Circle vs Discourse:Which is more popular by branded search?
In August 2026, Circle had more branded searches than Discourse among customer community platforms worldwide. Circle was estimated to have 14.4K branded searches compared to Discourse’s 2.9K, and held a 62.1% Share of Search versus Discourse’s 12.5%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Which is more popular in search, Circle or Discourse?
Compare the platforms brands host customer communities on. 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.
Share of Search by month for Circle, Discourse. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Circle | Discourse | Khoros | Higher Logic | Vanilla Forums |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 55.7% | 8.1% | 22.1% | 9.7% | 4.4% |
| Nov 2025 | 59.5% | 9.3% | 17% | 9.3% | 5% |
| Dec 2025 | 56.5% | 10.8% | 19.7% | 8.5% | 4.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 62.3% | 10.2% | 15.5% | 8.5% | 3.5% |
| Feb 2026 | 57.2% | 12.9% | 15.8% | 10.4% | 3.6% |
| Mar 2026 | 59.4% | 10.5% | 15.9% | 10.5% | 3.6% |
| Apr 2026 | 60.7% | 11.1% | 13.8% | 11.1% | 3.4% |
| May 2026 | 60.8% | 11.8% | 14.7% | 9.8% | 2.9% |
| Jun 2026 | 62% | 10% | 15% | 10% | 3% |
| Jul 2026 | 61.1% | 10.4% | 15.6% | 10.4% | 2.6% |
| Aug 2026 | 62.1% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 10.3% | 2.5% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the Circle and Discourse comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Circle was ahead of Discourse in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Circle’s estimated Share of Search among customer community platforms worldwide moved from 55.7% to 62.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 16.6K to 14.4K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Discourse’s estimated Share of Search among customer community platforms worldwide moved from 8.1% to 12.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.4K to 2.9K.
How did search popularity change for customer community platforms worldwide in August 2026?
2 changes
In August 2026, Discourse overtook Khoros to rank 2nd among customer community platforms worldwide, at 12.5%.
In August 2026, Circle gained estimated Share of Search among customer community platforms worldwide, from 61.1% to 62.1%.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Circle’s and Discourse’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.
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.