--- title: "Apache Kafka vs Redpanda: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Apache Kafka or Redpanda more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Event streaming platforms 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/apache-kafka-vs-redpanda" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Apache Kafka vs Redpanda: Which is searched more? Is Apache Kafka or Redpanda more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Event streaming platforms 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**: Apache Kafka and Redpanda - **Competitive set**: Event streaming platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Apache Kafka Share of Search**: 52.3% - **Redpanda Share of Search**: 1.1% ## Is Apache Kafka or Redpanda more popular in search? - In September 2026, Apache Kafka had more branded searches than Redpanda among event streaming platforms worldwide. Apache Kafka had about 49,500 branded searches, while Redpanda had 1,000. Apache Kafka made up 52.3% of all event streaming platform searches we track, and Redpanda accounted for 1.1%. - Apache Kafka was ahead of Redpanda in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apache Kafka’s share of searches among event streaming platforms worldwide moved from 46.1% to 52.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 60.5K to 49.5K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Redpanda’s share of searches among event streaming platforms worldwide moved from 0.76% to 1.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1K. ## Top event streaming platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Apache Kafka appeared in all five answers. Redpanda was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Apache Kafka was listed before Redpanda 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Apache Kafka | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Confluent | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Amazon Kinesis | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Redpanda | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Apache Pulsar | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Apache Flink | 6th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Google Pub/Sub | 7th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Azure Event Hubs | 8th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about event streaming platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which event streaming platform should I use?": 1. Apache Kafka, 2. Confluent, 3. Amazon Kinesis, 4. Redpanda, 5. Apache Pulsar - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best event streaming platforms?": 1. Apache Kafka, 2. Confluent, 3. Amazon Kinesis, 4. Redpanda, 5. Apache Pulsar, 6. Azure Event Hubs, 7. Google Pub/Sub, 8. Apache Flink - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best event streaming platform for live event data?": 1. Confluent, 2. Apache Kafka, 3. Redpanda, 4. Apache Flink, 5. Amazon Kinesis, 6. Google Pub/Sub - Searched Google, AI Overview "event streaming platforms": 1. Apache Kafka, 2. Confluent, 3. Redpanda, 4. Apache Pulsar, 5. Amazon Kinesis, 6. Azure Event Hubs, 7. Apache Flink - Searched Google, AI Overview "real time event streaming": 1. Apache Kafka, 2. Amazon Kinesis, 3. Google Pub/Sub, 4. Apache Flink Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for event streaming platforms worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Apache Kafka gained share of searches among event streaming platforms worldwide, from 49.1% to 52.3%. - In September 2026, Redpanda lost share of searches among event streaming platforms worldwide, from 1.6% to 1.1%. ## Month by month | Month | Apache Kafka estimated searches | Apache Kafka Share of Search | Apache Kafka rank | Redpanda estimated searches | Redpanda Share of Search | Redpanda rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 60.5K | 46.1% | 1 | 1K | 0.76% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | 60.5K | 49.6% | 1 | 1K | 0.82% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | 49.5K | 47.9% | 1 | 880 | 0.85% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | 49.5K | 45.6% | 1 | 1K | 0.92% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 49.5K | 46.4% | 1 | 1K | 0.94% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | 60.5K | 47.3% | 1 | 1.3K | 1% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | 49.5K | 46.4% | 1 | 1K | 0.94% | 7 | | May 2026 | 49.5K | 48.9% | 1 | 1K | 0.99% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | 40.5K | 45.3% | 1 | 1K | 1.1% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | 40.5K | 47.5% | 1 | 1K | 1.2% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | 40.5K | 49.1% | 1 | 1.3K | 1.6% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 49.5K | 52.3% | 1 | 1K | 1.1% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apache Kafka’s and Redpanda’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. - **Apache Kafka**: Measured on the search term “apache kafka”. - **Redpanda**: Measured on the search term “redpanda data”. - [Apache Kafka profile](/demand/global-en/brands/apache-kafka) - [Redpanda profile](/demand/global-en/brands/redpanda) - [All event streaming platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/event-streaming-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 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 Apache Kafka or Redpanda more popular in search? In September 2026, Apache Kafka had more branded searches than Redpanda among event streaming platforms worldwide. Apache Kafka had about 49,500 branded searches, while Redpanda had 1,000. Apache Kafka made up 52.3% of all event streaming platform searches we track, and Redpanda accounted for 1.1%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Apache Kafka vs Redpanda: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/apache-kafka-vs-redpanda This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/apache-kafka-vs-redpanda. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.