Brandwave

Influential vs Viral Nation:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Viral Nation had more branded searches than Influential among influencer marketing agencies worldwide. Viral Nation had about 6,690 branded searches, while Influential had 880. Viral Nation made up 32.1% of all influencer marketing agency searches we track, and Influential accounted for 4.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about influencer marketing agencies, Viral Nation appeared in four of the five answers and Influential in two. Viral Nation was mentioned before Influential in four out of five answers.

Among influencer marketing agencies worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Viral Nation, about 8 searches for every 1 for Influential

Viral Nation 6.7K searchesInfluential 880 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Viral Nation, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Influential in 2

Viral Nation in 4 of 5Influential in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Viral Nation, named ahead of Influential in 4 of 5 answers

Viral Nation first in 4Influential first in 1

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Top influencer marketing agencies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Viral Nation was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Influential was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Viral Nation was listed before Influential in four out of five answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. The Influencer Marketing Factory1st
  2. Viral Nation2nd
  3. Influential3rd
  4. Socially Powerful4th
  5. HireInfluence4th
  6. Linqia6th
  7. Ubiquitous7th
  8. The Goat Agency8th
  9. The Influencer Agency–
  10. Socialyte–
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Viral Nation4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • The Influencer Marketing Factory4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • HireInfluence4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Socially Powerful2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Linqia2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Influential2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • The Goat Agency1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Ubiquitous1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The Influencer Agency0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Socialyte0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about influencer marketing agencies

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 Influential or Viral Nation more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Influential and Viral Nation by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 influencer marketing agencies we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Influential and Viral Nation among influencer marketing agencies worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Viral Nation, Influential. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthViral NationThe Influencer AgencyThe Goat AgencySocially PowerfulThe Influencer Marketing FactoryLinqiaHireInfluenceInfluentialSocialyteObviouslyGleam FuturesUbiquitous
Oct 202517.1%12.5%46%7.7%4.8%4.1%1.2%2.2%0.99%0.99%0.81%1.5%
Nov 202517.3%12.6%46.5%6.6%4.1%3.3%1%2.3%1%1%1%3.3%
Dec 202520.5%20.5%37%6.3%4%4%1.5%2.2%1.2%0.8%0.98%0.98%
Jan 202618.8%36.9%27.7%4.9%3.6%2.4%0.9%1.6%0.73%0.9%0.73%0.9%
Feb 202631.2%18.6%20.5%9.9%4.9%3.8%1.5%3.3%1.5%1.8%1.5%1.5%
Mar 202631%22.6%16.6%7.9%4.9%4.9%1.8%3.8%1.5%1.8%1.8%1.5%
Apr 202632.6%19.4%17.4%8.4%5.2%5.2%1.9%4%1.9%1.5%1.5%1%
May 202633.2%22.2%14.5%8.4%5.2%5.2%2.4%3.5%1.6%1.6%1.3%0.85%
Jun 202634.5%17.6%15.1%8.7%6.7%5.5%3%3.7%1.6%1.6%1.3%0.59%
Jul 202629.8%18.6%15.9%9.3%7.1%5.7%3.9%3.9%2.1%1.7%1.4%0.49%
Aug 202630.8%19.3%13.3%9.5%8.7%6%2.7%4%2.2%1.8%1.2%0.41%
Sep 202632.1%16.3%13.9%9.8%7.7%6.2%4.2%4.2%2.3%1.5%1.2%0.43%

How has the Influential and Viral Nation comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for influencer marketing agencies worldwide in September 2026?

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, HireInfluence overtook Influential to rank 7th among influencer marketing agencies worldwide, with 4.2% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Viral Nation gained share of searches among influencer marketing agencies worldwide, from 30.8% to 32.1%.

  3. Influential’s share of searches among influencer marketing agencies worldwide has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 3.7% to 4.2% in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Influential’s and Viral Nation’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.

Influential

1 branded search term

  • influential agency

Viral Nation

2 branded search terms

  • viral nation
  • viral nation agency

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among influencer marketing agencies

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