Cholula vs Melinda’s:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Cholula had more branded searches than Melinda’s among hot sauce brands worldwide. Cholula had about 135,000 branded searches, while Melinda’s had 12,100. Cholula made up 17.4% of all hot sauce brand searches we track, and Melinda’s accounted for 1.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about hot sauce brands, Cholula appeared in all five answers and Melinda’s in none.
Who do people search for more?
Cholula, about 11 searches for every 1 for Melinda’s
Who does AI mention more?
Cholula, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Cholula, the only one of the two named
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Top hot sauce brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Cholula appeared in all five answers. Melinda’s did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Cholula1st
Tapatío2nd
Tabasco3rd
Frank's RedHot4th
Crystal5th
Huy Fong6th
Valentina7th
El Yucateco8th
Secret Aardvark9th- +3 more
Melinda’s–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Cholula5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Tabasco4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Tapatío4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Huy Fong4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Crystal3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- El Yucateco3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Frank's RedHot3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Valentina2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Marie Sharp’s2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Melinda’s0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about hot sauce brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which hot sauce brand should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best hot sauce brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best hot sauce brand for tacos?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“hot sauce”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“hot sauce brands”
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 22, 2026.
Is Cholula or Melinda’s more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Cholula and Melinda’s by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 13 hot sauce brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Cholula, Melinda’s. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Tabasco | Cholula | Tapatío | Valentina | Crystal | Huy Fong | El Yucateco | Yellowbird | Melinda’s | TRUFF | Marie Sharp’s | Frank's RedHot | Secret Aardvark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 40.4% | 18.1% | 18.1% | 6.6% | 3.6% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2% | 2% | 2.4% | 0.89% | 0.59% | 0.39% |
| Nov 2025 | 42.5% | 19.1% | 15.5% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 2.1% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.6% | 0.93% | 0.62% | 0.41% |
| Dec 2025 | 41.3% | 18.5% | 15.1% | 5.6% | 3.7% | 3% | 2% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 3.7% | 1.1% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| Jan 2026 | 39.4% | 17.7% | 17.7% | 5.3% | 4.3% | 3.5% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 1.1% | 0.58% | 0.38% |
| Feb 2026 | 41.1% | 18.4% | 18.4% | 5.5% | 4.5% | 2.5% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1.7% | 0.9% | 0.6% | 0.33% |
| Mar 2026 | 40.4% | 18.1% | 18.1% | 5.4% | 4.4% | 3.6% | 2.4% | 2% | 2% | 1.6% | 0.89% | 0.59% | 0.39% |
| Apr 2026 | 38.7% | 17.3% | 21.2% | 5.2% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 0.85% | 0.46% | 0.46% |
| May 2026 | 40.3% | 18.1% | 18.1% | 5.4% | 3.6% | 4.4% | 2.4% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 0.88% | 0.48% | 0.39% |
| Jun 2026 | 42.1% | 18.9% | 15.4% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 0.92% | 0.5% | 0.34% |
| Jul 2026 | 41.2% | 18.5% | 15.1% | 6.8% | 4.5% | 2.5% | 3% | 2.5% | 2% | 2% | 0.9% | 0.49% | 0.4% |
| Aug 2026 | 39.9% | 17.9% | 17.9% | 6.6% | 4.4% | 2% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2% | 1.6% | 0.87% | 0.48% | 0.71% |
| Sep 2026 | 47.4% | 17.4% | 14.2% | 5.2% | 4.3% | 2.9% | 2.3% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 0.85% | 0.46% | 0.37% |
How has the Cholula and Melinda’s comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Cholula was ahead of Melinda’s in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cholula’s share of searches among hot sauce brands worldwide moved from 18.1% to 17.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 135K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Melinda’s’ share of searches among hot sauce brands worldwide moved from 2% to 1.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.8K to 12.1K.
How did search popularity change for hot sauce brands worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
Cholula’s share of searches among hot sauce brands worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 18.9% to 17.4% in September 2026.
Melinda’s’ share of searches among hot sauce brands worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 2.1% to 1.6% in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cholula’s and Melinda’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.
Other head-to-heads among hot sauce brands
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