Brandwave

Marklin vs Roco:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, Marklin had more branded searches than Roco among model railway brands worldwide. Marklin had about 22,200 branded searches, while Roco had 1,890. Marklin made up 11% of all model railway brand searches we track, and Roco accounted for 0.94%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about model railway brands, Marklin appeared in two of the five answers and Roco in one. Marklin and Roco were each mentioned first in one of the two answers that named either.

Among model railway brands worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Marklin, about 12 searches for every 1 for Roco

Marklin 22.2K searchesRoco 1.9K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Marklin, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Roco in 1

Marklin in 2 of 5Roco in 1 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Each is named first in 1 of 2 answers.

Marklin first in 1Roco 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, 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. Roco was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Marklin and Roco were each listed first in one of the two answers that named either.

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 Marklin or Roco more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Marklin and Roco 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.

Marklin and Roco among model railway brands worldwide, by month

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

3 findings
  • Marklin was ahead of Roco in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026.
  • 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.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Roco’s share of searches among model railway brands worldwide moved from 0.66% to 0.94%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.1K to 1.9K.

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, Roco rose from 12th to 11th among model railway brands worldwide.

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

3 search terms

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

Marklin

1 branded search term

  • marklin

Roco

2 branded search terms

  • roco model railway
  • roco trains

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among model railway brands

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