---
title: "Social media platforms: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the social media platforms teams use. Share of Search among YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, Snapchat and Threads, the social media platforms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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/social-media-platforms"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Social media platforms: Which are searched most?

Compare the social media platforms teams use. Share of Search among YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, Snapchat and Threads, the social media platforms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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

- **Competitive set**: Social media platforms
- **Market**: Global
- **Brands compared**: 9
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: YouTube, 46.7%

## 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.
- 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.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [YouTube vs Facebook: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/facebook-vs-youtube): 46.7% against 20.9% Share of Search.
- [YouTube vs Instagram: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/instagram-vs-youtube): 46.7% against 17.1% Share of Search.
- [YouTube vs Pinterest: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/pinterest-vs-youtube): 46.7% against 5.1% Share of Search.
- [YouTube vs TikTok: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/tiktok-vs-youtube): 46.7% against 5.1% Share of Search.
- [Facebook vs Instagram: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/facebook-vs-instagram): 20.9% against 17.1% Share of Search.
- [Facebook vs Pinterest: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/facebook-vs-pinterest): 20.9% against 5.1% Share of Search.
- [Facebook vs TikTok: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/facebook-vs-tiktok): 20.9% against 5.1% Share of Search.
- [Instagram vs Pinterest: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/instagram-vs-pinterest): 17.1% against 5.1% Share of Search.
- [Instagram vs TikTok: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/instagram-vs-tiktok): 17.1% against 5.1% Share of Search.
- [Pinterest vs TikTok: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/pinterest-vs-tiktok): 5.1% Share of Search each.

