Brandwave

Social media platforms:Which are searched most?

In September 2026, YouTube was the most searched among social media platforms worldwide, with an estimated 1380M branded searches and 46.7% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, September 2026
  1. YouTube46.7%
  2. Facebook20.9%
  3. Instagram17.1%
  4. Pinterest5.1%
  5. TikTok5.1%
  6. LinkedIn2.3%
  7. Reddit1.9%
  8. Snapchat0.69%
  9. Threads0.21%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the social media platforms teams use. 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.

Share of Search among social media platforms worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthYouTubeFacebookInstagramPinterestTikTokLinkedInRedditSnapchatThreads
Oct 202552.1%19.2%15.7%4.7%3.8%2.1%1.4%0.77%0.13%
Nov 202547.5%21.3%17.4%5.2%4.3%1.9%1.6%0.7%0.14%
Dec 202552.4%19.3%15.8%4.7%3.9%1.7%1.4%0.64%0.13%
Jan 202647.1%21.1%17.3%5.2%4.2%2.3%1.9%0.7%0.17%
Feb 202647.3%21.2%17.4%5.2%4.3%1.9%1.9%0.7%0.14%
Mar 202652%19.1%15.7%4.7%3.8%2.1%1.7%0.63%0.15%
Apr 202646.9%21%17.2%5.1%5.1%1.9%1.9%0.69%0.17%
May 202646.9%21%17.2%5.1%5.1%1.9%1.9%0.69%0.17%
Jun 202646.9%21%17.2%5.1%5.1%1.9%1.9%0.69%0.21%
Jul 202646.9%21%17.2%5.1%5.1%1.9%1.9%0.69%0.21%
Aug 202646.7%20.9%17.1%5.1%5.1%1.9%2.3%0.69%0.21%
Sep 202646.7%20.9%17.1%5.1%5.1%2.3%1.9%0.69%0.21%

This month’s ranking, September 2026

  1. 1.YouTube

    46.7%

    Held 1st. 1380M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  2. 2.Facebook

    20.9%

    Held 2nd. 618M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  3. 3.Instagram

    17.1%

    Held 3rd. 506M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  4. 4.Pinterest

    5.1%

    Held 4th. 151M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.TikTok

    5.1%

    Held 5th. 151M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.LinkedIn

    2.3%

    Moved from 7th to 6th. 68M estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  7. 7.Reddit

    1.9%

    Moved from 6th to 7th. 55.6M estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  8. 8.Snapchat

    0.69%

    Held 8th. 20.4M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.Threads

    0.21%

    Held 9th. 6.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among social media platforms worldwide?

In September 2026, YouTube was the most searched among social media platforms worldwide, with an estimated 1380M branded searches and 46.7% estimated Share of Search within this set. Facebook is in 2nd place, 25.8 percentage points behind at 20.9% Share of Search.

Global social media platforms, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
YouTube52.1% → 46.7%52.4%Dec 202546.7%Aug 20261st
Facebook19.2% → 20.9%21.3%Nov 202519.1%Mar 20262nd
Instagram15.7% → 17.1%17.4%Nov 202515.7%Mar 20263rd
Pinterest4.7% → 5.1%5.2%Nov 20254.7%Mar 20264th
TikTok3.8% → 5.1%5.1%Apr 20263.8%Mar 20265th
LinkedIn2.1% → 2.3%2.3%Jan 20261.7%Dec 20256th
Reddit1.4% → 1.9%2.3%Aug 20261.4%Oct 20257th
Snapchat0.77% → 0.69%0.77%Oct 20250.63%Mar 20268th
Threads0.13% → 0.21%0.21%Jun 20260.13%Oct 20259th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, YouTube’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms worldwide decreased from 52.1% to 46.7%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Facebook’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms worldwide increased from 19.2% to 20.9%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Instagram’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms worldwide increased from 15.7% to 17.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, TikTok’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms worldwide increased from 3.8% to 5.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, YouTube’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms worldwide peaked at 52.4% in December 2025 and was lowest at 46.7% in August 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Facebook’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms worldwide peaked at 21.3% in November 2025 and was lowest at 19.1% in March 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Instagram’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms worldwide peaked at 17.4% in November 2025 and was lowest at 15.7% in March 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, TikTok’s estimated Share of Search among social media platforms worldwide peaked at 5.1% in April 2026 and was lowest at 3.8% in March 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit, Snapchat and Threads held steady: their estimated Share of Search among social media platforms worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for social media platforms worldwide in September 2026?

  1. In September 2026, LinkedIn rose from 7th to 6th among social media platforms worldwide.

  2. In September 2026, Reddit fell from 6th to 7th among social media platforms worldwide.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Threads worldwide rose 49.6% over 12 measured months, from 4.1M to 6.1M in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for TikTok worldwide rose 21.8% over 12 measured months, from 124M to 151M in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Snapchat worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 24.9M to 20.4M in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for YouTube worldwide fell 17.9% over 12 measured months, from 1680M to 1380M in September 2026.

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