Brandwave

Hornby vs Kato:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, Hornby had more branded searches than Kato among model railway brands worldwide. Hornby had about 60,500 branded searches, while Kato had 6,800. Hornby made up 30% of all model railway brand searches we track, and Kato accounted for 3.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about model railway brands, Kato appeared in four of the five answers and Hornby in three. Kato was mentioned before Hornby in every answer.

Among model railway brands worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Hornby, about 9 searches for every 1 for Kato

Hornby 60.5K searchesKato 6.8K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Kato, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Hornby in 3

Kato in 4 of 5Hornby in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Kato, named ahead of Hornby in every answer

Kato first in 3Hornby never first

Follow Hornby vs Kato and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand against a rival →

Top model railway brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

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

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Kato1st
  2. Bachmann2nd
  3. Hornby3rd
  4. Marklin4th
  5. Roco5th
  6. PIKO6th
  7. Athearn7th
  8. Atlas Model Railroad8th
  9. Lionel9th
  10. MTH–
  11. +5 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Bachmann4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kato4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Hornby3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Marklin2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Athearn2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • PIKO2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Lionel1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Atlas Model Railroad1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Roco1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • MTH0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about model railway brands

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 Hornby or Kato more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Hornby and Kato by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 model railway brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Hornby and Kato among model railway brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Hornby, Kato. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthHornbyMTHLionelMarklinBachmannRapido TrainsAthearnKatoWalthersAtlas Model RailroadRocoGraham FarishPecoPIKOFleischmann
Nov 202528.8%10.5%26.3%8.6%7.1%4.7%3%2.8%3.3%2.1%0.66%0.6%0.55%0.51%0.36%
Dec 202526.4%9.7%27.3%9.7%7.9%4.3%3.4%3.1%3.4%1.9%0.61%0.7%0.59%0.55%0.39%
Jan 202633.4%12.2%16.7%10%6.7%4.5%4.1%3.1%3.6%2.4%0.86%0.7%0.73%0.59%0.47%
Feb 202629.7%16.3%14.9%8.9%7.3%4.9%4.7%3.5%4%2.7%0.73%0.79%0.67%0.49%0.51%
Mar 202629.7%16.2%15.7%8.9%5.9%5.9%3.8%3.9%4%2.6%0.68%0.93%0.69%0.43%0.51%
Apr 202631.4%17.2%14.3%9.4%6.3%5.1%3.8%3.7%3.6%2.3%0.77%0.83%0.55%0.46%0.41%
May 202631.9%17.4%13%9.5%6.4%5.2%3.8%3.7%3.7%2.3%0.72%0.84%0.48%0.46%0.52%
Jun 202633.5%15%13.7%10%6.7%5.5%3.3%3.4%3.7%2.4%0.61%0.72%0.51%0.49%0.47%
Jul 202632.8%14.7%15.6%8%6.6%5.4%4%3.5%3.6%2.9%0.8%0.7%0.56%0.48%0.46%
Aug 202630.5%16.7%14.5%9.1%7.5%5%3.4%3.6%3.8%2.7%0.8%0.81%0.69%0.5%0.56%
Sep 202631.8%17.4%13.8%9.5%6.4%5.2%3.6%3.6%3.9%1.9%0.67%0.84%0.57%0.53%0.42%
Oct 202630%16.4%15%11%6%6%3.4%3.4%3.2%2.2%0.94%0.79%0.66%0.64%0.49%

How has branded search for Hornby and Kato changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Hornby was ahead of Kato in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Hornby’s share of searches among model railway brands worldwide moved from 28.8% to 30%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 90.5K to 60.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Kato’s share of searches among model railway brands worldwide moved from 2.8% to 3.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 8.7K to 6.8K.

How did search popularity change for model railway brands worldwide in October 2026?

2 changes

  1. In October 2026, Hornby lost share of searches among model railway brands worldwide, from 31.8% to 30%.

  2. In October 2026, Kato rose from 9th to 8th among model railway brands worldwide.

How are Hornby’s and Kato’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hornby’s and Kato’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.

Hornby

1 branded search term

  • hornby

Kato

3 branded search terms

  • kato model trains
  • kato n scale
  • kato trains

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among model railway brands

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.

Start free