Brandwave

VPN services:Which are searched most?

In August 2026, NordVPN was the most searched among VPN services worldwide, with an estimated 1.8M branded searches and 60.6% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. NordVPN60.6%
  2. ExpressVPN18.2%
  3. Surfshark18.2%
  4. CyberGhost3%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the VPN services people subscribe to. 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 VPN services worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, CyberGhost. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthNordVPNExpressVPNSurfsharkCyberGhost
Oct 202555.3%20.3%20.3%4.1%
Nov 202557.4%17.3%21.1%4.2%
Dec 202555.3%20.3%20.3%4.1%
Jan 202655.3%20.3%20.3%4.1%
Feb 202660.2%18.1%18.1%3.6%
Mar 202655.7%20.5%20.5%3.4%
Apr 202655.7%20.5%20.5%3.3%
May 202657.9%17.4%21.3%3.5%
Jun 202655.3%20.3%20.3%4.1%
Jul 202660.2%18.1%18.1%3.6%
Aug 202660.6%18.2%18.2%3%
Sep 2026————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.NordVPN

    60.6%

    Held 1st. 1.8M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  2. 2.ExpressVPN

    18.2%

    Held 2nd. 550K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  3. 3.Surfshark

    18.2%

    Held 3rd. 550K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  4. Held 4th. 90.5K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among VPN services worldwide?

In August 2026, NordVPN was the most searched among VPN services worldwide, with an estimated 1.8M branded searches and 60.6% estimated Share of Search within this set. ExpressVPN is in 2nd place, 42.4 percentage points behind at 18.2% Share of Search.

Global VPN services, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
NordVPN55.3% → 60.6%60.6%Aug 202655.3%Jun 20261st
ExpressVPN20.3% → 18.2%20.5%Apr 202617.3%Nov 20252nd
Surfshark20.3% → 18.2%21.3%May 202618.1%Feb 20263rd
CyberGhost4.1% → 3%4.2%Nov 20253%Aug 20264th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NordVPN’s estimated Share of Search among VPN services worldwide increased from 55.3% to 60.6%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, ExpressVPN’s estimated Share of Search among VPN services worldwide decreased from 20.3% to 18.2%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Surfshark’s estimated Share of Search among VPN services worldwide decreased from 20.3% to 18.2%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, CyberGhost’s estimated Share of Search among VPN services worldwide decreased from 4.1% to 3%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NordVPN’s estimated Share of Search among VPN services worldwide peaked at 60.6% in August 2026 and was lowest at 55.3% in June 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, ExpressVPN’s estimated Share of Search among VPN services worldwide peaked at 20.5% in April 2026 and was lowest at 17.3% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Surfshark’s estimated Share of Search among VPN services worldwide peaked at 21.3% in May 2026 and was lowest at 18.1% in February 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, CyberGhost’s estimated Share of Search among VPN services worldwide peaked at 4.2% in November 2025 and was lowest at 3% in August 2026.

How did search popularity change for VPN services worldwide in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, CyberGhost lost estimated Share of Search among VPN services worldwide, from 3.6% to 3%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for ExpressVPN worldwide fell 33.2% over 11 measured months, from 823K to 550K in August 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Surfshark worldwide fell 33.2% over 11 measured months, from 823K to 550K in August 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for NordVPN worldwide fell 18.3% over 11 measured months, from 2.2M to 1.8M in August 2026.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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