--- title: "Finite element analysis software: Which brands are most popular in search?" description: "Compare the software used for structural simulation. Share of Search among Altair, Ansys, COMSOL, Abaqus and Nastran, the finite element analysis software Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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/finite-element-analysis-software" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Finite element analysis software: Which brands are most popular in search? Compare the software used for structural simulation. Share of Search among Altair, Ansys, COMSOL, Abaqus and Nastran, the finite element analysis software Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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 - **Competitive set**: Finite element analysis software - **Market**: Global - **Brands compared**: 5 - **Month measured**: Aug 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: Altair, 49.2% ## Which brand is most popular in search among finite element analysis software worldwide? - In August 2026, Altair was the most searched among finite element analysis software worldwide, with an estimated 165K branded searches and 49.2% estimated Share of Search within this set. - Ansys is in 2nd place, 16.4 percentage points behind at 32.8% Share of Search. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Altair’s estimated Share of Search among finite element analysis software worldwide increased from 44.9% to 49.2%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Ansys’ estimated Share of Search among finite element analysis software worldwide decreased from 36.9% to 32.8%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, COMSOL’s estimated Share of Search among finite element analysis software worldwide increased from 9% to 9.9%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Abaqus’ estimated Share of Search among finite element analysis software worldwide decreased from 7.4% to 6.6%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Altair’s estimated Share of Search among finite element analysis software worldwide peaked at 53.4% in December 2025 and was lowest at 44.1% in April 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Ansys’ estimated Share of Search among finite element analysis software worldwide peaked at 36.9% in October 2025 and was lowest at 29.2% in December 2025. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, COMSOL’s estimated Share of Search among finite element analysis software worldwide peaked at 10.8% in April 2026 and was lowest at 8.8% in December 2025. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Abaqus’ estimated Share of Search among finite element analysis software worldwide peaked at 7.9% in May 2026 and was lowest at 6.6% in June 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Nastran held steady: its estimated Share of Search among finite element analysis software worldwide moved less than 0.5 percentage points. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [Altair vs Ansys: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/altair-vs-ansys): 49.2% against 32.8% Share of Search. - [Altair vs COMSOL: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/altair-vs-comsol): 49.2% against 9.9% Share of Search. - [Altair vs Abaqus: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/abaqus-vs-altair): 49.2% against 6.6% Share of Search. - [Ansys vs COMSOL: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/ansys-vs-comsol): 32.8% against 9.9% Share of Search. - [Ansys vs Abaqus: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/abaqus-vs-ansys): 32.8% against 6.6% Share of Search. - [COMSOL vs Abaqus: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/abaqus-vs-comsol): 9.9% against 6.6% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for finite element analysis software worldwide in August 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for Ansys worldwide fell 33.3% over 11 measured months, from 165K to 110K in August 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Nastran worldwide fell 33.3% over 11 measured months, from 8.1K to 5.4K in August 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Abaqus worldwide fell 32.9% over 11 measured months, from 33.1K to 22.2K in August 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for COMSOL worldwide fell 18.3% over 11 measured months, from 40.5K to 33.1K in August 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Altair worldwide fell 17.9% over 11 measured months, from 201K to 165K in August 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Altair | 49.2% | 165K | 0.0% | Altair | | 2 | Ansys | 32.8% | 110K | 0.0% | Ansys | | 3 | COMSOL | 9.9% | 33.1K | 0.0% | COMSOL | | 4 | Abaqus | 6.6% | 22.2K | 0.0% | Abaqus | | 5 | Nastran | 1.6% | 5.4K | 0.0% | Nastran | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Altair | 201K | 44.9% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | Ansys | 165K | 36.9% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | COMSOL | 40.5K | 9% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | Abaqus | 33.1K | 7.4% | 4 | | Oct 2025 | Nastran | 8.1K | 1.8% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | Altair | 201K | 49% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Ansys | 135K | 32.9% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | COMSOL | 40.5K | 9.9% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Abaqus | 27.1K | 6.6% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | Nastran | 6.6K | 1.6% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | Altair | 201K | 53.4% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Ansys | 110K | 29.2% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 8.8% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Abaqus | 27.1K | 7.2% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | Nastran | 5.4K | 1.4% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | Altair | 201K | 49% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Ansys | 135K | 32.9% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | COMSOL | 40.5K | 9.9% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Abaqus | 27.1K | 6.6% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | Nastran | 6.6K | 1.6% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | Altair | 165K | 45% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Ansys | 135K | 36.8% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 9% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Abaqus | 27.1K | 7.4% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | Nastran | 6.6K | 1.8% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | Altair | 201K | 49% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Ansys | 135K | 32.9% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | COMSOL | 40.5K | 9.9% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Abaqus | 27.1K | 6.6% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | Nastran | 6.6K | 1.6% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | Altair | 165K | 44.1% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Ansys | 135K | 36.1% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | COMSOL | 40.5K | 10.8% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Abaqus | 27.1K | 7.2% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | Nastran | 6.6K | 1.8% | 5 | | May 2026 | Altair | 165K | 48.3% | 1 | | May 2026 | Ansys | 110K | 32.2% | 2 | | May 2026 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 9.7% | 3 | | May 2026 | Abaqus | 27.1K | 7.9% | 4 | | May 2026 | Nastran | 6.6K | 1.9% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | Altair | 165K | 49% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Ansys | 110K | 32.7% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 9.8% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Abaqus | 22.2K | 6.6% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | Nastran | 6.6K | 2% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | Altair | 165K | 49.2% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Ansys | 110K | 32.8% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 9.9% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Abaqus | 22.2K | 6.6% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | Nastran | 5.4K | 1.6% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | Altair | 165K | 49.2% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Ansys | 110K | 32.8% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | COMSOL | 33.1K | 9.9% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Abaqus | 22.2K | 6.6% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | Nastran | 5.4K | 1.6% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Abaqus | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Altair | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Ansys | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | COMSOL | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Nastran | — | — | — | ## What is being compared - **Abaqus**: Measured on the search term “abaqus”. - **Altair**: Measured on the search term “altair”. - **Ansys**: Measured on the search term “ansys”. - **COMSOL**: Measured on the search term “comsol”. - **Nastran**: Measured on the search term “nastran”. - [Abaqus](/demand/global-en/brands/abaqus) - [Altair](/demand/global-en/brands/altair) - [Ansys](/demand/global-en/brands/ansys) - [COMSOL](/demand/global-en/brands/comsol) - [Nastran](/demand/global-en/brands/nastran) ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among finite element analysis software worldwide? In August 2026, Altair was the most searched among finite element analysis software worldwide, with an estimated 165K branded searches and 49.2% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Finite element analysis software: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/finite-element-analysis-software This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/finite-element-analysis-software. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.