--- title: "Flight sim controller brands: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the joysticks, throttles and yokes people buy for flight simulators. Share of Search among WINWING, Thrustmaster, VKB, Virpil, Logitech, Moza, Honeycomb and Turtle Beach, the flight sim controller brands 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/flight-sim-controller-brands" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Flight sim controller brands: Which are searched most? Compare the joysticks, throttles and yokes people buy for flight simulators. Share of Search among WINWING, Thrustmaster, VKB, Virpil, Logitech, Moza, Honeycomb and Turtle Beach, the flight sim controller brands 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**: Flight sim controller brands - **Market**: Global - **Brands compared**: 8 - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: WINWING, 29.4% ## Which brand is most popular in search among flight sim controller brands worldwide? - In September 2026, WINWING was the most searched among flight sim controller brands worldwide, with an estimated 49.5K branded searches, 29.4% of all searches for the eight we track. - Thrustmaster is in 2nd place, 10 percentage points behind at 19.4%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WINWING’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide decreased from 59.5% to 29.4%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrustmaster’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide increased from 9.5% to 19.4%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, VKB’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide increased from 6.2% to 18.2%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virpil’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide increased from 11.9% to 13.2%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Logitech’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide increased from 5.5% to 9.1%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Moza’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide increased from 2.9% to 5.9%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrustmaster’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide peaked at 19.4% in September 2026 and was lowest at 9.5% in November 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virpil’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide peaked at 16.3% in May 2026 and was lowest at 9.5% in December 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Logitech’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide peaked at 9.1% in September 2026 and was lowest at 4.9% in November 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Moza’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide peaked at 8.9% in May 2026 and was lowest at 2.9% in October 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Honeycomb’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide peaked at 5.7% in July 2026 and was lowest at 3.9% in December 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrustmaster rose from 3rd to 2nd among flight sim controller brands worldwide. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, VKB rose from 4th to 3rd among flight sim controller brands worldwide. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virpil fell from 2nd to 4th among flight sim controller brands worldwide. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Moza rose from 7th to 6th among flight sim controller brands worldwide. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Honeycomb fell from 6th to 7th among flight sim controller brands worldwide. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Turtle Beach held steady: its share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide moved less than 0.5 percentage points. ## Top flight sim controller brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Thrustmaster and Logitech appeared every time. Thrustmaster was recommended most often, coming first in three out of five answers. Logitech was second, and VKB was third. Moza, which ranked sixth in searches, was not mentioned at all. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Thrustmaster | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Logitech | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | VKB | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Virpil | 4th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Turtle Beach | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Honeycomb | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | WINWING | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Moza | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about flight sim controller brands - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best HOTAS for flight sims?": 1. VKB, 2. Thrustmaster, 3. Logitech - Asked ChatGPT "Which joystick should I buy for Microsoft Flight Simulator?": 1. Thrustmaster, 2. Turtle Beach, 3. Logitech - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best flight sim controller brands?": 1. VKB, 2. Virpil, 3. Thrustmaster, 4. Honeycomb, 5. Logitech, 6. WINWING, 7. Turtle Beach - Searched Google, AI Overview "hotas": 1. Thrustmaster, 2. Logitech - Searched Google, AI Overview "flight stick": 1. Thrustmaster, 2. Logitech Not named in any answer: Moza. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 27, 2026. