Fast food chains:Which are searched most?
In September 2026, McDonald's was the most searched among fast food chains worldwide, with an estimated 101M branded searches and 47.5% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
McDonald's47.5%Burger King14.3%
KFC11.7%Subway9.6%
Taco Bell7.8%
Wendy's5.2%
Popeyes2.9%
Carl's Jr.1.1%Nando's0.02%
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Share of SearchLeaderboard
Compare the fast food chains people choose between for burgers, chicken, subs and tacos. 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 McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Popeyes. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | McDonald's | Burger King | KFC | Subway | Taco Bell | Wendy's | Popeyes | Carl's Jr. | Nando's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 46.6% | 14% | 11.5% | 9.4% | 7.7% | 6.3% | 3.5% | 1% | 0.03% |
| Nov 2025 | 49.2% | 12.1% | 12.1% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 5.4% | 3.6% | 1.3% | 0.03% |
| Dec 2025 | 51.8% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 6.9% | 6.9% | 4.6% | 3.1% | 1.1% | 0.02% |
| Jan 2026 | 48% | 14.5% | 11.8% | 7.9% | 7.9% | 5.3% | 3.6% | 1.1% | 0.02% |
| Feb 2026 | 46% | 13.8% | 13.8% | 9.2% | 7.5% | 5.1% | 3.4% | 1.2% | 0.03% |
| Mar 2026 | 47.2% | 14.2% | 11.6% | 9.5% | 7.8% | 5.2% | 3.5% | 1% | 0.02% |
| Apr 2026 | 47.2% | 14.2% | 11.6% | 9.5% | 7.8% | 5.2% | 3.5% | 1% | 0.02% |
| May 2026 | 47.5% | 14.3% | 11.7% | 9.6% | 7.8% | 5.2% | 2.9% | 1.1% | 0.03% |
| Jun 2026 | 47.5% | 14.3% | 11.7% | 9.6% | 7.8% | 5.2% | 2.9% | 1.1% | 0.02% |
| Jul 2026 | 52% | 12.8% | 10.4% | 8.6% | 7% | 5.7% | 2.6% | 0.94% | 0.02% |
| Aug 2026 | 50.9% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 8.4% | 6.8% | 5.6% | 2.5% | 0.92% | 0.02% |
| Sep 2026 | 47.5% | 14.3% | 11.7% | 9.6% | 7.8% | 5.2% | 2.9% | 1.1% | 0.02% |
This month’s ranking, September 2026
| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 47.5% | 101M | -18.5% | -3.4 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 14.3% | 30.4M | 0% | +1.8 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 11.7% | 24.9M | -18.1% | -0.8 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 9.6% | 20.4M | 0% | +1.2 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 7.8% | 16.6M | 0% | +1 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 5.2% | 11.1M | -18.4% | -0.4 points | |
| 7, held 7th | 2.9% | 6.1M | 0% | +0.4 points | |
| 8, held 8th | 1.1% | 2.2M | 0% | +0.1 points | |
| 9, held 9th | 0.02% | 44.4K | -9.9% | 0 points |
47.5%
Held 1st. 101M estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -3.4 points.
14.3%
Held 2nd. 30.4M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.8 points.
3.
KFC11.7%
Held 3rd. 24.9M estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.
4.
9.6%
Held 4th. 20.4M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.2 points.
7.8%
Held 5th. 16.6M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1 points.
6.
5.2%
Held 6th. 11.1M estimated branded searches, -18.4% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
7.
2.9%
Held 7th. 6.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.
1.1%
Held 8th. 2.2M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
9.
0.02%
Held 9th. 44.4K estimated branded searches, -9.9% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
Compare search popularity between leading brands
- McDonald's vs KFC: compare search popularity
- Burger King vs KFC: compare search popularity
- Compare any of these brands
Which brand is most popular in search among fast food chains worldwide?
9 brands
In September 2026, McDonald's was the most searched among fast food chains worldwide, with an estimated 101M branded searches and 47.5% estimated Share of Search within this set. Burger King is in 2nd place, 33.2 percentage points behind at 14.3% Share of Search.
| Brand | Share of Search | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald's | 46.6% → 47.5% | 52%Jul 2026 | 46%Feb 2026 | 1st |
| Burger King | 14% → 14.3% | 14.5%Jan 2026 | 12.1%Nov 2025 | 2nd |
| KFC | 11.5% → 11.7% | 13.8%Feb 2026 | 10.4%Jul 2026 | 3rd |
| Subway | 9.4% → 9.6% | 9.6%Sep 2026 | 6.9%Dec 2025 | 4th |
| Taco Bell | 7.7% → 7.8% | 8.1%Nov 2025 | 6.8%Aug 2026 | 5th |
| Wendy's | 6.3% → 5.2% | 6.3%Oct 2025 | 4.6%Dec 2025 | 6th |
| Popeyes | 3.5% → 2.9% | 3.6%Nov 2025 | 2.5%Aug 2026 | 7th |
| Carl's Jr. | 1% → 1.1% | 1.3%Nov 2025 | 0.92%Aug 2026 | 8th |
| Nando's | 0.03% → 0.02% | 0.03%Feb 2026 | 0.02%Aug 2026 | 9th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McDonald's’ estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide increased from 46.6% to 47.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wendy's’ estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide decreased from 6.3% to 5.2%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Popeyes’ estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide decreased from 3.5% to 2.9%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McDonald's’ estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide peaked at 52% in July 2026 and was lowest at 46% in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Burger King’s estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide peaked at 14.5% in January 2026 and was lowest at 12.1% in November 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, KFC’s estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide peaked at 13.8% in February 2026 and was lowest at 10.4% in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Subway’s estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide peaked at 9.6% in September 2026 and was lowest at 6.9% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Taco Bell’s estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide peaked at 8.1% in November 2025 and was lowest at 6.8% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wendy's’ estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide peaked at 6.3% in October 2025 and was lowest at 4.6% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Popeyes’ estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide peaked at 3.6% in November 2025 and was lowest at 2.5% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Burger King, KFC, Subway, Taco Bell, Carl's Jr. and Nando's held steady: their estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for fast food chains worldwide in September 2026?
8 changes
In September 2026, Burger King gained estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide, from 12.5% to 14.3%.
In September 2026, Subway gained estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide, from 8.4% to 9.6%.
In September 2026, Taco Bell gained estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide, from 6.8% to 7.8%.
In September 2026, McDonald's lost estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide, from 50.9% to 47.5%.
In September 2026, KFC lost estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide, from 12.5% to 11.7%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Wendy's worldwide fell 18.4% over 12 measured months, from 13.6M to 11.1M in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Popeyes worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 7.5M to 6.1M in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Nando's worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 54.2K to 44.4K in September 2026.
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