--- title: "Altair vs SolidWorks: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Altair or SolidWorks more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Simulation software 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/compare/altair-vs-solidworks" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Altair vs SolidWorks: Which is searched more? Is Altair or SolidWorks more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Simulation software 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**: Altair and SolidWorks - **Competitive set**: Simulation software - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Altair Share of Search**: 16.2% - **SolidWorks Share of Search**: 53.8% ## Is Altair or SolidWorks more popular in search? - In September 2026, SolidWorks had more branded searches than Altair among simulation software worldwide. SolidWorks had about 550,000 branded searches, while Altair had 165,000. SolidWorks made up 53.8% of all simulation software searches we track, and Altair accounted for 16.2%. - SolidWorks was ahead of Altair in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Altair’s share of searches among simulation software worldwide moved from 18.3% to 16.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 201K to 165K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SolidWorks’ share of searches among simulation software worldwide moved from 50.2% to 53.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 550K. ## Top simulation software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, SolidWorks was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Altair did not appear in any of the five answers. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ansys | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | COMSOL | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | MATLAB Simulink | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | AnyLogic | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Abaqus | 5th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | SolidWorks | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | OpenFOAM | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | SimScale | 8th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Altair | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about simulation software - Asked ChatGPT "Which simulation software should I use?": 1. MATLAB Simulink, 2. Ansys, 3. COMSOL, 4. OpenFOAM, 5. AnyLogic - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best simulation software tools?": 1. Ansys, 2. COMSOL, 3. MATLAB Simulink, 4. OpenFOAM, 5. AnyLogic, 6. SimScale - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best simulation software for product design?": 1. Ansys, 2. SolidWorks - Searched Google, AI Overview "simulation software": 1. AnyLogic, 2. Ansys, 3. SimScale, 4. Abaqus - Searched Google, AI Overview "finite element software": 1. Ansys, 2. Abaqus, 3. COMSOL, 4. SolidWorks, 5. SimScale Not named in any answer: Altair. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for simulation software worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, SolidWorks gained share of searches among simulation software worldwide, from 51.9% to 53.8%. - In September 2026, Altair lost share of searches among simulation software worldwide, from 19% to 16.2%. ## Month by month | Month | Altair estimated searches | Altair Share of Search | Altair rank | SolidWorks estimated searches | SolidWorks Share of Search | SolidWorks rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 201K | 18.3% | 2 | 550K | 50.2% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 201K | 19% | 2 | 550K | 52.1% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 201K | 22.1% | 2 | 450K | 49.5% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 201K | 19.2% | 2 | 550K | 52.4% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 165K | 16.5% | 2 | 550K | 54.9% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 201K | 18.9% | 2 | 550K | 51.6% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 165K | 17.9% | 2 | 450K | 48.8% | 1 | | May 2026 | 165K | 18.7% | 2 | 450K | 51% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 165K | 19% | 2 | 450K | 51.7% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 165K | 18.9% | 2 | 450K | 51.5% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 165K | 19% | 2 | 450K | 51.9% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 165K | 16.2% | 2 | 550K | 53.8% | 1 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Altair’s and SolidWorks’ 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. - **Altair**: Measured on the search term “altair”. - **SolidWorks**: Measured on the search term “solidworks”. - [Altair profile](/demand/global-en/brands/altair) - [SolidWorks profile](/demand/global-en/brands/solidworks) - [All simulation software worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/simulation-software): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 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 Altair or SolidWorks more popular in search? In September 2026, SolidWorks had more branded searches than Altair among simulation software worldwide. SolidWorks had about 550,000 branded searches, while Altair had 165,000. SolidWorks made up 53.8% of all simulation software searches we track, and Altair accounted for 16.2%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Altair vs SolidWorks: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/altair-vs-solidworks This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/altair-vs-solidworks. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.