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [WINWING vs Thrustmaster: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/thrustmaster-vs-winwing): 29.4% against 19.4% Share of Search. - [WINWING vs VKB: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/vkb-vs-winwing): 29.4% against 18.2% Share of Search. - [WINWING vs Virpil: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/virpil-vs-winwing): 29.4% against 13.2% Share of Search. - [WINWING vs Logitech: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/logitech-vs-winwing): 29.4% against 9.1% Share of Search. - [Thrustmaster vs VKB: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/thrustmaster-vs-vkb): 19.4% against 18.2% Share of Search. - [Thrustmaster vs Virpil: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/thrustmaster-vs-virpil): 19.4% against 13.2% Share of Search. - [Thrustmaster vs Logitech: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/logitech-vs-thrustmaster): 19.4% against 9.1% Share of Search. - [VKB vs Virpil: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/virpil-vs-vkb): 18.2% against 13.2% Share of Search. - [VKB vs Logitech: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/logitech-vs-vkb): 18.2% against 9.1% Share of Search. - [Virpil vs Logitech: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/logitech-vs-virpil): 13.2% against 9.1% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for flight sim controller brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, VKB overtook Virpil to rank 3rd among flight sim controller brands worldwide, with 18.2% of the searches. - In September 2026, Thrustmaster gained share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 18.1% to 19.4%. - In September 2026, Logitech gained share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 8.4% to 9.1%. - In September 2026, WINWING lost share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 34.6% to 29.4%. - In September 2026, Virpil lost share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 15.5% to 13.2%. - In September 2026, Honeycomb lost share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 5.6% to 4.3%. - In September 2026, Moza lost share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 6.9% to 5.9%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Turtle Beach worldwide fell 12% over 12 measured months, from 1K to 880 in September 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | WINWING | 29.4% | 49.5K | 0.0% | WINWING | | 2 | Thrustmaster | 19.4% | 32.7K | +26.3% | Guillemot | | 3 | VKB | 18.2% | 30.7K | +111.7% | VKB | | 4 | Virpil | 13.2% | 22.2K | 0.0% | Virpil | | 5 | Logitech | 9.1% | 15.3K | +27.5% | Logitech | | 6 | Moza | 5.9% | 9.9K | 0.0% | Moza | | 7 | Honeycomb | 4.3% | 7.3K | -8.8% | Honeycomb Aeronautical | | 8 | Turtle Beach | 0.52% | 880 | 0.0% | Turtle Beach | Logitech and Turtle Beach sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “logitech x56”. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | WINWING | 135K | 59.5% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | Virpil | 27.1K | 11.9% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | Thrustmaster | 21.6K | 9.5% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | VKB | 14K | 6.2% | 4 | | Oct 2025 | Logitech | 12.5K | 5.5% | 5 | | Oct 2025 | Honeycomb | 9K | 4% | 6 | | Oct 2025 | Moza | 6.6K | 2.9% | 7 | | Oct 2025 | Turtle Beach | 1K | 0.44% | 8 | | Nov 2025 | WINWING | 165K | 59.4% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Virpil | 33.1K | 11.9% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | Thrustmaster | 26.4K | 9.5% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | VKB | 17.7K | 6.4% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | Logitech | 13.5K | 4.9% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | Honeycomb | 11K | 4% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | Moza | 9.9K | 3.6% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | Turtle Beach | 1K | 0.36% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | WINWING | 165K | 57.9% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Thrustmaster | 33.9K | 11.9% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | Virpil | 27.1K | 9.5% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | VKB | 20.5K | 7.2% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | Logitech | 16.5K | 5.8% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | Honeycomb | 11K | 3.9% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | Moza | 9.9K | 3.5% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | Turtle Beach | 1.3K | 0.46% | 8 | | Jan 2026 | WINWING | 135K | 55.4% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Thrustmaster | 27.6K | 11.3% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | Virpil | 27.1K | 11.1% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | VKB | 17.2K | 7.1% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | Logitech | 13.5K | 5.5% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | Moza | 12.1K | 5% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | Honeycomb | 10.2K | 4.2% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | Turtle Beach | 1K | 0.41% | 8 | | Feb 2026 | WINWING | 90.5K | 50.8% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Virpil | 22.2K | 12.4% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | Thrustmaster | 22.1K | 12.4% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | VKB | 17.2K | 9.6% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | Logitech | 10.2K | 5.7% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | Moza | 8.1K | 4.5% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | Honeycomb | 7.3K | 4.1% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | Turtle