Brandwave

Atlas Obscura vs Lonely Planet:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Lonely Planet had more branded searches than Atlas Obscura among travel guide platforms worldwide. Lonely Planet had about 110,000 branded searches, while Atlas Obscura had 90,500. Lonely Planet made up 2.1% of all travel guide platform searches we track, and Atlas Obscura accounted for 1.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about travel guide platforms, Lonely Planet appeared in all five answers and Atlas Obscura in two. Lonely Planet was mentioned before Atlas Obscura in every answer.

Among travel guide platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Lonely Planet, about 22% more searches than Atlas Obscura

Lonely Planet 110K searchesAtlas Obscura 90.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Lonely Planet, mentioned in every answer we collected

Lonely Planet in 5 of 5Atlas Obscura in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Lonely Planet, named ahead of Atlas Obscura in every answer

Lonely Planet first in 5Atlas Obscura never first

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Top travel guide platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Lonely Planet appeared in all five answers. Atlas Obscura was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Lonely Planet was listed before Atlas Obscura in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Lonely Planet1st
  2. Wanderlog2nd
  3. Rick Steves3rd
  4. Tripadvisor4th
  5. Atlas Obscura4th
  6. Culture Trip6th
  7. Rome2Rio7th
  8. Time Out8th
  9. Wikivoyage–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Lonely Planet5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Wanderlog3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Rick Steves3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Tripadvisor2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Rome2Rio2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Atlas Obscura2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Time Out1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Culture Trip1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Wikivoyage0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about travel guide platforms

5 answers

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 Atlas Obscura or Lonely Planet more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Atlas Obscura and Lonely Planet by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine travel guide platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Atlas Obscura and Lonely Planet among travel guide platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Lonely Planet, Atlas Obscura. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthTripadvisorRome2RioTime OutWanderlogLonely PlanetAtlas ObscuraRick StevesWikivoyageCulture Trip
Oct 202577.5%8.5%3.8%3.1%2.6%2.1%2.1%0.28%0.08%
Nov 202577%8.5%3.8%3.1%3.1%2.1%2.1%0.28%0.07%
Dec 202575.5%8.3%4.5%3.7%3%2%2.5%0.33%0.07%
Jan 202676.5%8.4%4.6%3.8%2.5%1.7%2.1%0.34%0.07%
Feb 202677.5%8.5%3.8%3.8%2.6%1.7%1.7%0.34%0.07%
Mar 202672.4%9.7%3.6%5.3%4.4%1.9%2.4%0.21%0.06%
Apr 202674.8%10.1%3.7%4.5%3%1.7%2%0.22%0.07%
May 202680.1%7.2%3.2%3.9%1.8%1.8%1.8%0.24%0.06%
Jun 202681.2%7.3%3.3%3.3%1.5%1.8%1.5%0.2%0.05%
Jul 202680.6%7.3%3.2%3.2%1.8%1.8%1.8%0.24%0.05%
Aug 202680.4%7.2%3.2%4%1.5%1.8%1.8%0.19%0.05%
Sep 202677.8%7%4.7%4.7%2.1%1.7%1.7%0.28%0.06%

How has the Atlas Obscura and Lonely Planet comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for travel guide platforms worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Lonely Planet overtook Atlas Obscura and Rick Steves to rank 5th among travel guide platforms worldwide, with 2.1% of the searches.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Atlas Obscura worldwide fell 17.7% over 12 measured months, from 110K to 90.5K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Atlas Obscura’s and Lonely Planet’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.

Atlas Obscura

1 branded search term

  • atlas obscura

Lonely Planet

1 branded search term

  • lonely planet

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among travel guide platforms

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