---
title: "Barnes & Noble vs Waterstones: Which is more popular by branded search?"
description: "Which is more popular in search, Barnes & Noble or Waterstones? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Bookstores 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/barnes-noble-vs-waterstones"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Barnes & Noble vs Waterstones: Which is more popular by branded search?

Which is more popular in search, Barnes & Noble or Waterstones? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Bookstores 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**: Barnes & Noble and Waterstones
- **Competitive set**: Bookstores
- **Market**: Global
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Barnes & Noble Share of Search**: 94.1%
- **Waterstones Share of Search**: 0.15%

## Which is more popular in search, Barnes & Noble or Waterstones?

- In August 2026, Barnes & Noble had more branded searches than Waterstones among bookstores worldwide. Barnes & Noble was estimated to have 7.5M branded searches compared to Waterstones’ 12.1K, and held a 94.1% Share of Search versus Waterstones’ 0.15%.
- Barnes & Noble was ahead of Waterstones in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Barnes & Noble’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide moved from 89.4% to 94.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.1M to 7.5M.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Waterstones’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide moved from 0.26% to 0.15%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.1K to 12.1K.

## How did search popularity change for bookstores worldwide in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Barnes & Noble lost estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide, from 94.6% to 94.1%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Waterstones worldwide fell 33.1% over 11 measured months, from 18.1K to 12.1K in August 2026.

## Month by month

| Month | Barnes & Noble estimated searches | Barnes & Noble Share of Search | Barnes & Noble rank | Waterstones estimated searches | Waterstones Share of Search | Waterstones rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 6.1M | 89.4% | 1 | 18.1K | 0.26% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | 7.5M | 92% | 1 | 22.2K | 0.27% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | 11.1M | 94.1% | 1 | 27.1K | 0.23% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | 7.5M | 93.4% | 1 | 14.8K | 0.18% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | 6.1M | 94% | 1 | 14.8K | 0.23% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | 7.5M | 94.5% | 1 | 14.8K | 0.19% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | 7.5M | 94.2% | 1 | 9.9K | 0.12% | 4 |
| May 2026 | 7.5M | 94.1% | 1 | 12.1K | 0.15% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | 7.5M | 94.1% | 1 | 12.1K | 0.15% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | 7.5M | 94.6% | 1 | 12.1K | 0.15% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | 7.5M | 94.1% | 1 | 12.1K | 0.15% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Barnes & Noble’s and Waterstones’ 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.

- **Barnes & Noble**: Measured on the search term “barnes and noble”.
- **Waterstones**: Measured on the search term “waterstones books”.

- [Barnes & Noble profile](/demand/global-en/brands/barnes-noble)
- [Waterstones profile](/demand/global-en/brands/waterstones)
- [All bookstores worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/bookstores): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 brands.

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is more popular in search, Barnes & Noble or Waterstones?

In August 2026, Barnes & Noble had more branded searches than Waterstones among bookstores worldwide. Barnes & Noble was estimated to have 7.5M branded searches compared to Waterstones’ 12.1K, and held a 94.1% Share of Search versus Waterstones’ 0.15%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Barnes & Noble vs Waterstones: Which is more popular by branded search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/barnes-noble-vs-waterstones

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/barnes-noble-vs-waterstones. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.