--- title: "Kato vs MTH: Which is more popular?" description: "Is Kato or MTH more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Model railway brands set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/kato-vs-mth-trains" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Kato vs MTH: Which is more popular? Is Kato or MTH more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Model railway brands set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Kato and MTH - **Competitive set**: Model railway brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **Kato Share of Search**: 3.4% - **MTH Share of Search**: 16.4% ## Is Kato or MTH more popular in search? - In October 2026, MTH had more branded searches than Kato among model railway brands worldwide. MTH had about 33,100 branded searches, while Kato had 6,800. MTH made up 16.4% of all model railway brand searches we track, and Kato accounted for 3.4%. - MTH was ahead of Kato in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026. - 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. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, MTH’s share of searches among model railway brands worldwide moved from 10.5% to 16.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 33.1K. ## 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. MTH did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Kato | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Bachmann | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Hornby | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Marklin | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Roco | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | PIKO | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Athearn | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Atlas Model Railroad | 8th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Lionel | 9th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | MTH | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Rapido Trains | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Walthers | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Graham Farish | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Peco | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Fleischmann | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about model railway brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which model railway brand should I buy?": 1. Kato, 2. Bachmann, 3. Athearn, 4. Hornby, 5. PIKO - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best model railway brands?": 1. Kato, 2. Roco, 3. Marklin, 4. PIKO, 5. Hornby, 6. Bachmann, 7. Athearn - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best model railway brand for a hobbyist?": 1. Kato, 2. Bachmann, 3. Atlas Model Railroad, 4. Hornby, 5. Lionel, 6. Marklin - Searched Google, AI Overview "scale model railway": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "train model kits": 1. Bachmann, 2. Kato Not named in any answer: MTH, Rapido Trains, Walthers, Graham Farish, Peco and Fleischmann. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for model railway brands worldwide in October 2026? - In October 2026, MTH lost share of searches among model railway brands worldwide, from 17.4% to 16.4%. - In October 2026, Kato rose from 9th to 8th among model railway brands worldwide. ## How has branded search for Kato and MTH changed worldwide over the last 12 months? | Month | Kato estimated searches | Kato Share of Search | Kato rank | MTH estimated searches | MTH Share of Search | MTH rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 8.7K | 2.8% | 9 | 33.1K | 10.5% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 10.7K | 3.1% | 9 | 33.1K | 9.7% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 8.4K | 3.1% | 9 | 33.1K | 12.2% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 7.1K | 3.5% | 9 | 33.1K | 16.3% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 7.9K | 3.9% | 8 | 33.1K | 16.2% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 7.1K | 3.7% | 8 | 33.1K | 17.2% | 2 | | May 2026 | 7.1K | 3.7% | 8 | 33.1K | 17.4% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 6.1K | 3.4% | 8 | 27.1K | 15% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 6.4K | 3.5% | 9 | 27.1K | 14.7% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 7.1K | 3.6% | 8 | 33.1K | 16.7% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 6.8K | 3.6% | 9 | 33.1K | 17.4% | 2 | | Oct 2026 | 6.8K | 3.4% | 8 | 33.1K | 16.4% | 2 | ## How are Kato’s and MTH’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kato’s and MTH’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. - **Kato**: Measured on the search terms “kato model trains”, “kato n scale” and “kato trains”, summed into one figure. - **MTH**: Measured on the search term “mth trains”. - [Kato profile](/demand/global-en/brands/kato) - [MTH profile](/demand/global-en/brands/mth-trains) - [All model railway brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/model-railway-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 15 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Kato or MTH more popular in search? In October 2026, MTH had more branded searches than Kato among model railway brands worldwide. MTH had about 33,100 branded searches, while Kato had 6,800. MTH made up 16.4% of all model railway brand searches we track, and Kato accounted for 3.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Kato vs MTH: Which is more popular?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/kato-vs-mth-trains This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/kato-vs-mth-trains. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.