--- title: "Google Ads vs Meta Ads: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Google Ads or Meta Ads more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Retargeting platforms 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/retargeting-platforms/compare/google-ads-vs-meta-ads" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Google Ads vs Meta Ads: Which is searched more? Is Google Ads or Meta Ads more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Retargeting platforms 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**: Google Ads and Meta Ads - **Competitive set**: Retargeting platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Google Ads Share of Search**: 83.6% - **Meta Ads Share of Search**: 13.7% ## Is Google Ads or Meta Ads more popular in search? - In September 2026, Google Ads had more branded searches than Meta Ads among retargeting platforms worldwide. Google Ads had about 5 million branded searches, while Meta Ads had 823,000. Google Ads made up 83.6% of all retargeting platform searches we track, and Meta Ads accounted for 13.7%. - Google Ads was ahead of Meta Ads in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Google Ads’ share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide moved from 84.3% to 83.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.1M to 5M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Meta Ads’ share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide moved from 11.3% to 13.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 550K to 823K. ## Top retargeting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Google Ads and Meta Ads showed up in all five answers. Meta Ads was listed before Google Ads in four of them. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Meta Ads | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Google Ads | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | AdRoll | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Criteo | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | LinkedIn Ads | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Taboola | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | RTB House | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Outbrain | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Perfect Audience | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about retargeting platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which retargeting platform should I use?": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. Criteo - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best retargeting platforms?": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. LinkedIn Ads, 5. Criteo - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best retargeting platform for an ad team?": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. Criteo - Searched Google, AI Overview "retargeting software": 1. AdRoll, 2. Google Ads, 3. Meta Ads, 4. LinkedIn Ads, 5. Criteo - Searched Google, AI Overview "best retargeting platform": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. Criteo, 5. LinkedIn Ads Not named in any answer: Taboola, RTB House, Outbrain and Perfect Audience. 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 retargeting platforms worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Google Ads gained share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide, from 80.8% to 83.6%. - In September 2026, Meta Ads lost share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide, from 16.1% to 13.7%. ## Month by month | Month | Google Ads estimated searches | Google Ads Share of Search | Google Ads rank | Meta Ads estimated searches | Meta Ads Share of Search | Meta Ads rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 4.1M | 84.3% | 1 | 550K | 11.3% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 4.1M | 86.5% | 1 | 450K | 9.5% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 4.1M | 87.1% | 1 | 450K | 9.5% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 4.1M | 85% | 1 | 550K | 11.3% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 4.1M | 85% | 1 | 550K | 11.3% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 4.1M | 82.7% | 1 | 673K | 13.5% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 4.1M | 82.9% | 1 | 673K | 13.5% | 2 | | May 2026 | 4.1M | 83.1% | 1 | 673K | 13.6% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 4.1M | 83% | 1 | 673K | 13.5% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 4.1M | 83% | 1 | 673K | 13.5% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 4.1M | 80.8% | 1 | 823K | 16.1% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 5M | 83.6% | 1 | 823K | 13.7% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Google Ads’ and Meta Ads’ 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. - **Google Ads**: Measured on the search terms “google ads” and “googleads”, summed into one figure. - **Meta Ads**: Measured on the search term “meta ads”. - [Google Ads profile](/demand/global-en/brands/google-ads) - [Meta Ads profile](/demand/global-en/brands/meta-ads) - [All retargeting platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/retargeting-platforms): 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 Google Ads or Meta Ads more popular in search? In September 2026, Google Ads had more branded searches than Meta Ads among retargeting platforms worldwide. Google Ads had about 5 million branded searches, while Meta Ads had 823,000. Google Ads made up 83.6% of all retargeting platform searches we track, and Meta Ads accounted for 13.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Google Ads vs Meta Ads: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/retargeting-platforms/compare/google-ads-vs-meta-ads This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/retargeting-platforms/compare/google-ads-vs-meta-ads. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.