--- title: "Ahrefs vs Google Keyword Planner: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Ahrefs or Google Keyword Planner more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the SEO tools 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/seo-tools/compare/ahrefs-vs-google-keyword-planner" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Ahrefs vs Google Keyword Planner: Which is searched more? Is Ahrefs or Google Keyword Planner more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the SEO tools 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**: Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner - **Competitive set**: SEO tools - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Ahrefs Share of Search**: 16.4% - **Google Keyword Planner Share of Search**: 19.3% ## Is Ahrefs or Google Keyword Planner more popular in search? - In September 2026, Google Keyword Planner had more branded searches than Ahrefs among SEO tools worldwide. Google Keyword Planner had about 356,000 branded searches, while Ahrefs had 302,000. Google Keyword Planner made up 19.3% of all SEO tool searches we track, and Ahrefs accounted for 16.4%. - The lead changed hands 3 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Google Keyword Planner took it in November 2025, Ahrefs took it in January 2026, Google Keyword Planner took it in June 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ahrefs’ share of searches among SEO tools worldwide moved from 20.3% to 16.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 455K to 302K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Google Keyword Planner’s share of searches among SEO tools worldwide moved from 19.4% to 19.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 436K to 356K. ## Top SEO tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Ahrefs appeared in all five answers. Google Keyword Planner was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Ahrefs was listed before Google Keyword Planner in four out of five answers. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Semrush | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Ahrefs | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Screaming Frog | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | SE Ranking | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Google Keyword Planner | 5th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | AnswerThePublic | 6th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Moz Pro | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Mangools | 8th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Ubersuggest | 9th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Serpstat | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about SEO tools - Asked ChatGPT "Which SEO tool should I use?": 1. Semrush, 2. Ahrefs, 3. SE Ranking, 4. Screaming Frog - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best SEO tools?": 1. Semrush, 2. Ahrefs, 3. Screaming Frog, 4. SE Ranking, 5. Moz Pro - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best SEO tool for search marketing?": 1. Semrush, 2. Ahrefs, 3. Screaming Frog, 4. Moz Pro - Searched Google, AI Overview "seo tools": 1. Semrush, 2. Ahrefs, 3. SE Ranking, 4. Screaming Frog, 5. Mangools, 6. AnswerThePublic, 7. Google Keyword Planner - Searched Google, AI Overview "keyword research tool": 1. Google Keyword Planner, 2. Ahrefs, 3. AnswerThePublic, 4. Semrush, 5. Ubersuggest Not named in any answer: Serpstat. 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 SEO tools worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Ahrefs lost share of searches among SEO tools worldwide, from 17.5% to 16.4%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Google Keyword Planner worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 436K to 356K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Ahrefs estimated searches | Ahrefs Share of Search | Ahrefs rank | Google Keyword Planner estimated searches | Google Keyword Planner Share of Search | Google Keyword Planner rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 455K | 20.3% | 2 | 436K | 19.4% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 373K | 17.5% | 3 | 381K | 17.8% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 250K | 14.8% | 3 | 311K | 18.4% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 372K | 19.1% | 2 | 356K | 18.2% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 372K | 19.5% | 2 | 356K | 18.7% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 386K | 14.1% | 2 | 356K | 13% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 375K | 17.3% | 2 | 356K | 16.5% | 3 | | May 2026 | 372K | 19.1% | 2 | 356K | 18.2% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 304K | 16.7% | 3 | 337K | 18.4% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 308K | 17% | 3 | 411K | 22.7% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 303K | 17.5% | 3 | 337K | 19.4% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 302K | 16.4% | 3 | 356K | 19.3% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ahrefs’ and Google Keyword Planner’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. - **Ahrefs**: Measured on the search terms “ahrefs” and “ahrefs seo tools”, summed into one figure. - **Google Keyword Planner**: Measured on the search terms “google keyword planner” and “keyword planner”, summed into one figure. - [Ahrefs profile](/demand/global-en/brands/ahrefs) - [Google Keyword Planner profile](/demand/global-en/brands/google-keyword-planner) - [All SEO tools worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/seo-tools): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 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 Ahrefs or Google Keyword Planner more popular in search? In September 2026, Google Keyword Planner had more branded searches than Ahrefs among SEO tools worldwide. Google Keyword Planner had about 356,000 branded searches, while Ahrefs had 302,000. Google Keyword Planner made up 19.3% of all SEO tool searches we track, and Ahrefs accounted for 16.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Ahrefs vs Google Keyword Planner: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/seo-tools/compare/ahrefs-vs-google-keyword-planner This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/seo-tools/compare/ahrefs-vs-google-keyword-planner. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.