Hover vs Porkbun:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Porkbun had more branded searches than Hover among domain registrars worldwide. Porkbun had about 274,000 branded searches, while Hover had 246,000. Porkbun made up 2.6% of all domain registrar searches we track, and Hover accounted for 2.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about domain registrars, Porkbun appeared in four of the five answers and Hover in none.
Who do people search for more?
Porkbun, about 11% more searches than Hover
Who does AI mention more?
Porkbun, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Hover in 0
Who does AI recommend more?
Porkbun, the only one of the two named
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Top domain registrars in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Porkbun was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Hover did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Cloudflare5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Namecheap5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- Porkbun4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Spaceship3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- GoDaddy2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Dynadot1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Hover0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Bluehost0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
NameSilo0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Name.com0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about domain registrars
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which domain registrar should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best domain registrars?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best domain registrar for a website address?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“domain registrar”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“buy a domain”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.
Is Hover or Porkbun more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Hover and Porkbun by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten domain registrars we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Porkbun, Hover. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | GoDaddy | Cloudflare | Namecheap | Porkbun | Hover | Bluehost | Dynadot | NameSilo | Spaceship | Name.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 48.3% | 29.6% | 13.6% | 2% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 0.81% | 0.54% | 0.18% | 0.2% |
| Nov 2025 | 25% | 63.4% | 7.1% | 1% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 0.43% | 0.28% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Dec 2025 | 38.4% | 43.7% | 11% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 0.66% | 0.44% | 0.15% | 0.16% |
| Jan 2026 | 47.7% | 30.1% | 13.8% | 2% | 2.7% | 2.2% | 0.68% | 0.45% | 0.18% | 0.16% |
| Feb 2026 | 43.4% | 33.1% | 15.2% | 2.2% | 2% | 2.4% | 0.74% | 0.4% | 0.24% | 0.18% |
| Mar 2026 | 44.6% | 34.5% | 13.3% | 2.3% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 0.64% | 0.42% | 0.25% | 0.15% |
| Apr 2026 | 38.7% | 36.5% | 16.9% | 2.4% | 1.8% | 2.2% | 0.67% | 0.44% | 0.27% | 0.2% |
| May 2026 | 39.8% | 37.6% | 14.4% | 2.5% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 0.69% | 0.46% | 0.28% | 0.21% |
| Jun 2026 | 40.1% | 37.9% | 14.4% | 2.6% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 0.7% | 0.46% | 0.27% | 0.25% |
| Jul 2026 | 39.8% | 38% | 14.4% | 2.6% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 0.85% | 0.46% | 0.33% | 0.21% |
| Aug 2026 | 35.1% | 41.2% | 15.6% | 2.8% | 1.7% | 2% | 0.76% | 0.41% | 0.3% | 0.23% |
| Sep 2026 | 40.4% | 39.1% | 12% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 1.9% | 0.72% | 0.39% | 0.34% | 0.17% |
How has the Hover and Porkbun comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending September 2026: Porkbun took it in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hover’s share of searches among domain registrars worldwide moved from 2.2% to 2.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 165K to 246K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Porkbun’s share of searches among domain registrars worldwide moved from 2% to 2.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 148K to 274K.
How did search popularity change for domain registrars worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Hover overtook Bluehost to rank 5th among domain registrars worldwide, with 2.4% of the searches.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Porkbun worldwide rose 85.6% over 12 measured months, from 148K to 274K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
6 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hover’s and Porkbun’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.
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