--- title: "Criteo vs Meta Ads: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Criteo or Meta Ads more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Retargeting platforms 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/criteo-vs-meta-ads" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Criteo vs Meta Ads: Which is searched more? Is Criteo or Meta Ads more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Retargeting platforms 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**: Criteo and Meta Ads - **Competitive set**: Retargeting platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Criteo Share of Search**: 0.67% - **Meta Ads Share of Search**: 13.7% ## Is Criteo or Meta Ads more popular in search? - In September 2026, Meta Ads had more branded searches than Criteo among retargeting platforms worldwide. Meta Ads had about 823,000 branded searches, while Criteo had 40,500. Meta Ads made up 13.7% of all retargeting platform searches we track, and Criteo accounted for 0.67%. - Meta Ads was ahead of Criteo in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Criteo’s share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide moved from 1.2% to 0.67%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 60.5K to 40.5K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Meta Ads’ share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide moved from 11.3% to 13.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 550K to 823K. ## Top retargeting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Criteo and Meta Ads showed up in all five answers. Meta Ads was listed before Criteo in every answer. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Meta Ads | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Google Ads | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | AdRoll | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Criteo | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | LinkedIn Ads | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Taboola | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | RTB House | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Outbrain | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Perfect Audience | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about retargeting platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which retargeting platform should I use?": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. Criteo - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best retargeting platforms?": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. LinkedIn Ads, 5. Criteo - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best retargeting platform for an ad team?": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. Criteo - Searched Google, AI Overview "retargeting software": 1. AdRoll, 2. Google Ads, 3. Meta Ads, 4. LinkedIn Ads, 5. Criteo - Searched Google, AI Overview "best retargeting platform": 1. Meta Ads, 2. Google Ads, 3. AdRoll, 4. Criteo, 5. LinkedIn Ads Not named in any answer: Taboola, RTB House, Outbrain and Perfect Audience. 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 retargeting platforms worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Meta Ads lost share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide, from 16.1% to 13.7%. - In September 2026, Criteo fell from 4th to 5th among retargeting platforms worldwide. ## Month by month | Month | Criteo estimated searches | Criteo Share of Search | Criteo rank | Meta Ads estimated searches | Meta Ads Share of Search | Meta Ads rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 60.5K | 1.2% | 3 | 550K | 11.3% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 49.5K | 1% | 4 | 450K | 9.5% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 40.5K | 0.86% | 4 | 450K | 9.5% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 49.5K | 1% | 3 | 550K | 11.3% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 49.5K | 1% | 3 | 550K | 11.3% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 49.5K | 0.99% | 4 | 673K | 13.5% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 49.5K | 1% | 3 | 673K | 13.5% | 2 | | May 2026 | 40.5K | 0.82% | 5 | 673K | 13.6% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 49.5K | 1% | 3 | 673K | 13.5% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 49.5K | 1% | 3 | 673K | 13.5% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 40.5K | 0.79% | 4 | 823K | 16.1% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 40.5K | 0.67% | 5 | 823K | 13.7% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Criteo’s and Meta Ads’ 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. - **Criteo**: Measured on the search term “criteo”. - **Meta Ads**: Measured on the search term “meta ads”. - [Criteo profile](/demand/global-en/brands/criteo) - [Meta Ads profile](/demand/global-en/brands/meta-ads) - [All retargeting platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/retargeting-platforms): 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 Criteo or Meta Ads more popular in search? In September 2026, Meta Ads had more branded searches than Criteo among retargeting platforms worldwide. Meta Ads had about 823,000 branded searches, while Criteo had 40,500. Meta Ads made up 13.7% of all retargeting platform searches we track, and Criteo accounted for 0.67%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Criteo vs Meta Ads: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/criteo-vs-meta-ads This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/criteo-vs-meta-ads. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.