---
title: "Cloud hosting platforms: Which brands are most popular in search?"
description: "Compare the clouds teams run infrastructure on. Share of Search among Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean and Linode, the cloud hosting platforms 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/cloud-hosting-platforms"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Cloud hosting platforms: Which brands are most popular in search?

Compare the clouds teams run infrastructure on. Share of Search among Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean and Linode, the cloud hosting platforms 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**: Cloud hosting platforms
- **Market**: Global
- **Brands compared**: 5
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Microsoft Azure, 40.1%

## Which brand is most popular in search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide?

- In August 2026, Microsoft Azure was the most searched among cloud hosting platforms worldwide, with an estimated 2.4M branded searches and 40.1% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- Amazon Web Services is in 2nd place, 8.8 percentage points behind at 31.3% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Microsoft Azure’s estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide increased from 31.3% to 40.1%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Amazon Web Services’ estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide decreased from 53.5% to 31.3%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Google Cloud’s estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide increased from 10.4% to 20.1%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, DigitalOcean’s estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide increased from 3.9% to 7.5%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Microsoft Azure’s estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide peaked at 44.9% in January 2026 and was lowest at 31.3% in October 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Amazon Web Services’ estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide peaked at 53.5% in October 2025 and was lowest at 29% in January 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Google Cloud’s estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide peaked at 20.1% in March 2026 and was lowest at 10.4% in October 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, DigitalOcean’s estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide peaked at 9% in May 2026 and was lowest at 3.9% in October 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Microsoft Azure rose from 2nd to 1st among cloud hosting platforms worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Amazon Web Services fell from 1st to 2nd among cloud hosting platforms worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Linode held steady: its estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Microsoft Azure vs Amazon Web Services: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/amazon-web-services-vs-microsoft-azure): 40.1% against 31.3% Share of Search.
- [Microsoft Azure vs Google Cloud: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/google-cloud-vs-microsoft-azure): 40.1% against 20.1% Share of Search.
- [Microsoft Azure vs DigitalOcean: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/digitalocean-vs-microsoft-azure): 40.1% against 7.5% Share of Search.
- [Amazon Web Services vs Google Cloud: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/amazon-web-services-vs-google-cloud): 31.3% against 20.1% Share of Search.
- [Amazon Web Services vs DigitalOcean: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/amazon-web-services-vs-digitalocean): 31.3% against 7.5% Share of Search.
- [Google Cloud vs DigitalOcean: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/digitalocean-vs-google-cloud): 20.1% against 7.5% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for cloud hosting platforms worldwide in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Google Cloud gained estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide, from 17% to 20.1%.
- In August 2026, Microsoft Azure lost estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide, from 41.6% to 40.1%.
- In August 2026, Amazon Web Services lost estimated Share of Search among cloud hosting platforms worldwide, from 32.6% to 31.3%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Linode worldwide fell 33.1% over 11 measured months, from 90.5K to 60.5K in August 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Microsoft Azure | 40.1% | 2.4M | 0.0% | Microsoft |
| 2 | Amazon Web Services | 31.3% | 1.9M | -0.4% | Amazon |
| 3 | Google Cloud | 20.1% | 1.2M | +22.0% | Google |
| 4 | DigitalOcean | 7.5% | 457K | +0.3% | DigitalOcean |
| 5 | Linode | 0.99% | 60.5K | 0.0% | Linode |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Amazon Web Services | 6.2M | 53.5% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Microsoft Azure | 3.7M | 31.3% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Google Cloud | 1.2M | 10.4% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | DigitalOcean | 455K | 3.9% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Linode | 90.5K | 0.78% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Microsoft Azure | 3M | 42.3% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Amazon Web Services | 2.3M | 33.1% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Google Cloud | 1.2M | 17.2% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | DigitalOcean | 455K | 6.4% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Linode | 74K | 1% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Microsoft Azure | 2.4M | 39.9% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Amazon Web Services | 1.9M | 31.5% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Google Cloud | 1.2M | 19.9% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | DigitalOcean | 455K | 7.4% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Linode | 74K | 1.2% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Microsoft Azure | 3M | 44.9% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Amazon Web Services | 1.9M | 29% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Google Cloud | 1.2M | 18.2% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | DigitalOcean | 455K | 6.8% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Linode | 74K | 1.1% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Microsoft Azure | 2.4M | 40% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Amazon Web Services | 1.9M | 31.7% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Google Cloud | 1.2M | 20% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | DigitalOcean | 455K | 7.5% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Linode | 49.5K | 0.81% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Microsoft Azure | 3M | 40.2% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Amazon Web Services | 2.4M | 31.5% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Google Cloud | 1.5M | 20.1% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | DigitalOcean | 555K | 7.4% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Linode | 49.5K | 0.66% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Microsoft Azure | 2.4M | 40% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Amazon Web Services | 1.9M | 31.8% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Google Cloud | 1.2M | 20% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | DigitalOcean | 455K | 7.5% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Linode | 49.5K | 0.81% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Microsoft Azure | 2.4M | 39.4% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Amazon Web Services | 1.9M | 31.1% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Google Cloud | 1.2M | 19.7% | 3 |
| May 2026 | DigitalOcean | 555K | 9% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Linode | 49.5K | 0.8% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Microsoft Azure | 2.4M | 40% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Amazon Web Services | 1.9M | 31.5% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Google Cloud | 1.2M | 20% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | DigitalOcean | 455K | 7.5% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Linode | 60.5K | 0.99% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Microsoft Azure | 2.4M | 41.6% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Amazon Web Services | 1.9M | 32.6% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Google Cloud | 1M | 17% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | DigitalOcean | 456K | 7.8% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Linode | 60.5K | 1% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Microsoft Azure | 2.4M | 40.1% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Amazon Web Services | 1.9M | 31.3% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Google Cloud | 1.2M | 20.1% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | DigitalOcean | 457K | 7.5% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Linode | 60.5K | 0.99% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | Amazon Web Services | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | DigitalOcean | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Google Cloud | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Linode | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Microsoft Azure | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **Amazon Web Services**: Measured on the search terms “amazon s3”, “amazon web services”, “amazon web services app”, “amazon web services cloud storage”, “amazon web services software”, “amazonwebservices”, “aws amazon com” and “aws s3”, summed into one figure.
- **DigitalOcean**: Measured on the search terms “cloud storage digitalocean”, “digitalocean”, “digitalocean app”, “digitalocean cloud storage”, “digitalocean com”, “digitalocean object storage” and “digitalocean spaces”, summed into one figure.
- **Google Cloud**: Measured on the search term “google cloud”.
- **Linode**: Measured on the search term “linode”.
- **Microsoft Azure**: Measured on the search terms “azure” and “microsoft azure”, summed into one figure.

- [Amazon Web Services](/demand/global-en/brands/amazon-web-services)
- [DigitalOcean](/demand/global-en/brands/digitalocean)
- [Google Cloud](/demand/global-en/brands/google-cloud)
- [Linode](/demand/global-en/brands/linode)
- [Microsoft Azure](/demand/global-en/brands/microsoft-azure)

## 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 cloud hosting platforms worldwide?

In August 2026, Microsoft Azure was the most searched among cloud hosting platforms worldwide, with an estimated 2.4M branded searches and 40.1% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Cloud hosting platforms: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/cloud-hosting-platforms

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/cloud-hosting-platforms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.