--- title: "VPN services: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the VPN services people subscribe to. Share of Search among NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark and CyberGhost, the VPN services 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/vpn-services" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # VPN services: Which are searched most? Compare the VPN services people subscribe to. Share of Search among NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark and CyberGhost, the VPN services 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**: VPN services - **Market**: Global - **Brands compared**: 4 - **Month measured**: Aug 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: NordVPN, 60.6% ## 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. - 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. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [NordVPN vs ExpressVPN: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/expressvpn-vs-nordvpn): 60.6% against 18.2% Share of Search. - [NordVPN vs Surfshark: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/nordvpn-vs-surfshark): 60.6% against 18.2% Share of Search. - [NordVPN vs CyberGhost: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/cyberghost-vs-nordvpn): 60.6% against 3% Share of Search. - [ExpressVPN vs Surfshark: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/expressvpn-vs-surfshark): 18.2% Share of Search each. - [ExpressVPN vs CyberGhost: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/cyberghost-vs-expressvpn): 18.2% against 3% Share of Search. - [Surfshark vs CyberGhost: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/cyberghost-vs-surfshark): 18.2% against 3% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for VPN services worldwide in August 2026? - In August 2026, CyberGhost lost estimated Share of Search among VPN services worldwide, from 3.6% to 3%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for ExpressVPN worldwide fell 33.2% over 11 measured months, from 823K to 550K in August 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Surfshark worldwide fell 33.2% over 11 measured months, from 823K to 550K in August 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for NordVPN worldwide fell 18.3% over 11 measured months, from 2.2M to 1.8M in August 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | NordVPN | 60.6% | 1.8M | 0.0% | NordVPN | | 2 | ExpressVPN | 18.2% | 550K | 0.0% | ExpressVPN | | 3 | Surfshark | 18.2% | 550K | 0.0% | Surfshark | | 4 | CyberGhost | 3% | 90.5K | -17.7% | CyberGhost | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | NordVPN | 2.2M | 55.3% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | ExpressVPN | 823K | 20.3% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | Surfshark | 823K | 20.3% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | CyberGhost | 165K | 4.1% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | NordVPN | 2.2M | 57.4% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Surfshark | 823K | 21.1% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | ExpressVPN | 673K | 17.3% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | CyberGhost | 165K | 4.2% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | NordVPN | 2.2M | 55.3% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | ExpressVPN | 823K | 20.3% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | Surfshark | 823K | 20.3% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | CyberGhost | 165K | 4.1% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | NordVPN | 2.2M | 55.3% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | ExpressVPN | 823K | 20.3% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | Surfshark | 823K | 20.3% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | CyberGhost | 165K | 4.1% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | NordVPN | 2.2M | 60.2% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | ExpressVPN | 673K | 18.1% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | Surfshark | 673K | 18.1% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | CyberGhost | 135K | 3.6% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | NordVPN | 2.2M | 55.7% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | ExpressVPN | 823K | 20.5% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | Surfshark | 823K | 20.5% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | CyberGhost | 135K | 3.4% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | NordVPN | 1.8M | 55.7% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | ExpressVPN | 673K | 20.5% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | Surfshark | 673K | 20.5% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | CyberGhost | 110K | 3.3% | 4 | | May 2026 | NordVPN | 1.8M | 57.9% | 1 | | May 2026 | Surfshark | 673K | 21.3% | 2 | | May 2026 | ExpressVPN | 550K | 17.4% | 3 | | May 2026 | CyberGhost | 110K | 3.5% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | NordVPN | 1.8M | 55.3% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | ExpressVPN | 673K | 20.3% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Surfshark | 673K | 20.3% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | CyberGhost | 135K | 4.1% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | NordVPN | 1.8M | 60.2% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | ExpressVPN | 550K | 18.1% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Surfshark | 550K | 18.1% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | CyberGhost | 110K | 3.6% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | NordVPN | 1.8M | 60.6% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | ExpressVPN | 550K | 18.2% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Surfshark | 550K | 18.2% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | CyberGhost | 90.5K | 3% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | CyberGhost | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | ExpressVPN | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | NordVPN | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Surfshark | — | — | — | ## What is being compared - **CyberGhost**: Measured on the search term “cyberghost”. - **ExpressVPN**: Measured on the search term “expressvpn”. - **NordVPN**: Measured on the search term “nordvpn”. - **Surfshark**: Measured on the search term “surfshark”. - [CyberGhost](/demand/global-en/brands/cyberghost) - [ExpressVPN](/demand/global-en/brands/expressvpn) - [NordVPN](/demand/global-en/brands/nordvpn) - [Surfshark](/demand/global-en/brands/surfshark) ## 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 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. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "VPN services: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/vpn-services This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/vpn-services. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.