Merrell vs Salomon:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Salomon had more branded searches than Merrell among hiking shoe brands worldwide. Salomon had about 101,000 branded searches, while Merrell had 40,500. Salomon made up 3.2% of all hiking shoe brand searches we track, and Merrell accounted for 1.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about hiking shoe brands, both Merrell and Salomon appeared in all five answers. Merrell was mentioned before Salomon in four out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Salomon, about 2 searches for every 1 for Merrell
Who does AI mention more?
Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.
Who does AI recommend more?
Merrell, named ahead of Salomon in 4 of 5 answers
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Top hiking shoe brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Merrell and Salomon showed up in all five answers. Merrell was listed before Salomon in four of them.
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.
- Salomon5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Merrell5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
HOKA4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- La Sportiva3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Altra3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
KEEN2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Columbia1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about hiking shoe brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which hiking shoe brand should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best hiking shoe brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best hiking shoe brand for grippy trail comfort?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“hiking shoe brands”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best hiking shoes”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is Merrell or Salomon more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Merrell and Salomon by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven hiking shoe brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Salomon, Merrell. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | HOKA | La Sportiva | Altra | Columbia | Salomon | Merrell | KEEN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 77% | 8.5% | 6.9% | 4.6% | 1.8% | 0.76% | 0.42% |
| Nov 2025 | 74.3% | 8.2% | 6.7% | 8.2% | 1.7% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| Dec 2025 | 76.4% | 8.4% | 5.6% | 6.9% | 1.7% | 0.62% | 0.41% |
| Jan 2026 | 71.3% | 11.7% | 7.8% | 5.2% | 2.4% | 1.1% | 0.47% |
| Feb 2026 | 75% | 10.1% | 6.7% | 4.5% | 2.1% | 1.1% | 0.5% |
| Mar 2026 | 76.6% | 8.4% | 8.4% | 3.1% | 2.1% | 0.93% | 0.41% |
| Apr 2026 | 76.5% | 8.4% | 8.4% | 3.1% | 2.1% | 1.1% | 0.41% |
| May 2026 | 76% | 8.4% | 8.4% | 3.1% | 2.4% | 1.4% | 0.41% |
| Jun 2026 | 77.1% | 8.5% | 6.9% | 3.1% | 2.8% | 1.1% | 0.42% |
| Jul 2026 | 73.1% | 9.8% | 8% | 3.6% | 3.3% | 1.6% | 0.48% |
| Aug 2026 | 73.7% | 9.9% | 8.1% | 3.6% | 2.9% | 1.3% | 0.4% |
| Sep 2026 | 70% | 11.5% | 9.4% | 4.2% | 3.2% | 1.3% | 0.46% |
How has the Merrell and Salomon comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Salomon was ahead of Merrell in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Merrell’s share of searches among hiking shoe brands worldwide moved from 0.76% to 1.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 27.1K to 40.5K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Salomon’s share of searches among hiking shoe brands worldwide moved from 1.8% to 3.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 62.7K to 101K.
How did search popularity change for hiking shoe brands worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Merrell’s and Salomon’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.
Other head-to-heads among hiking shoe brands
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