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

- In September 2026, LinkedIn rose from 7th to 6th among social media platforms worldwide.
- In September 2026, Reddit fell from 6th to 7th among social media platforms worldwide.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Threads worldwide rose 49.6% over 12 measured months, from 4.1M to 6.1M in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for TikTok worldwide rose 21.8% over 12 measured months, from 124M to 151M in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Snapchat worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 24.9M to 20.4M in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for YouTube worldwide fell 17.9% over 12 measured months, from 1680M to 1380M in September 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | YouTube | 46.7% | 1380M | 0.0% | Google |
| 2 | Facebook | 20.9% | 618M | 0.0% | Meta |
| 3 | Instagram | 17.1% | 506M | 0.0% | Meta |
| 4 | Pinterest | 5.1% | 151M | 0.0% | Pinterest |
| 5 | TikTok | 5.1% | 151M | 0.0% | TikTok |
| 6 | LinkedIn | 2.3% | 68M | +22.3% | Microsoft |
| 7 | Reddit | 1.9% | 55.6M | -18.2% | Reddit |
| 8 | Snapchat | 0.69% | 20.4M | 0.0% | Snapchat |
| 9 | Threads | 0.21% | 6.1M | 0.0% | Meta |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | YouTube | 1680M | 52.1% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Facebook | 618M | 19.2% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Instagram | 506M | 15.7% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Pinterest | 151M | 4.7% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | TikTok | 124M | 3.8% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | LinkedIn | 68M | 2.1% | 6 |
| Oct 2025 | Reddit | 45.5M | 1.4% | 7 |
| Oct 2025 | Snapchat | 24.9M | 0.77% | 8 |
| Oct 2025 | Threads | 4.1M | 0.13% | 9 |
| Nov 2025 | YouTube | 1380M | 47.5% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Facebook | 618M | 21.3% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Instagram | 506M | 17.4% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Pinterest | 151M | 5.2% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | TikTok | 124M | 4.3% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | LinkedIn | 55.6M | 1.9% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | Reddit | 45.5M | 1.6% | 7 |
| Nov 2025 | Snapchat | 20.4M | 0.7% | 8 |
| Nov 2025 | Threads | 4.1M | 0.14% | 9 |
| Dec 2025 | YouTube | 1680M | 52.4% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Facebook | 618M | 19.3% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Instagram | 506M | 15.8% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Pinterest | 151M | 4.7% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | TikTok | 124M | 3.9% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | LinkedIn | 55.6M | 1.7% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | Reddit | 45.5M | 1.4% | 7 |
| Dec 2025 | Snapchat | 20.4M | 0.64% | 8 |
| Dec 2025 | Threads | 4.1M | 0.13% | 9 |
| Jan 2026 | YouTube | 1380M | 47.1% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Facebook | 618M | 21.1% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Instagram | 506M | 17.3% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Pinterest | 151M | 5.2% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | TikTok | 124M | 4.2% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | LinkedIn | 68M | 2.3% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Reddit | 55.6M | 1.9% | 7 |
| Jan 2026 | Snapchat | 20.4M | 0.7% | 8 |
| Jan 2026 | Threads | 5M | 0.17% | 9 |
| Feb 2026 | YouTube | 1380M | 47.3% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Facebook | 618M | 21.2% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Instagram | 506M | 17.4% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Pinterest | 151M | 5.2% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | TikTok | 124M | 4.3% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | LinkedIn | 55.6M | 1.9% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Reddit | 55.6M | 1.9% | 7 |
| Feb 2026 | Snapchat | 20.4M | 0.7% | 8 |
| Feb 2026 | Threads | 4.1M | 0.14% | 9 |
| Mar 2026 | YouTube | 1680M | 52% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Facebook | 618M | 19.1% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Instagram | 506M | 15.7% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Pinterest | 151M | 4.7% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | TikTok | 124M | 3.8% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | LinkedIn | 68M | 2.1% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Reddit | 55.6M | 1.7% | 7 |
| Mar 2026 | Snapchat | 20.4M | 0.63% | 8 |
| Mar 2026 | Threads | 5M | 0.15% | 9 |
| Apr 2026 | YouTube | 1380M | 46.9% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Facebook | 618M | 21% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Instagram | 506M | 17.2% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Pinterest | 151M | 5.1% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | TikTok | 151M | 5.1% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | LinkedIn | 55.6M | 1.9% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | Reddit | 55.6M | 1.9% | 7 |
| Apr 2026 | Snapchat | 20.4M | 0.69% | 8 |
| Apr 2026 | Threads | 5M | 0.17% | 9 |
| May 2026 | YouTube | 1380M | 46.9% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Facebook | 618M | 21% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Instagram | 506M | 17.2% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Pinterest | 151M | 5.1% | 4 |
| May 2026 | TikTok | 151M | 5.1% | 5 |
| May 2026 | LinkedIn | 55.6M | 1.9% | 6 |
| May 2026 | Reddit | 55.6M | 1.9% | 7 |
| May 2026 | Snapchat | 20.4M | 0.69% | 8 |
| May 2026 | Threads | 5M | 0.17% | 9 |
| Jun 2026 | YouTube | 1380M | 46.9% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Facebook | 618M | 21% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Instagram | 506M | 17.2% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Pinterest | 151M | 5.1% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | TikTok | 151M | 5.1% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | LinkedIn | 55.6M | 1.9% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Reddit | 55.6M | 1.9% | 7 |
| Jun 2026 | Snapchat | 20.4M | 0.69% | 8 |
| Jun 2026 | Threads | 6.1M | 0.21% | 9 |
| Jul 2026 | YouTube | 1380M | 46.9% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Facebook | 618M | 21% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Instagram | 506M | 17.2% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Pinterest | 151M | 5.1% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | TikTok | 151M | 5.1% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | LinkedIn | 55.6M | 1.9% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Reddit | 55.6M | 1.9% | 7 |
| Jul 2026 | Snapchat | 20.4M | 0.69% | 8 |
| Jul 2026 | Threads | 6.1M | 0.21% | 9 |
| Aug 2026 | YouTube | 1380M | 46.7% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Facebook | 618M | 20.9% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Instagram | 506M | 17.1% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Pinterest | 151M | 5.1% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | TikTok | 151M | 5.1% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Reddit | 68M | 2.3% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | LinkedIn | 55.6M | 1.9% | 7 |
| Aug 2026 | Snapchat | 20.4M | 0.69% | 8 |
| Aug 2026 | Threads | 6.1M | 0.21% | 9 |
| Sep 2026 | YouTube | 1380M | 46.7% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | Facebook | 618M | 20.9% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Instagram | 506M | 17.1% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | Pinterest | 151M | 5.1% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | TikTok | 151M | 5.1% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | LinkedIn | 68M | 2.3% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | Reddit | 55.6M | 1.9% | 7 |
| Sep 2026 | Snapchat | 20.4M | 0.69% | 8 |
| Sep 2026 | Threads | 6.1M | 0.21% | 9 |

## What is being compared

- **Facebook**: Measured on the search term “facebook”.
- **Instagram**: Measured on the search term “instagram”.
- **LinkedIn**: Measured on the search term “linkedin”.
- **Pinterest**: Measured on the search term “pinterest”.
- **Reddit**: Measured on the search term “reddit”.
- **Snapchat**: Measured on the search term “snapchat”.
- **Threads**: Measured on the search term “threads”.
- **TikTok**: Measured on the search term “tiktok”.
- **YouTube**: Measured on the search term “youtube”.

- [Facebook](/demand/global-en/brands/facebook)
- [Instagram](/demand/global-en/brands/instagram)
- [LinkedIn](/demand/global-en/brands/linkedin)
- [Pinterest](/demand/global-en/brands/pinterest)
- [Reddit](/demand/global-en/brands/reddit)
- [Snapchat](/demand/global-en/brands/snapchat)
- [Threads](/demand/global-en/brands/threads)
- [TikTok](/demand/global-en/brands/tiktok)
- [YouTube](/demand/global-en/brands/youtube)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### 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. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Social media platforms: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/social-media-platforms

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/social-media-platforms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.