Dr. Martens vs Red Wing:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Red Wing had more branded searches than Dr. Martens among work boot brands worldwide. Red Wing had about 53,300 branded searches, while Dr. Martens had 21,400. Red Wing made up 10.2% of all work boot brand searches we track, and Dr. Martens accounted for 4.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about work boot brands, Red Wing appeared in all five answers and Dr. Martens in none.
Who do people search for more?
Red Wing, about 2 searches for every 1 for Dr. Martens
Who does AI mention more?
Red Wing, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Red Wing, the only one of the two named
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Top work boot brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Red Wing appeared in all five answers. Dr. Martens did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Red Wing5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- KEEN Utility5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Thorogood4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Timberland PRO3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Wolverine2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Ariat1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Danner1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Georgia Boot0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Caterpillar0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Dr. Martens0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about work boot brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which work boot brand should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best work boot brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best work boot brand for all day comfort?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best work boots”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“comfortable work boots”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is Dr. Martens or Red Wing more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Dr. Martens and Red Wing by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 14 work boot brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Red Wing, Dr. Martens. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Thorogood | Timberland PRO | Ariat | Red Wing | Georgia Boot | Caterpillar | Dr. Martens | Wolverine | Blundstone | Danner | Carhartt | Steel Blue | Oliver | KEEN Utility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 20% | 15.1% | 12.7% | 17.5% | 7.3% | 5.1% | 4.7% | 5.2% | 3% | 2.5% | 2.9% | 1.7% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| Nov 2025 | 21.2% | 16.9% | 15.9% | 15.2% | 7.8% | 4% | 4.1% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 2.3% | 2.9% | 1.5% | 1% | 0.85% |
| Dec 2025 | 20.9% | 23.8% | 9.2% | 11% | 9.4% | 3.6% | 3.3% | 6.9% | 2.1% | 3.7% | 3.5% | 1% | 0.8% | 0.94% |
| Jan 2026 | 16.7% | 31.7% | 8.7% | 12.7% | 6.1% | 5% | 3.3% | 5.2% | 2.2% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 1.2% | 0.97% | 1.1% |
| Feb 2026 | 21.9% | 21.3% | 10.4% | 15.7% | 6.6% | 5% | 4% | 3.7% | 2.7% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 1.6% | 1% | 0.96% |
| Mar 2026 | 19.3% | 24.3% | 12.3% | 11.7% | 7.1% | 5% | 4.3% | 3.6% | 3.2% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 1.3% |
| Apr 2026 | 20.1% | 20.9% | 10.8% | 16.3% | 7.4% | 4.8% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3% | 2.2% | 2.4% | 1.8% | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| May 2026 | 21.1% | 16.9% | 13.5% | 12.1% | 7.8% | 5.6% | 3.3% | 3.6% | 3.2% | 5.6% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 1.5% | 1.4% |
| Jun 2026 | 21.9% | 19.2% | 11.8% | 13% | 6.6% | 5.6% | 3.3% | 3.5% | 3.3% | 4.1% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1.8% | 1.4% |
| Jul 2026 | 17.7% | 19.7% | 11.6% | 19.3% | 6.5% | 5.3% | 3.2% | 3.7% | 3.2% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 1.5% | 1.3% |
| Aug 2026 | 19.4% | 21.7% | 12.8% | 11.8% | 7.2% | 7.1% | 3.6% | 3.8% | 2.9% | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 1.4% | 1.1% |
| Sep 2026 | 21.1% | 19.2% | 13.5% | 10.2% | 7.8% | 6.1% | 4.1% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 1.5% | 1.2% |
Red Wing and Dr. Martens sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “red wing work boots”.
How has the Dr. Martens and Red Wing comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Red Wing was ahead of Dr. Martens in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Dr. Martens’ share of searches among work boot brands worldwide moved from 4.7% to 4.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 32.1K to 21.4K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Red Wing’s share of searches among work boot brands worldwide moved from 17.5% to 10.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 119K to 53.3K.
How did search popularity change for work boot brands worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Dr. Martens overtook Wolverine to rank 7th among work boot brands worldwide, with 4.1% of the searches.
In September 2026, Red Wing lost share of searches among work boot brands worldwide, from 11.8% to 10.2%.
How are branded searches counted?
5 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Dr. Martens’ and Red Wing’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.
Dr. Martens
2 branded search terms
- dr martens safety boots
- dr martens work boots
Red Wing
3 branded search terms
- red wing safety boots
- red wing steel toe boots
- red wing work boots
Other head-to-heads among work boot brands
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