Brandwave

Forrester Research vs Nielsen:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Nielsen had more branded searches than Forrester Research among market research companies worldwide. Nielsen had about 12,100 branded searches, while Forrester Research had 3,600. Nielsen made up 1.2% of all market research company searches we track, and Forrester Research accounted for 0.35%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about market research companies, Forrester Research appeared in three of the five answers and Nielsen in two. Nielsen was mentioned before Forrester Research in two out of three answers that named either.

Among market research companies worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Nielsen, about 3 searches for every 1 for Forrester Research

Nielsen 12.1K searchesForrester Research 3.6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Forrester Research, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Nielsen in 2

Forrester Research in 3 of 5Nielsen in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Nielsen, named ahead of Forrester Research in 2 of 3 answers

Nielsen first in 2Forrester Research first in 1

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Top market research companies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Forrester Research was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Nielsen was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Nielsen was listed before Forrester Research in two out of three answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Ipsos1st
  2. Kantar2nd
  3. Nielsen3rd
  4. NielsenIQ4th
  5. Forrester Research5th
  6. Circana6th
  7. YouGov7th
  8. Touchstone Research8th
  9. Mintel9th
  10. B2B International10th
  11. +3 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Ipsos5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • NielsenIQ3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Kantar3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Forrester Research3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • YouGov2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Circana2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Nielsen2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • B2B International2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Touchstone Research2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Euromonitor1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+3 more

See every answer about market research companies

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 21, 2026.

Is Forrester Research or Nielsen more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Forrester Research and Nielsen by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 13 market research companies we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Forrester Research and Nielsen among market research companies worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Nielsen, Forrester Research. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthIpsosYouGovNielsenIQGfKKantarCircanaEuromonitorMintelVerianNielsenForrester ResearchB2B InternationalTouchstone Research
Oct 202525.8%21.1%19.1%9.4%11.6%2.8%2.8%4.2%1.3%1%0.57%0.08%0.03%
Nov 202519.7%24.1%22.3%10.8%10.8%2.7%3.2%3.2%1.2%1.4%0.43%0.09%0.03%
Dec 202522.1%22.1%24.6%10%10%3%2.4%3%1.1%1.1%0.48%0.08%0.02%
Jan 202619.8%24.2%26.4%8.9%8.9%2.7%2.7%3.3%1.2%1.5%0.43%0.09%0.03%
Feb 202621.5%21.5%24.4%9.7%9.7%2.9%2.9%4.3%1.1%1.3%0.58%0.09%0.04%
Mar 202622.8%22.8%21.2%10.2%10.2%3.1%3.1%3.8%1.4%0.92%0.5%0.08%0.04%
Apr 202627.4%22.4%20.8%8.2%10%2.5%2.5%3.7%1.1%0.9%0.4%0.07%0.04%
May 202624.2%24.2%22.5%7.3%10.8%2.7%2.2%3.3%1.2%1.2%0.35%0.07%0.03%
Jun 202630.4%20.3%23.1%6.1%9.2%2.7%2.2%2.7%1.2%1.5%0.36%0.07%0.02%
Jul 202621.8%26.7%24.7%6.6%9.8%2.9%2%2.4%1.1%1.6%0.39%0.08%0.03%
Aug 202626%21.3%24.1%7.8%9.6%2.9%2.3%2.3%1.3%1.9%0.38%0.08%0.03%
Sep 202624.1%24.1%22.4%8.9%8.9%3.2%2.7%2.7%1.5%1.2%0.35%0.07%0.03%

How has the Forrester Research and Nielsen comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for market research companies worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Nielsen lost share of searches among market research companies worldwide, from 1.9% to 1.2%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Forrester Research worldwide fell 45.5% over 12 measured months, from 6.6K to 3.6K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Forrester Research’s and Nielsen’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.

Forrester Research

1 branded search term

  • forrester research

Nielsen

1 branded search term

  • nielsen survey

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among market research companies

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