--- title: "DayQuil vs Sudafed: Which is searched more?" description: "Is DayQuil or Sudafed more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Cold and flu 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/dayquil-vs-sudafed" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # DayQuil vs Sudafed: Which is searched more? Is DayQuil or Sudafed more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Cold and flu 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**: DayQuil and Sudafed - **Competitive set**: Cold and flu brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **DayQuil Share of Search**: 4.4% - **Sudafed Share of Search**: 9.8% ## Is DayQuil or Sudafed more popular in search? - In September 2026, Sudafed had more branded searches than DayQuil among cold and flu brands worldwide. Sudafed had about 450,000 branded searches, while DayQuil had 201,000. Sudafed made up 9.8% of all cold and flu brand searches we track, and DayQuil accounted for 4.4%. - Sudafed was ahead of DayQuil in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DayQuil’s share of searches among cold and flu brands worldwide moved from 3.2% to 4.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 165K to 201K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sudafed’s share of searches among cold and flu brands worldwide moved from 8.7% to 9.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 450K. ## Top cold and flu brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, DayQuil was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Sudafed was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. DayQuil was listed before Sudafed in three out of four answers. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mucinex | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | DayQuil | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | NyQuil | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Sudafed | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Tylenol | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Vicks | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Strepsils | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Difflam | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Coldrex | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about cold and flu brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which cold and flu brand should I buy?": 1. Vicks, 2. DayQuil, 3. Mucinex, 4. NyQuil - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best cold and flu brands?": 1. Mucinex, 2. DayQuil, 3. NyQuil, 4. Tylenol, 5. Sudafed - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best cold and flu brand for cold symptoms?": 1. Mucinex, 2. DayQuil, 3. NyQuil, 4. Tylenol, 5. Sudafed - Searched Google, AI Overview "best cold medicine": 1. Sudafed, 2. Mucinex, 3. Tylenol - Searched Google, AI Overview "sore throat relief": named none of the brands we track Not named in any answer: Strepsils, Difflam and Coldrex. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for cold and flu brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, DayQuil gained share of searches among cold and flu brands worldwide, from 2.9% to 4.4%. ## Month by month | Month | DayQuil estimated searches | DayQuil Share of Search | DayQuil rank | Sudafed estimated searches | Sudafed Share of Search | Sudafed rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 165K | 3.2% | 7 | 450K | 8.7% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 165K | 3.4% | 7 | 450K | 9.4% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 246K | 4.6% | 7 | 550K | 10.2% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 201K | 3.7% | 7 | 550K | 10.2% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 165K | 3.7% | 7 | 550K | 12.2% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 165K | 3.8% | 7 | 550K | 12.6% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 135K | 3.5% | 7 | 450K | 11.6% | 5 | | May 2026 | 110K | 3.1% | 7 | 368K | 10.3% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 90.5K | 2.7% | 7 | 301K | 9.1% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 90.5K | 2.7% | 7 | 301K | 9.1% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 110K | 2.9% | 7 | 368K | 9.8% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 201K | 4.4% | 7 | 450K | 9.8% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using DayQuil’s and Sudafed’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. - **DayQuil**: Measured on the search term “dayquil”. - **Sudafed**: Measured on the search term “sudafed”. - [DayQuil profile](/demand/global-en/brands/dayquil) - [Sudafed profile](/demand/global-en/brands/sudafed) - [All cold and flu brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/cold-and-flu-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 DayQuil or Sudafed more popular in search? In September 2026, Sudafed had more branded searches than DayQuil among cold and flu brands worldwide. Sudafed had about 450,000 branded searches, while DayQuil had 201,000. Sudafed made up 9.8% of all cold and flu brand searches we track, and DayQuil accounted for 4.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "DayQuil vs Sudafed: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/dayquil-vs-sudafed This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/dayquil-vs-sudafed. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.