Brandwave

Hornby vs Marklin:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, Hornby had more branded searches than Marklin among model railway brands worldwide. Hornby had about 60,500 branded searches, while Marklin had 22,200. Hornby made up 30% of all model railway brand searches we track, and Marklin accounted for 11%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about model railway brands, Hornby appeared in three of the five answers and Marklin in two. Hornby was mentioned before Marklin in two out of three answers.

Among model railway brands worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Hornby, about 3 searches for every 1 for Marklin

Hornby 60.5K searchesMarklin 22.2K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Hornby, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Marklin in 2

Hornby in 3 of 5Marklin in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Hornby, named ahead of Marklin in 2 of 3 answers

Hornby first in 2Marklin first in 1

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Top model railway brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and 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. Marklin was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Hornby was listed before Marklin in two out of three answers.

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 Marklin more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Hornby and Marklin 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 Marklin among model railway brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Hornby, Marklin. 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 Marklin changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Hornby was ahead of Marklin 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, Marklin’s share of searches among model railway brands worldwide moved from 8.6% to 11%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 27.1K to 22.2K.

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

2 changes

  1. In October 2026, Marklin gained share of searches among model railway brands worldwide, from 9.5% to 11%.

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

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

2 search terms

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

Marklin

1 branded search term

  • marklin

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among model railway brands

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