Brandwave

Ghost vs Leaky Paywall:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Ghost had more branded searches than Leaky Paywall among digital publishing paywall platforms worldwide. Ghost had about 11,000 branded searches, while Leaky Paywall had 170. Ghost made up 2.8% of all digital publishing paywall platform searches we track, and Leaky Paywall accounted for 0.04%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about digital publishing paywall platforms, Leaky Paywall appeared in four of the five answers and Ghost in two. Leaky Paywall was mentioned before Ghost in three out of four answers.

Among digital publishing paywall platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Ghost, about 65 searches for every 1 for Leaky Paywall

Ghost 11K searchesLeaky Paywall 170 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Leaky Paywall, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Ghost in 2

Leaky Paywall in 4 of 5Ghost in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Leaky Paywall, named ahead of Ghost in 3 of 4 answers

Leaky Paywall first in 3Ghost first in 1

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Top digital publishing paywall platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Leaky Paywall was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Ghost was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Leaky Paywall was listed before Ghost in three out of four answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Piano1st
  2. Pelcro2nd
  3. Leaky Paywall3rd
  4. Ghost4th
  5. Zephr5th
  6. Poool6th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Piano4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Pelcro4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Leaky Paywall4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Zephr3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ghost2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Poool1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about digital publishing paywall platforms

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Is Ghost or Leaky Paywall more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Ghost and Leaky Paywall by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six digital publishing paywall platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Ghost and Leaky Paywall among digital publishing paywall platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Ghost, Leaky Paywall. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthZephrGhostPooolPianoPelcroLeaky Paywall
Oct 202594%3.4%1.7%0.46%0.41%0.08%
Nov 202594.1%3.4%1.7%0.45%0.31%0.08%
Dec 202594.2%3.3%1.7%0.45%0.28%0.07%
Jan 202693.7%3.5%2.1%0.45%0.23%0.08%
Feb 202694.2%3.4%1.7%0.37%0.28%0.08%
Mar 202693.1%4%2.1%0.46%0.31%0.08%
Apr 202694.2%3.5%1.7%0.3%0.23%0.07%
May 202692.7%4%2.5%0.47%0.27%0.06%
Jun 202695.4%2.3%1.7%0.26%0.19%0.04%
Jul 202693.8%2.9%2.6%0.37%0.28%0.05%
Aug 202694.1%3.1%2.1%0.34%0.28%0.05%
Sep 202694.8%2.8%1.7%0.3%0.26%0.04%

How has the Ghost and Leaky Paywall comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for digital publishing paywall platforms worldwide in September 2026?

1 change

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Leaky Paywall worldwide fell 34.6% over 12 measured months, from 260 to 170 in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

13 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ghost’s and Leaky Paywall’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.

Ghost

11 branded search terms

  • ghost blog platform
  • ghost blogging platform
  • Ghost CMS
  • ghost cms docker
  • ghost cms github
  • ghost cms themes
  • ghost headless cms
  • ghost io
  • ghost publishing platform
  • ghost wordpress
  • ghost.io

Leaky Paywall

2 branded search terms

  • leaky paywall
  • leakypaywall

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among digital publishing paywall platforms

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