Brandwave

Faber-Castell vs Tombow:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, Tombow had more branded searches than Faber-Castell among brush pen brands worldwide. Tombow had about 16,700 branded searches, while Faber-Castell had 1,600. Tombow made up 43.3% of all brush pen brand searches we track, and Faber-Castell accounted for 4.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about brush pen brands, Tombow appeared in all five answers and Faber-Castell in two. Tombow was mentioned before Faber-Castell in every answer.

Among brush pen brands worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Tombow, about 10 searches for every 1 for Faber-Castell

Tombow 16.7K searchesFaber-Castell 1.6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Tombow, mentioned in every answer we collected

Tombow in 5 of 5Faber-Castell in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Tombow, named ahead of Faber-Castell in every answer

Tombow first in 5Faber-Castell never first

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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. Faber-Castell was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Tombow was listed before Faber-Castell in every answer.

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.

Is Faber-Castell or Tombow more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Faber-Castell and Tombow by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight brush pen brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Faber-Castell and Tombow among brush pen brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Tombow, 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%

Faber-Castell sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “pitt artist pen”.

How has branded search for Faber-Castell and Tombow changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Tombow was ahead of Faber-Castell in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Faber-Castell’s share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide moved from 4.6% to 4.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.9K to 1.6K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Tombow’s share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide moved from 40.1% to 43.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 16.4K to 16.7K.

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

2 changes

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

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Faber-Castell worldwide fell 15.8% over 12 measured months, from 1.9K to 1.6K in October 2026.

How are Faber-Castell’s and Tombow’s branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Faber-Castell’s and Tombow’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Faber-Castell

1 branded search term

  • pitt artist pen

Tombow

2 branded search terms

  • tombow brush pen
  • tombow dual brush

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among brush pen brands

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