Brandwave

Brave Search vs Google:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Google had more branded searches than Brave Search among search engines worldwide. Google had about 459.5 million branded searches, while Brave Search had 4.1 million. Google made up 81.9% of all search engine searches we track, and Brave Search accounted for 0.73%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about search engines, Google appeared in four of the five answers and Brave Search in three. Google was mentioned before Brave Search in every answer that named either.

Among search engines worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Google, about 112 searches for every 1 for Brave Search

Google 460M searchesBrave Search 4.1M searches

Who does AI mention more?

Google, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Brave Search in 3

Google in 4 of 5Brave Search in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Google, named ahead of Brave Search in 4 of 4 answers

Google first in 4Brave Search never first

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Top search engines in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Google was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Brave Search was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Google was listed before Brave Search in every answer that named either.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Google1st
  2. DuckDuckGo2nd
  3. Bing3rd
  4. Algolia4th
  5. Brave Search5th
  6. Elastic6th
  7. Perplexity7th
  8. Meilisearch8th
  9. Typesense9th
  10. Ecosia10th
  11. +3 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Google4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Bing4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • DuckDuckGo3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Perplexity3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Brave Search3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ecosia2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Algolia2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Elastic2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Meilisearch1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Solr1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

+3 more

See every answer about search engines

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 19, 2026.

Is Brave Search or Google more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Brave Search and Google by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 13 search engines we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Brave Search and Google among search engines worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Google, Brave Search. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogleDuckDuckGoBingPerplexityBrave SearchYahooEcosiaOpenSearchAlgoliaMeilisearchSolrTypesenseElastic
Oct 202580.6%9.8%2.4%6.5%0.48%0.18%0.08%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Nov 202583.2%8.2%2.5%5.3%0.5%0.18%0.08%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Dec 202584.3%8.5%2.5%3.9%0.51%0.19%0.08%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Jan 202684.6%8.5%2.5%3.4%0.51%0.19%0.19%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Feb 202682.5%9.8%2.9%3.9%0.59%0.18%0.14%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Mar 202683.1%10.1%2.5%3.4%0.61%0.18%0.15%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Apr 202684.7%8.4%2.5%3.5%0.62%0.18%0.12%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
May 202683.4%10.3%2.5%2.9%0.62%0.18%0.12%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Jun 202683.6%10.5%2.6%2.4%0.63%0.19%0.13%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Jul 202683.8%10.6%2.6%2.1%0.52%0.19%0.11%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Aug 202683.8%10.5%2.6%2.1%0.63%0.23%0.13%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%
Sep 202681.9%12.1%2.4%2.4%0.73%0.27%0.18%0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%<0.01%

How has the Brave Search and Google comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Google was ahead of Brave Search in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Brave Search’s share of searches among search engines worldwide moved from 0.48% to 0.73%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.7M to 4.1M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Google’s share of searches among search engines worldwide moved from 80.6% to 81.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 460M.

How did search popularity change for search engines worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Google lost share of searches among search engines worldwide, from 83.8% to 81.9%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Brave Search worldwide rose 49.3% over 12 measured months, from 2.7M to 4.1M in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Brave Search’s and Google’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.

Brave Search

1 branded search term

  • brave search

Google

2 branded search terms

  • google
  • google docs

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among search engines

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