---
title: "Esri ArcGIS vs QGIS: Which is more popular by branded search?"
description: "Which is more popular in search, Esri ArcGIS or QGIS? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the GIS software 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/esri-arcgis-vs-qgis"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Esri ArcGIS vs QGIS: Which is more popular by branded search?

Which is more popular in search, Esri ArcGIS or QGIS? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the GIS software 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**: Esri ArcGIS and QGIS
- **Competitive set**: GIS software
- **Market**: Global
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Esri ArcGIS Share of Search**: 27%
- **QGIS Share of Search**: 49.3%

## Which is more popular in search, Esri ArcGIS or QGIS?

- In August 2026, QGIS had more branded searches than Esri ArcGIS among GIS software worldwide. QGIS was estimated to have 368K branded searches compared to Esri ArcGIS’s 201K, and held a 49.3% Share of Search versus Esri ArcGIS’s 27%.
- QGIS was ahead of Esri ArcGIS in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Esri ArcGIS’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide moved from 31.6% to 27%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 301K to 201K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, QGIS’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide moved from 47.2% to 49.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 450K to 368K.

## How did search popularity change for GIS software worldwide in August 2026?

- QGIS’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 50.2% to 49.3% in August 2026.
- Esri ArcGIS’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 27.5% to 27% in August 2026.

## Month by month

| Month | Esri ArcGIS estimated searches | Esri ArcGIS Share of Search | Esri ArcGIS rank | QGIS estimated searches | QGIS Share of Search | QGIS rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 301K | 31.6% | 2 | 450K | 47.2% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | 301K | 31.6% | 2 | 450K | 47.3% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | 246K | 31.6% | 2 | 368K | 47.3% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | 246K | 27.4% | 2 | 450K | 50.2% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | 246K | 27.6% | 2 | 450K | 50.5% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | 301K | 31.6% | 2 | 450K | 47.3% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | 301K | 31.6% | 2 | 450K | 47.3% | 1 |
| May 2026 | 246K | 27.5% | 2 | 450K | 50.2% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | 201K | 27.4% | 2 | 368K | 50.2% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | 201K | 27.2% | 2 | 368K | 49.8% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | 201K | 27% | 2 | 368K | 49.3% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Esri ArcGIS’s and QGIS’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.

- **Esri ArcGIS**: Measured on the search term “arcgis”.
- **QGIS**: Measured on the search term “qgis”.

- [Esri ArcGIS profile](/demand/global-en/brands/esri-arcgis)
- [QGIS profile](/demand/global-en/brands/qgis)
- [All GIS software worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/gis-software): The set both shares are measured inside, 5 brands.

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is more popular in search, Esri ArcGIS or QGIS?

In August 2026, QGIS had more branded searches than Esri ArcGIS among GIS software worldwide. QGIS was estimated to have 368K branded searches compared to Esri ArcGIS’s 201K, and held a 49.3% Share of Search versus Esri ArcGIS’s 27%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Esri ArcGIS vs QGIS: Which is more popular by branded search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/esri-arcgis-vs-qgis

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/esri-arcgis-vs-qgis. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.