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- NotebookLM3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Humata0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- PDF.ai0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
AskYourPDF0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Documind0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about AI PDF tools
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which AI PDF tool should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best AI PDF tools?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best AI PDF tool for PDF documents?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“ai pdf tool”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“chat with pdf”
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 20, 2026.
Which AI PDF tools do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each AI PDF tool by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven AI PDF tools we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for NotebookLM, Adobe Acrobat. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | NotebookLM | Adobe Acrobat | ChatPDF | Humata | PDF.ai | AskYourPDF | Documind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 67.1% | 27.6% | 4.7% | 0.23% | 0.28% | 0.08% | <0.01% |
| Nov 2025 | 73.4% | 21.7% | 4.4% | 0.18% | 0.21% | 0.08% | <0.01% |
| Dec 2025 | 79.8% | 17.7% | 2.2% | 0.11% | 0.16% | 0.05% | <0.01% |
| Jan 2026 | 81.1% | 17.2% | 1.5% | 0.07% | 0.11% | 0.04% | <0.01% |
| Feb 2026 | 79.6% | 18.7% | 1.5% | 0.09% | 0.11% | 0.03% | <0.01% |
| Mar 2026 | 83.8% | 14.4% | 1.5% | 0.08% | 0.11% | 0.03% | <0.01% |
| Apr 2026 | 87% | 11.2% | 1.6% | 0.08% | 0.1% | 0.03% | <0.01% |
| May 2026 | 86.9% | 11.6% | 1.3% | 0.05% | 0.08% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Jun 2026 | 85.3% | 13.5% | 1% | 0.05% | 0.08% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Jul 2026 | 82.7% | 16.3% | 0.86% | 0.04% | 0.08% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Aug 2026 | 85.1% | 13.9% | 0.86% | 0.05% | 0.06% | 0.01% | <0.01% |
| Sep 2026 | 86.2% | 12.8% | 0.87% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.01% | <0.01% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 86.2% | 24.5M | +22.8% | +1.1 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 12.8% | 3.6M | +11.6% | -1.1 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 0.87% | 246K | +22.4% | 0 points | |
| 4, moved from 5th to 4th | 0.05% | 14.8K | +22.3% | 0 pointsmoved from 5th to 4th | |
| 5, moved from 4th to 5th | 0.05% | 14.8K | 0% | 0 pointsmoved from 4th to 5th | |
| 6, held 6th | 0.01% | 2.9K | +20.8% | 0 points | |
| 7, held 7th | <0.01% | 720 | 0% | 0 points |
86.2%
Held 1st. 24.5M estimated branded searches, +22.8% vs prior month. Share +1.1 points.
12.8%
Held 2nd. 3.6M estimated branded searches, +11.6% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.
3.
ChatPDF0.87%
Held 3rd. 246K estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
4.
Humata0.05%
Moved from 5th to 4th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
5.
PDF.ai0.05%
Moved from 4th to 5th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
0.01%
Held 6th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, +20.8% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
7.
Documind<0.01%
Held 7th. 720 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among AI PDF tools worldwide?
7 brands
In September 2026, NotebookLM was the most searched among AI PDF tools worldwide, with an estimated 24.5M branded searches, 86.2% of all searches for the seven we track. Adobe Acrobat is in 2nd place, 73.4 percentage points behind at 12.8%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NotebookLM | 67.1% → 86.2% | 87%Apr 2026 | 67.1%Oct 2025 | 1st |
| Adobe Acrobat | 27.6% → 12.8% | 27.6%Oct 2025 | 11.2%Apr 2026 | 2nd |
| ChatPDF | 4.7% → 0.87% | 4.7%Oct 2025 | 0.86%Aug 2026 | 3rd |
| Humata | 0.23% → 0.05% | 0.23%Oct 2025 | 0.04%Jul 2026 | 5th → 4th |
| PDF.ai | 0.28% → 0.05% | 0.28%Oct 2025 | 0.05%Sep 2026 | 4th → 5th |
| AskYourPDF | 0.08% → 0.01% | 0.08%Oct 2025 | 0.01%Sep 2026 | 6th |
| Documind | <0.01% | <0.01%Oct 2025 | <0.01%Sep 2026 | 7th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NotebookLM’s share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide increased from 67.1% to 86.2%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Adobe Acrobat’s share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide decreased from 27.6% to 12.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ChatPDF’s share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide decreased from 4.7% to 0.87%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NotebookLM’s share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide peaked at 87% in April 2026 and was lowest at 67.1% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Adobe Acrobat’s share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide peaked at 27.6% in October 2025 and was lowest at 11.2% in April 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ChatPDF’s share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide peaked at 4.7% in October 2025 and was lowest at 0.86% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Humata rose from 5th to 4th among AI PDF tools worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PDF.ai fell from 4th to 5th among AI PDF tools worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AskYourPDF and Documind held steady: their share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for AI PDF tools worldwide in September 2026?
7 changes
In September 2026, NotebookLM gained share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide, from 85.1% to 86.2%.
In September 2026, Adobe Acrobat lost share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide, from 13.9% to 12.8%.
In September 2026, Humata rose from 5th to 4th among AI PDF tools worldwide.
In September 2026, PDF.ai fell from 4th to 5th among AI PDF tools worldwide.
Estimated monthly branded searches for AskYourPDF worldwide fell 80.4% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 2.9K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for ChatPDF worldwide fell 70.1% over 12 measured months, from 823K to 246K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Documind worldwide fell 28% over 12 measured months, from 1K to 720 in September 2026.
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