--- title: "Maruchan vs Wai Wai: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Maruchan or Wai Wai more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Instant noodle 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/maruchan-vs-wai-wai-noodles" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Maruchan vs Wai Wai: Which is searched more? Is Maruchan or Wai Wai more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Instant noodle 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**: Maruchan and Wai Wai - **Competitive set**: Instant noodle brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Maruchan Share of Search**: 7% - **Wai Wai Share of Search**: 7% ## Is Maruchan or Wai Wai more popular in search? - In September 2026, Maruchan and Wai Wai were level in searches among instant noodle brands worldwide, with an estimated 74K branded searches each, at 7% of the total each. - Maruchan was ahead of Wai Wai in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Maruchan’s share of searches among instant noodle brands worldwide moved from 7.9% to 7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 74K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wai Wai’s share of searches among instant noodle brands worldwide moved from 5.3% to 7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 49.5K to 74K. ## Top instant noodle brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Maruchan was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Wai Wai 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nongshim | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Indomie | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Nissin | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Samyang | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Maruchan | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Sapporo Ichiban | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | MAMA | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Maggi | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Wai Wai | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Ottogi | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about instant noodle brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which instant noodle brand should I buy?": 1. Indomie, 2. Nongshim, 3. Nissin - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best instant noodle brands?": 1. Nongshim, 2. Indomie, 3. Samyang, 4. Nissin, 5. Sapporo Ichiban, 6. MAMA, 7. Maruchan - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best instant noodle brand for quick meals?": 1. Nongshim, 2. Nissin, 3. Indomie, 4. Samyang - Searched Google, AI Overview "best instant noodles": 1. Nongshim, 2. Samyang, 3. Indomie, 4. Nissin - Searched Google, AI Overview "instant noodle brands": 1. Nissin, 2. Maruchan, 3. Nongshim, 4. Samyang, 5. Indomie, 6. Sapporo Ichiban Not named in any answer: Maggi, Wai Wai and Ottogi. 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 instant noodle brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Wai Wai overtook Nongshim to rank 4th among instant noodle brands worldwide, with 7% of the searches. - In September 2026, Maruchan lost share of searches among instant noodle brands worldwide, from 8.5% to 7%. ## Month by month | Month | Maruchan estimated searches | Maruchan Share of Search | Maruchan rank | Wai Wai estimated searches | Wai Wai Share of Search | Wai Wai rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 74K | 7.9% | 3 | 49.5K | 5.3% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 74K | 7.9% | 3 | 49.5K | 5.3% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 74K | 8% | 3 | 49.5K | 5.4% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 90.5K | 8.7% | 3 | 49.5K | 4.7% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 74K | 8.6% | 3 | 40.5K | 4.7% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 74K | 7% | 4 | 49.5K | 4.7% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 74K | 7.8% | 3 | 49.5K | 5.2% | 5 | | May 2026 | 90.5K | 8.7% | 3 | 60.5K | 5.8% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 74K | 7.9% | 3 | 49.5K | 5.3% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 90.5K | 9.5% | 3 | 49.5K | 5.2% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 90.5K | 8.5% | 3 | 60.5K | 5.7% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 74K | 7% | 3 | 74K | 7% | 4 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Maruchan’s and Wai Wai’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. - **Maruchan**: Measured on the search term “maruchan ramen”. - **Wai Wai**: Measured on the search term “wai wai”. - [Maruchan profile](/demand/global-en/brands/maruchan) - [Wai Wai profile](/demand/global-en/brands/wai-wai-noodles) - [All instant noodle brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/instant-noodle-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 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 Maruchan or Wai Wai more popular in search? In September 2026, Maruchan and Wai Wai were level in searches among instant noodle brands worldwide, with an estimated 74K branded searches each, at 7% of the total each. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Maruchan vs Wai Wai: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/maruchan-vs-wai-wai-noodles This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/maruchan-vs-wai-wai-noodles. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.