Employee communication platforms:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, Connecteam was the most searched employee communication platform worldwide, accounting for 54.5% of all searches among the six platforms we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Connecteam, Workvivo and Staffbase showed up in every answer. Staffbase was recommended most often, coming first in one out of five responses.
ConnecteamShare of searches 54.5%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
WorkvivoShare of searches 35.5%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
FirstupShare of searches 4.7%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
StaffbaseShare of searches 3.2%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
SimpplrShare of searches 2.1%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
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Top employee communication platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Connecteam, Workvivo and Staffbase appeared every time. Staffbase was recommended most often, coming first in one out of five answers. Workvivo was second, and Connecteam was third. Firstup, which ranked third in searches, was not mentioned at all.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Connecteam5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Workvivo5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Staffbase5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Simpplr2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
LumApps1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Firstup0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about employee communication platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which employee communication platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best employee communication platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best employee communication platform for frontline staff updates?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“employee communication platform”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“internal communication software”
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.
Which employee communication platforms do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each employee communication platform by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six employee communication platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Connecteam, Workvivo, Firstup, Staffbase, Simpplr. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Connecteam | Workvivo | Firstup | Staffbase | Simpplr | LumApps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 49.1% | 39.4% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 2.9% | <0.01% |
| Nov 2025 | 53.5% | 35% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 2.1% | <0.01% |
| Dec 2025 | 53.3% | 35.1% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 2.1% | <0.01% |
| Jan 2026 | 56.4% | 30.1% | 7.4% | 4% | 2.2% | <0.01% |
| Feb 2026 | 53.3% | 34.9% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 2.5% | <0.01% |
| Mar 2026 | 49.5% | 38.8% | 5.2% | 4.2% | 2.3% | <0.01% |
| Apr 2026 | 53.9% | 35.1% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 2.6% | <0.01% |
| May 2026 | 53.4% | 34.8% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 2.5% | <0.01% |
| Jun 2026 | 54.5% | 35.5% | 4.7% | 3.2% | 2.1% | <0.01% |
| Jul 2026 | 54.7% | 35.6% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 1.7% | <0.01% |
| Aug 2026 | 54.8% | 35.5% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 1.7% | <0.01% |
| Sep 2026 | 54.5% | 35.5% | 4.7% | 3.2% | 2.1% | <0.01% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 54.5% | 114K | -0.38% | -0.3 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 35.5% | 74K | 0% | -0.1 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 4.7% | 9.9K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 3.2% | 6.6K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 2.1% | 4.4K | +22.2% | +0.4 points | |
| 6, held 6th | <0.01% | 10 | 0% | 0 points |
54.5%
Held 1st. 114K estimated branded searches, -0.38% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
2.
Workvivo35.5%
Held 2nd. 74K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
3.
Firstup4.7%
Held 3rd. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
3.2%
Held 4th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
5.
Simpplr2.1%
Held 5th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.
6.
LumApps<0.01%
Held 6th. 10 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among employee communication platforms worldwide?
6 brands
In September 2026, Connecteam was the most searched among employee communication platforms worldwide, with an estimated 114K branded searches, 54.5% of all searches for the six we track. Workvivo is in 2nd place, 19 percentage points behind at 35.5%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecteam | 49.1% → 54.5% | 56.4%Jan 2026 | 49.1%Oct 2025 | 1st |
| Workvivo | 39.4% → 35.5% | 39.4%Oct 2025 | 30.1%Jan 2026 | 2nd |
| Firstup | 4.3% → 4.7% | 7.4%Jan 2026 | 4.3%Oct 2025 | 3rd |
| Staffbase | 4.3% → 3.2% | 4.7%Nov 2025 | 3.2%Jun 2026 | 4th |
| Simpplr | 2.9% → 2.1% | 2.9%Oct 2025 | 1.7%Aug 2026 | 5th |
| LumApps | <0.01% | <0.01%Jun 2026 | <0.01%Mar 2026 | 6th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Connecteam’s share of searches among employee communication platforms worldwide increased from 49.1% to 54.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Workvivo’s share of searches among employee communication platforms worldwide decreased from 39.4% to 35.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Staffbase’s share of searches among employee communication platforms worldwide decreased from 4.3% to 3.2%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Simpplr’s share of searches among employee communication platforms worldwide decreased from 2.9% to 2.1%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Connecteam’s share of searches among employee communication platforms worldwide peaked at 56.4% in January 2026 and was lowest at 49.1% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Workvivo’s share of searches among employee communication platforms worldwide peaked at 39.4% in October 2025 and was lowest at 30.1% in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Firstup’s share of searches among employee communication platforms worldwide peaked at 7.4% in January 2026 and was lowest at 4.3% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Staffbase’s share of searches among employee communication platforms worldwide peaked at 4.7% in November 2025 and was lowest at 3.2% in June 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Simpplr’s share of searches among employee communication platforms worldwide peaked at 2.9% in October 2025 and was lowest at 1.7% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Firstup and LumApps held steady: their share of searches among employee communication platforms worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for employee communication platforms worldwide in September 2026?
4 changes
Estimated monthly branded searches for LumApps worldwide fell 50% over 12 measured months, from 20 to 10 in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Simpplr worldwide fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 6.6K to 4.4K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Staffbase worldwide fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 6.6K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Workvivo worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 90.5K to 74K in September 2026.
Compare popularity between leading brands
- Connecteam vs Workvivo: compare popularity
- Connecteam vs Firstup: compare popularity
- Connecteam vs Staffbase: compare popularity
- Connecteam vs Simpplr: compare popularity
- Workvivo vs Firstup: compare popularity
- Workvivo vs Staffbase: compare popularity
- Workvivo vs Simpplr: compare popularity
- Firstup vs Staffbase: compare popularity
- Firstup vs Simpplr: compare popularity
- Staffbase vs Simpplr: compare popularity
- Compare any of these brands
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