Brandwave

Khan Academy vs MIT OpenCourseWare:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Khan Academy had more branded searches than MIT OpenCourseWare among MOOC platforms worldwide. Khan Academy had about 11.1 million branded searches, while MIT OpenCourseWare had 135,000. Khan Academy made up 60.1% of all MOOC platform searches we track, and MIT OpenCourseWare accounted for 0.73%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about MOOC platforms, Khan Academy appeared in three of the five answers and MIT OpenCourseWare in two. MIT OpenCourseWare was mentioned before Khan Academy in two out of three answers that named either.

Among MOOC platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Khan Academy, about 82 searches for every 1 for MIT OpenCourseWare

Khan Academy 11.1M searchesMIT OpenCourseWare 135K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Khan Academy, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, MIT OpenCourseWare in 2

Khan Academy in 3 of 5MIT OpenCourseWare in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

MIT OpenCourseWare, named ahead of Khan Academy in 2 of 3 answers

MIT OpenCourseWare first in 2Khan Academy first in 1

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Top MOOC platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Khan Academy was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. MIT OpenCourseWare was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. MIT OpenCourseWare was listed before Khan Academy in two out of three answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Coursera1st
  2. edX2nd
  3. Khan Academy3rd
  4. MIT OpenCourseWare4th
  5. FutureLearn5th
  6. Udemy6th
  7. OpenLearn7th
  8. Udacity8th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Coursera5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • edX5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Khan Academy3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • FutureLearn3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Udemy2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • MIT OpenCourseWare2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • OpenLearn2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Udacity1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about MOOC platforms

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is Khan Academy or MIT OpenCourseWare more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Khan Academy and MIT OpenCourseWare by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight MOOC platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Khan Academy and MIT OpenCourseWare among MOOC platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseWare. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthKhan AcademyCourseraUdemyedXMIT OpenCourseWareOpenLearnFutureLearnUdacity
Oct 202552.5%19.3%23.6%2.6%0.64%0.29%0.43%0.64%
Nov 202549.7%18.2%27.2%3%0.6%0.27%0.4%0.6%
Dec 202547.6%21.3%26%2.9%0.7%0.31%0.38%0.86%
Jan 202642.7%23.4%28.6%3.1%0.77%0.35%0.42%0.63%
Feb 202647.4%21.2%25.9%3.5%0.7%0.31%0.47%0.57%
Mar 202647.1%21.1%25.8%3.5%1%0.31%0.47%0.69%
Apr 202647.8%21.4%26.1%2.4%0.86%0.32%0.39%0.7%
May 202642.9%23.5%28.7%2.6%0.95%0.35%0.42%0.63%
Jun 202638%25.5%31.1%2.8%1.3%0.38%0.46%0.56%
Jul 202642.8%23.4%28.6%2.6%1.2%0.52%0.42%0.42%
Aug 202652.8%19.4%23.6%2.1%0.95%0.43%0.35%0.35%
Sep 202660.1%18.1%18.1%1.6%0.73%0.49%0.4%0.33%

How has the Khan Academy and MIT OpenCourseWare comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for MOOC platforms worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Khan Academy gained share of searches among MOOC platforms worldwide, from 52.8% to 60.1%.

  2. MIT OpenCourseWare’s share of searches among MOOC platforms worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 1.3% to 0.73% in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Khan Academy’s and MIT OpenCourseWare’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.

Khan Academy

1 branded search term

  • khan academy

MIT OpenCourseWare

2 branded search terms

  • mit ocw
  • mit opencourseware

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among MOOC platforms

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