Beach | 720 | 0.4% | 8 | | Mar 2026 | WINWING | 90.5K | 48.2% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Thrustmaster | 25.9K | 13.8% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | Virpil | 22.2K | 11.8% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | VKB | 21K | 11.2% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | Logitech | 11K | 5.9% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | Moza | 8.1K | 4.3% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | Honeycomb | 8K | 4.3% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | Turtle Beach | 880 | 0.47% | 8 | | Apr 2026 | WINWING | 60.5K | 44.1% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Thrustmaster | 21.1K | 15.4% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | Virpil | 18.1K | 13.2% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | VKB | 12.3K | 9% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | Logitech | 9K | 6.6% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | Moza | 8.1K | 5.9% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | Honeycomb | 7.3K | 5.3% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | Turtle Beach | 720 | 0.53% | 8 | | May 2026 | WINWING | 49.5K | 36.3% | 1 | | May 2026 | Virpil | 22.2K | 16.3% | 2 | | May 2026 | Thrustmaster | 21.1K | 15.5% | 3 | | May 2026 | VKB | 14.5K | 10.6% | 4 | | May 2026 | Moza | 12.1K | 8.9% | 5 | | May 2026 | Logitech | 9K | 6.6% | 6 | | May 2026 | Honeycomb | 7.2K | 5.3% | 7 | | May 2026 | Turtle Beach | 720 | 0.53% | 8 | | Jun 2026 | WINWING | 60.5K | 41.4% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Virpil | 22.2K | 15.2% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Thrustmaster | 21.6K | 14.8% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | VKB | 14.5K | 9.9% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | Logitech | 10.2K | 7% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | Moza | 9.9K | 6.8% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | Honeycomb | 6.5K | 4.4% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | Turtle Beach | 720 | 0.49% | 8 | | Jul 2026 | WINWING | 49.5K | 38.6% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Thrustmaster | 21.1K | 16.5% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Virpil | 18.1K | 14.1% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | VKB | 11.8K | 9.2% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | Moza | 9.9K | 7.7% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | Logitech | 9.8K | 7.6% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | Honeycomb | 7.3K | 5.7% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | Turtle Beach | 720 | 0.56% | 8 | | Aug 2026 | WINWING | 49.5K | 34.6% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Thrustmaster | 25.9K | 18.1% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Virpil | 22.2K | 15.5% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | VKB | 14.5K | 10.1% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | Logitech | 12K | 8.4% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | Moza | 9.9K | 6.9% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | Honeycomb | 8K | 5.6% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | Turtle Beach | 880 | 0.62% | 8 | | Sep 2026 | WINWING | 49.5K | 29.4% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Thrustmaster | 32.7K | 19.4% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | VKB | 30.7K | 18.2% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Virpil | 22.2K | 13.2% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | Logitech | 15.3K | 9.1% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Moza | 9.9K | 5.9% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | Honeycomb | 7.3K | 4.3% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | Turtle Beach | 880 | 0.52% | 8 | ## What is being compared - **Honeycomb**: Measured on the search terms “honeycomb alpha” and “honeycomb bravo”, summed into one figure. - **Logitech**: Measured on the search terms “logitech flight yoke” and “logitech x56”, summed into one figure. - **Moza**: Measured on the search term “moza ab9”. - **Thrustmaster**: Measured on the search terms “thrustmaster hotas”, “thrustmaster t16000m” and “thrustmaster tca”, summed into one figure. - **Turtle Beach**: Measured on the search term “velocityone flight”. - **Virpil**: Measured on the search term “virpil”. - **VKB**: Measured on the search terms “vkb gladiator” and “vkb sim”, summed into one figure. - **WINWING**: Measured on the search term “winwing”. - [Honeycomb](/demand/global-en/brands/honeycomb-aeronautical) - [Logitech](/demand/global-en/brands/logitech) - [Moza](/demand/global-en/brands/moza) - [Thrustmaster](/demand/global-en/brands/thrustmaster) - [Turtle Beach](/demand/global-en/brands/turtle-beach) - [Virpil](/demand/global-en/brands/virpil) - [VKB](/demand/global-en/brands/vkb) - [WINWING](/demand/global-en/brands/winwing) ## 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 ### Which brand is most popular in search among flight sim controller brands worldwide? In September 2026, WINWING was the most searched among flight sim controller brands worldwide, with an estimated 49.5K branded searches, 29.4% of all searches for the eight we track. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Flight sim controller brands: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/flight-sim-controller-brands This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/flight-sim-controller-brands. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.