--- title: "Caterpillar vs Kubota: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Caterpillar or Kubota more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Excavator brands set worldwide. 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/excavator-brands/compare/caterpillar-vs-kubota" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Caterpillar vs Kubota: Which is searched more? Is Caterpillar or Kubota more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Excavator brands set worldwide. 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 - **Compared**: Caterpillar and Kubota - **Competitive set**: Excavator brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Caterpillar Share of Search**: 3.7% - **Kubota Share of Search**: 49.8% ## Is Caterpillar or Kubota more popular in search? - In September 2026, Kubota had more branded searches than Caterpillar among excavator brands worldwide. Kubota had about 368,000 branded searches, while Caterpillar had 27,100. Kubota made up 49.8% of all excavator brand searches we track, and Caterpillar accounted for 3.7%. - Kubota was ahead of Caterpillar in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Caterpillar’s share of searches among excavator brands worldwide moved from 4.9% to 3.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.5K to 27.1K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kubota’s share of searches among excavator brands worldwide moved from 54.7% to 49.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 450K to 368K. ## Top excavator brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Caterpillar and Kubota showed up in all five answers. Caterpillar was listed before Kubota in three of them. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Caterpillar | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Kubota | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Komatsu | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Hitachi | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Bobcat | 5th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Yanmar | 6th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Volvo Construction Equipment | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Takeuchi | 8th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | JCB | 9th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Sany | 10th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Kobelco | 11th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Sumitomo | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about excavator brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which excavator brand should I buy?": 1. Caterpillar, 2. Komatsu, 3. Kubota, 4. Hitachi - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best excavator brands?": 1. Caterpillar, 2. Komatsu, 3. Hitachi, 4. Volvo Construction Equipment, 5. Kubota, 6. Kobelco, 7. Takeuchi, 8. Sany - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best excavator brand for a construction job?": 1. Caterpillar, 2. Komatsu, 3. Hitachi, 4. Kubota, 5. Volvo Construction Equipment, 6. Sany - Searched Google, AI Overview "compact excavator": 1. Kubota, 2. Yanmar, 3. Bobcat, 4. Caterpillar - Searched Google, AI Overview "mini excavator brand": 1. Bobcat, 2. Kubota, 3. Caterpillar, 4. Takeuchi, 5. Yanmar, 6. JCB, 7. Komatsu, 8. Hitachi, 9. Sany Not named in any answer: Sumitomo. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for excavator brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Kubota gained share of searches among excavator brands worldwide, from 48.9% to 49.8%. - In September 2026, Caterpillar lost share of searches among excavator brands worldwide, from 5.4% to 3.7%. ## Month by month | Month | Caterpillar estimated searches | Caterpillar Share of Search | Caterpillar rank | Kubota estimated searches | Kubota Share of Search | Kubota rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 40.5K | 4.9% | 5 | 450K | 54.7% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 33.1K | 4.5% | 5 | 368K | 50.2% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 33.1K | 4.7% | 5 | 368K | 52.1% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 40.5K | 5.7% | 5 | 368K | 51.5% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 40.5K | 5.7% | 5 | 368K | 51.6% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 40.5K | 4.8% | 5 | 450K | 53.2% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 40.5K | 4.9% | 5 | 450K | 54.9% | 1 | | May 2026 | 40.5K | 4.7% | 5 | 450K | 51.9% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 33.1K | 4% | 5 | 450K | 54.4% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 33.1K | 4.5% | 5 | 368K | 49.8% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 40.5K | 5.4% | 5 | 368K | 48.9% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 27.1K | 3.7% | 5 | 368K | 49.8% | 1 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Caterpillar’s and Kubota’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. - **Caterpillar**: Measured on the search term “caterpillar excavator”. - **Kubota**: Measured on the search term “kubota”. - [Caterpillar profile](/demand/global-en/brands/caterpillar) - [Kubota profile](/demand/global-en/brands/kubota) - [All excavator brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/excavator-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 12 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Caterpillar or Kubota more popular in search? In September 2026, Kubota had more branded searches than Caterpillar among excavator brands worldwide. Kubota had about 368,000 branded searches, while Caterpillar had 27,100. Kubota made up 49.8% of all excavator brand searches we track, and Caterpillar accounted for 3.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Caterpillar vs Kubota: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/excavator-brands/compare/caterpillar-vs-kubota This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/excavator-brands/compare/caterpillar-vs-kubota. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.