Brandwave

Café Bustelo vs Nescafé:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Nescafé had more branded searches than Café Bustelo among coffee brands worldwide. Nescafé had about 823,000 branded searches, while Café Bustelo had 135,000. Nescafé made up 35.7% of all coffee brand searches we track, and Café Bustelo accounted for 5.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about coffee brands, Café Bustelo appeared in four of the five answers and Nescafé in one. Café Bustelo was mentioned before Nescafé in three out of four answers that named either.

Among coffee brands worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Nescafé, about 6 searches for every 1 for Café Bustelo

Nescafé 823K searchesCafé Bustelo 135K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Café Bustelo, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Nescafé in 1

Café Bustelo in 4 of 5Nescafé in 1 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Café Bustelo, named ahead of Nescafé in 3 of 4 answers

Café Bustelo first in 3Nescafé first in 1

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Top coffee brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Café Bustelo was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Nescafé was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Café Bustelo was listed before Nescafé in three out of four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Peet's Coffee1st
  2. Lavazza2nd
  3. Café Bustelo2nd
  4. Stumptown4th
  5. Nescafé5th
  6. La Colombe5th
  7. Kicking Horse Coffee7th
  8. Illy–
  9. Moccona–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Peet's Coffee4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Café Bustelo4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Lavazza3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • La Colombe3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Stumptown2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kicking Horse Coffee2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Nescafé1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Illy0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Moccona0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about coffee 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 20, 2026.

Is Café Bustelo or Nescafé more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Café Bustelo and Nescafé by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine coffee brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Café Bustelo and Nescafé among coffee brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Nescafé, Café Bustelo. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNescaféPeet's CoffeeLavazzaLa ColombeCafé BusteloIllyStumptownKicking Horse CoffeeMoccona
Oct 202533.4%22.3%14.9%6.9%5.5%6.7%8.2%1.1%0.9%
Nov 202534.3%22.9%15.3%7.1%4.6%6.9%6.9%1.1%0.92%
Dec 202534.5%23.1%15.4%6.7%4.6%6.9%5.7%2.1%0.93%
Jan 202632.5%26.6%14.5%6.3%4.3%7.9%5.3%1.6%0.88%
Feb 202632.9%22%14.7%7.8%5.4%8.1%6.6%1.6%0.89%
Mar 202631.3%20.9%17.1%9.1%5.1%7.7%6.3%1.5%1%
Apr 202637.4%20.5%13.7%7.3%5%7.5%6.1%1.5%1%
May 202639.9%22%12%6.4%4.4%6.6%6.6%1.1%1.1%
Jun 202643.3%19.5%10.6%7.4%3.9%7.1%5.8%1.2%1.2%
Jul 202637.8%20.7%13.8%7.8%5%6.2%6.2%1.2%1.2%
Aug 202635.8%23.9%13.1%8%4.8%5.9%5.9%1.4%1.2%
Sep 202635.7%23.9%13.1%6.9%5.9%5.9%5.9%1.4%1.4%

How has the Café Bustelo and Nescafé comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Nescafé was ahead of Café Bustelo in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Café Bustelo’s share of searches among coffee brands worldwide moved from 5.5% to 5.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 135K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Nescafé’s share of searches among coffee brands worldwide moved from 33.4% to 35.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 823K.

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

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Café Bustelo overtook Illy and Stumptown to rank 5th among coffee brands worldwide, with 5.9% of the searches.

  2. Nescafé’s share of searches among coffee brands worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 43.3% to 35.7% in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Café Bustelo’s and Nescafé’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.

Café Bustelo

1 branded search term

  • cafe bustelo

Nescafé

1 branded search term

  • nescafe

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among coffee brands

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