--- title: "BIC vs Cross: Which is searched more?" description: "Is BIC or Cross more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen brands 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/bic-vs-cross" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # BIC vs Cross: Which is searched more? Is BIC or Cross more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen brands 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**: BIC and Cross - **Competitive set**: Pen brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **BIC Share of Search**: 32.7% - **Cross Share of Search**: 3.2% ## Is BIC or Cross more popular in search? - In September 2026, BIC had more branded searches than Cross among pen brands worldwide. BIC had about 503,000 branded searches, while Cross had 49,500. BIC made up 32.7% of all pen brand searches we track, and Cross accounted for 3.2%. - BIC was ahead of Cross in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BIC’s share of searches among pen brands worldwide moved from 34.7% to 32.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 478K to 503K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cross’ share of searches among pen brands worldwide moved from 3.6% to 3.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 49.5K. ## Top pen brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, BIC and Cross were each mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. BIC and Cross were each listed first in one of the two answers that named either. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pilot | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | uni-ball | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Pentel | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Zebra | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Parker | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Lamy | 6th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | BIC | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Cross | 8th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Faber-Castell | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about pen brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which pen brand should I buy?": 1. Pilot, 2. Pentel, 3. uni-ball, 4. Zebra - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best pen brands?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. Pentel, 4. Zebra, 5. Parker, 6. Lamy, 7. Cross, 8. BIC - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best pen brand for everyday writing?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. Zebra - Searched Google, AI Overview "pen brands": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. Zebra, 4. Pentel, 5. BIC, 6. Parker, 7. Cross, 8. Lamy - Searched Google, AI Overview "best pen": 1. uni-ball, 2. Pentel, 3. Pilot, 4. Lamy Not named in any answer: Faber-Castell. 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 pen brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, BIC gained share of searches among pen brands worldwide, from 31.8% to 32.7%. - In September 2026, Cross rose from 6th to 5th among pen brands worldwide. ## Month by month | Month | BIC estimated searches | BIC Share of Search | BIC rank | Cross estimated searches | Cross Share of Search | Cross rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 478K | 34.7% | 1 | 49.5K | 3.6% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 478K | 34.4% | 1 | 60.5K | 4.3% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 483K | 32.5% | 1 | 74K | 5% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 492K | 32.9% | 1 | 49.5K | 3.3% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 411K | 31.2% | 1 | 49.5K | 3.8% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 478K | 36% | 1 | 49.5K | 3.7% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 478K | 37.6% | 1 | 49.5K | 3.9% | 5 | | May 2026 | 411K | 34.1% | 1 | 49.5K | 4.1% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 402K | 34.8% | 1 | 49.5K | 4.3% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 402K | 30.6% | 1 | 49.5K | 3.8% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 503K | 31.8% | 1 | 49.5K | 3.1% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 503K | 32.7% | 1 | 49.5K | 3.2% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BIC’s and Cross’ 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. - **BIC**: Measured on the search terms “bic”, “bic lighter” and “bic pen”, summed into one figure. - **Cross**: Measured on the search term “cross pens”. - [BIC profile](/demand/global-en/brands/bic) - [Cross profile](/demand/global-en/brands/cross) - [All pen brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/pen-brands): 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 BIC or Cross more popular in search? In September 2026, BIC had more branded searches than Cross among pen brands worldwide. BIC had about 503,000 branded searches, while Cross had 49,500. BIC made up 32.7% of all pen brand searches we track, and Cross accounted for 3.2%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "BIC vs Cross: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/bic-vs-cross This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/bic-vs-cross. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.