--- title: "Pilot vs Zebra: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Pilot or Zebra more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen brands set worldwide. 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/pen-brands/compare/pilot-vs-zebra-pen" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Pilot vs Zebra: Which is searched more? Is Pilot or Zebra more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen brands set worldwide. 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 - **Compared**: Pilot and Zebra - **Competitive set**: Pen brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Pilot Share of Search**: 11.3% - **Zebra Share of Search**: 1.8% ## Is Pilot or Zebra more popular in search? - In September 2026, Pilot had more branded searches than Zebra among pen brands worldwide. Pilot had about 173,000 branded searches, while Zebra had 27,100. Pilot made up 11.3% of all pen brand searches we track, and Zebra accounted for 1.8%. - Pilot was ahead of Zebra in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pilot’s share of searches among pen brands worldwide moved from 10.3% to 11.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 142K to 173K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zebra’s share of searches among pen brands worldwide moved from 2% to 1.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 27.1K. ## Top pen brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Pilot appeared in all five answers. Zebra was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Pilot was listed before Zebra in every answer. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pilot | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | uni-ball | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Pentel | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Zebra | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Parker | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Lamy | 6th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | BIC | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Cross | 8th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Faber-Castell | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about pen brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which pen brand should I buy?": 1. Pilot, 2. Pentel, 3. uni-ball, 4. Zebra - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best pen brands?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. Pentel, 4. Zebra, 5. Parker, 6. Lamy, 7. Cross, 8. BIC - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best pen brand for everyday writing?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. Zebra - Searched Google, AI Overview "pen brands": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. Zebra, 4. Pentel, 5. BIC, 6. Parker, 7. Cross, 8. Lamy - Searched Google, AI Overview "best pen": 1. uni-ball, 2. Pentel, 3. Pilot, 4. Lamy Not named in any answer: Faber-Castell. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for pen brands worldwide in September 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for Pilot worldwide rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 142K to 173K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Pilot estimated searches | Pilot Share of Search | Pilot rank | Zebra estimated searches | Zebra Share of Search | Zebra rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 142K | 10.3% | 4 | 27.1K | 2% | 8 | | Nov 2025 | 143K | 10.3% | 4 | 27.1K | 1.9% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | 162K | 10.9% | 4 | 27.1K | 1.8% | 8 | | Jan 2026 | 148K | 9.9% | 4 | 27.1K | 1.8% | 8 | | Feb 2026 | 148K | 11.2% | 4 | 22.2K | 1.7% | 8 | | Mar 2026 | 141K | 10.7% | 4 | 27.1K | 2% | 8 | | Apr 2026 | 152K | 12% | 4 | 22.2K | 1.7% | 8 | | May 2026 | 152K | 12.6% | 4 | 22.2K | 1.8% | 8 | | Jun 2026 | 137K | 11.9% | 4 | 18.1K | 1.6% | 8 | | Jul 2026 | 168K | 12.8% | 4 | 22.2K | 1.7% | 8 | | Aug 2026 | 181K | 11.5% | 4 | 27.1K | 1.7% | 8 | | Sep 2026 | 173K | 11.3% | 4 | 27.1K | 1.8% | 8 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Pilot’s and Zebra’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. - **Pilot**: Measured on the search terms “pilot ballpoint pen”, “pilot fountain pen”, “pilot pen” and “pilot stationery”, summed into one figure. - **Zebra**: Measured on the search term “zebra pen”. - [Pilot profile](/demand/global-en/brands/pilot) - [Zebra profile](/demand/global-en/brands/zebra-pen) - [All pen brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/pen-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 brands. ## 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 ### Is Pilot or Zebra more popular in search? In September 2026, Pilot had more branded searches than Zebra among pen brands worldwide. Pilot had about 173,000 branded searches, while Zebra had 27,100. Pilot made up 11.3% of all pen brand searches we track, and Zebra accounted for 1.8%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Pilot vs Zebra: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/pen-brands/compare/pilot-vs-zebra-pen This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/pen-brands/compare/pilot-vs-zebra-pen. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.