--- title: "HOKA vs New Balance: Which is searched more?" description: "Is HOKA or New Balance more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Walking shoe brands 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/walking-shoe-brands/compare/hoka-vs-new-balance" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # HOKA vs New Balance: Which is searched more? Is HOKA or New Balance more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Walking shoe brands 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**: HOKA and New Balance - **Competitive set**: Walking shoe brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **HOKA Share of Search**: 19.7% - **New Balance Share of Search**: 19.7% ## Is HOKA or New Balance more popular in search? - In September 2026, HOKA and New Balance were level in searches among walking shoe brands worldwide, with an estimated 22.2K branded searches each, at 19.7% of the total each. - The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending September 2026: New Balance took it in July 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, HOKA’s share of searches among walking shoe brands worldwide moved from 20.6% to 19.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 22.2K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, New Balance’s share of searches among walking shoe brands worldwide moved from 20.6% to 19.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 22.2K. ## Top walking shoe brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both HOKA and New Balance showed up in all five answers. HOKA was listed before New Balance in every answer. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Brooks | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | HOKA | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | New Balance | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | On | 4th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | ASICS | 5th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Skechers | 6th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Saucony | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Merrell | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Clarks | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Ryka | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Vionic | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about walking shoe brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which walking shoes should I buy?": 1. Brooks, 2. HOKA, 3. ASICS, 4. New Balance - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best walking shoe brands?": 1. HOKA, 2. New Balance, 3. Brooks, 4. ASICS, 5. Saucony, 6. Skechers - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best walking shoes for plantar fasciitis?": 1. HOKA, 2. Brooks, 3. ASICS, 4. New Balance - Searched Google, AI Overview "walking shoes": 1. Brooks, 2. On, 3. HOKA, 4. New Balance, 5. Skechers - Searched Google, AI Overview "best walking shoes": 1. On, 2. Brooks, 3. HOKA, 4. New Balance, 5. Skechers, 6. ASICS Not named in any answer: Merrell, Clarks, Ryka and Vionic. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 25, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for walking shoe brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, HOKA overtook New Balance to become the leader among walking shoe brands worldwide, with 19.7% of the searches. - In September 2026, New Balance lost share of searches among walking shoe brands worldwide, from 22.1% to 19.7%. ## Month by month | Month | HOKA estimated searches | HOKA Share of Search | HOKA rank | New Balance estimated searches | New Balance Share of Search | New Balance rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 22.2K | 20.6% | 1 | 22.2K | 20.6% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 22.2K | 20.7% | 1 | 22.2K | 20.7% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 22.2K | 22.8% | 1 | 18.1K | 18.6% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 22.2K | 21% | 1 | 22.2K | 21% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 18.1K | 19.8% | 1 | 18.1K | 19.8% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 27.1K | 21.5% | 1 | 27.1K | 21.5% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 33.1K | 24.6% | 1 | 27.1K | 20.1% | 2 | | May 2026 | 27.1K | 22.4% | 1 | 22.2K | 18.3% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 22.2K | 20.8% | 1 | 22.2K | 20.8% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 18.1K | 18.5% | 2 | 22.2K | 22.6% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 22.2K | 18.1% | 2 | 27.1K | 22.1% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 22.2K | 19.7% | 1 | 22.2K | 19.7% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using HOKA’s and New Balance’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. - **HOKA**: Measured on the search term “hoka walking shoes”. - **New Balance**: Measured on the search term “new balance walking shoes”. - [HOKA profile](/demand/global-en/brands/hoka) - [New Balance profile](/demand/global-en/brands/new-balance) - [All walking shoe brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/walking-shoe-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 11 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 HOKA or New Balance more popular in search? In September 2026, HOKA and New Balance were level in searches among walking shoe brands worldwide, with an estimated 22.2K branded searches each, at 19.7% of the total each. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "HOKA vs New Balance: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/walking-shoe-brands/compare/hoka-vs-new-balance This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/walking-shoe-brands/compare/hoka-vs-new-balance. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.