Brandwave

The New York Times vs The Washington Post:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, The New York Times had more branded searches than The Washington Post among newspapers worldwide. The New York Times had about 4 million branded searches, while The Washington Post had 1.4 million. The New York Times made up 31.5% of all newspaper searches we track, and The Washington Post accounted for 10.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about newspapers, The New York Times appeared in four of the five answers and The Washington Post in three. The New York Times was mentioned before The Washington Post in three out of four answers.

Among newspapers worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

The New York Times, about 3 searches for every 1 for The Washington Post

The New York Times 4M searchesThe Washington Post 1.4M searches

Who does AI mention more?

The New York Times, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, The Washington Post in 3

The New York Times in 4 of 5The Washington Post in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

The New York Times, named ahead of The Washington Post in 3 of 4 answers

The New York Times first in 3The Washington Post first in 1

Follow The New York Times vs The Washington Post and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand against a rival →

Top newspapers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, The New York Times was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. The Washington Post was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. The New York Times was listed before The Washington Post in three out of four answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. The New York Times1st
  2. The Wall Street Journal2nd
  3. The Washington Post3rd
  4. The Guardian4th
  5. Financial Times5th
  6. The Times–
  7. The Telegraph–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • The New York Times4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • The Wall Street Journal4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • The Washington Post3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • The Guardian1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Financial Times1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The Times0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The Telegraph0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about newspapers

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is The New York Times or The Washington Post more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for The New York Times and The Washington Post by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven newspapers we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

The New York Times and The Washington Post among newspapers worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for The New York Times, The Washington Post. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthThe GuardianThe New York TimesThe Wall Street JournalThe Washington PostFinancial TimesThe TimesThe Telegraph
Oct 202528.8%28.4%15.7%15%4.8%4.7%2.6%
Nov 202529.8%30.4%14.6%13.1%4%4.9%3.3%
Dec 202531.6%30.2%14.1%13.5%3.5%4.3%2.8%
Jan 202628%33.6%13.7%15.1%3.8%3.8%2.1%
Feb 202630.7%31.3%13.6%14.6%3.4%4.1%2.3%
Mar 202629.8%30.3%16.2%13.6%4%4%2.2%
Apr 202630.4%29.9%16.6%12.6%4.1%4.1%2.2%
May 202631.2%30.7%15.3%10.6%4.2%5.1%2.8%
Jun 202633.7%28.1%15%11.2%4.5%4.5%3%
Jul 202633.4%27.8%14.9%11.1%3.7%5.5%3.7%
Aug 202633.5%29.2%14.9%11.1%3.7%4.5%3%
Sep 202632.1%31.5%14.3%10.6%4.3%4.3%2.9%

How has the The New York Times and The Washington Post comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for newspapers worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, The New York Times gained share of searches among newspapers worldwide, from 29.2% to 31.5%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for The Washington Post worldwide fell 36.4% over 12 measured months, from 2.1M to 1.4M in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using The New York Times’ and The Washington Post’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.

The New York Times

2 branded search terms

  • new york times
  • the new york times

The Washington Post

2 branded search terms

  • the washington post
  • washington post

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among newspapers

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.

Start free