--- title: "CFD software: Which brands are most popular in search?" description: "Compare the software used for fluid dynamics simulation. Share of Search among COMSOL, OpenFOAM, SimScale, Ansys Fluent and STAR-CCM+, the CFD software Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/cfd-software" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # CFD software: Which brands are most popular in search? Compare the software used for fluid dynamics simulation. Share of Search among COMSOL, OpenFOAM, SimScale, Ansys Fluent and STAR-CCM+, the CFD software Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Competitive set**: CFD software - **Market**: Global - **Brands compared**: 5 - **Month measured**: Aug 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: COMSOL, 30.9% ## Which brand is most popular in search among CFD software worldwide? - COMSOL and OpenFOAM share the highest estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide, at 30.9% in August 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, COMSOL’s estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide decreased from 32.6% to 30.9%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, OpenFOAM’s estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide decreased from 32.6% to 30.9%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, SimScale’s estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide increased from 17.9% to 25.3%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Ansys Fluent’s estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide decreased from 14.6% to 11.3%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, STAR-CCM+’s estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide decreased from 2.3% to 1.5%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, COMSOL’s estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide peaked at 33.6% in January 2026 and was lowest at 28.5% in July 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, OpenFOAM’s estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide peaked at 33.6% in January 2026 and was lowest at 28.5% in July 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, SimScale’s estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide peaked at 28.5% in July 2026 and was lowest at 17.9% in October 2025. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Ansys Fluent’s estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide peaked at 14.6% in November 2025 and was lowest at 11.3% in August 2026. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [COMSOL vs OpenFOAM: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/comsol-vs-openfoam): 30.9% Share of Search each. - [COMSOL vs SimScale: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/comsol-vs-simscale): 30.9% against 25.3% Share of Search. - [COMSOL vs Ansys Fluent: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/ansys-fluent-vs-comsol): 30.9% against 11.3% Share of Search. - [OpenFOAM vs SimScale: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/openfoam-vs-simscale): 30.9% against 25.3% Share of Search. - [OpenFOAM vs Ansys Fluent: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/ansys-fluent-vs-openfoam): 30.9% against 11.3% Share of Search. - [SimScale vs Ansys Fluent: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/ansys-fluent-vs-simscale): 25.3% against 11.3% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for CFD software worldwide in August 2026? - In August 2026, COMSOL gained estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide, from 28.5% to 30.9%. - In August 2026, OpenFOAM gained estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide, from 28.5% to 30.9%. - In August 2026, SimScale lost estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide, from 28.5% to 25.3%. - In August 2026, Ansys Fluent lost estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide, from 12.8% to 11.3%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for STAR-CCM+ worldwide fell 44.8% over 11 measured months, from 2.9K to 1.6K in August 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | COMSOL | 30.9% | 33.1K | 0.0% | COMSOL | | 2 | OpenFOAM | 30.9% | 33.1K | 0.0% | OpenFOAM | | 3 | SimScale | 25.3% | 27.1K | -18.1% | SimScale | | 4 | Ansys Fluent | 11.3% | 12.1K | -18.2% | Ansys Fluent | | 5 | STAR-CCM+ | 1.5% | 1.6K | -15.8% | STAR-CCM+ | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | COMSOL | 40.5K | 32.6% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | OpenFOAM | 40.5K | 32.6% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | SimScale | 22.2K | 17.9% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | Ansys Fluent | 18.1K | 14.6% | 4 | | Oct 2025 | STAR-CCM+ | 2.9K | 2.3% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | COMSOL | 40.5K | 32.7% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | OpenFOAM | 40.5K | 32.7% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | SimScale | 22.2K | 17.9% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Ansys Fluent | 18.1K | 14.6% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | STAR-CCM+ | 2.4K | 1.9% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 32.3% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | OpenFOAM | 33.1K | 32.3% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | SimScale | 22.2K | 21.7% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Ansys Fluent | 12.1K | 11.8% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | STAR-CCM+ | 1.9K | 1.9% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | COMSOL | 40.5K | 33.6% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | OpenFOAM | 40.5K | 33.6% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | SimScale | 22.2K | 18.4% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Ansys Fluent | 14.8K | 12.3% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | STAR-CCM+ | 2.4K | 2% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 31.3% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | OpenFOAM | 33.1K | 31.3% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | SimScale | 22.2K | 21% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Ansys Fluent | 14.8K | 14% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | STAR-CCM+ | 2.4K | 2.3% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | COMSOL | 40.5K | 31.5% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | OpenFOAM | 40.5K | 31.5% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | SimScale | 27.1K | 21.1% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Ansys Fluent | 18.1K | 14.1% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | STAR-CCM+ | 2.4K | 1.9% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | COMSOL | 40.5K | 32.3% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | OpenFOAM | 40.5K | 32.3% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | SimScale | 27.1K | 21.6% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Ansys Fluent | 14.8K | 11.8% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | STAR-CCM+ | 2.4K | 1.9% | 5 | | May 2026 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 30.1% | 1 | | May 2026 | OpenFOAM | 33.1K | 30.1% | 2 | | May 2026 | SimScale | 27.1K | 24.6% | 3 | | May 2026 | Ansys Fluent | 14.8K | 13.5% | 4 | | May 2026 | STAR-CCM+ | 1.9K | 1.7% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 30.1% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | OpenFOAM | 33.1K | 30.1% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | SimScale | 27.1K | 24.6% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Ansys Fluent | 14.8K | 13.5% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | STAR-CCM+ | 1.9K | 1.7% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 28.5% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | OpenFOAM | 33.1K | 28.5% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | SimScale | 33.1K | 28.5% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Ansys Fluent | 14.8K | 12.8% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | STAR-CCM+ | 1.9K | 1.6% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 30.9% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | OpenFOAM | 33.1K | 30.9% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | SimScale | 27.1K | 25.3% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Ansys Fluent | 12.1K | 11.3% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | STAR-CCM+ | 1.6K | 1.5% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Ansys Fluent | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | COMSOL | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | OpenFOAM | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | SimScale | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | STAR-CCM+ | — | — | — | ## What is being compared - **Ansys Fluent**: Measured on the search term “ansys fluent”. - **COMSOL**: Measured on the search term “comsol”. - **OpenFOAM**: Measured on the search term “openfoam”. - **SimScale**: Measured on the search term “simscale”. - **STAR-CCM+**: Measured on the search term “star ccm”. - [Ansys Fluent](/demand/global-en/brands/ansys-fluent) - [COMSOL](/demand/global-en/brands/comsol) - [OpenFOAM](/demand/global-en/brands/openfoam) - [SimScale](/demand/global-en/brands/simscale) - [STAR-CCM+](/demand/global-en/brands/star-ccm) ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among CFD software worldwide? COMSOL and OpenFOAM share the highest estimated Share of Search among CFD software worldwide, at 30.9% in August 2026. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "CFD software: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/cfd-software This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/cfd-software. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.