--- title: "Mullvad vs Surfshark: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Mullvad or Surfshark more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the VPN services 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/mullvad-vs-surfshark" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Mullvad vs Surfshark: Which is searched more? Is Mullvad or Surfshark more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the VPN services 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**: Mullvad and Surfshark - **Competitive set**: VPN services - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Mullvad Share of Search**: 6.2% - **Surfshark Share of Search**: 17% ## Is Mullvad or Surfshark more popular in search? - In September 2026, Surfshark had more branded searches than Mullvad among VPN services worldwide. Surfshark had about 673,000 branded searches, while Mullvad had 246,000. Surfshark made up 17% of all VPN service searches we track, and Mullvad accounted for 6.2%. - Surfshark was ahead of Mullvad in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mullvad’s share of searches among VPN services worldwide moved from 5.3% to 6.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 246K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Surfshark’s share of searches among VPN services worldwide moved from 17.6% to 17%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 823K to 673K. ## Top VPN services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Mullvad appeared in all five answers. Surfshark was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Surfshark was listed before Mullvad in three out of 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | NordVPN | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Surfshark | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Mullvad | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Windscribe | 4th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | ExpressVPN | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | CyberGhost | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about VPN services - Asked ChatGPT "Which VPN service should I use?": 1. NordVPN, 2. Mullvad, 3. Surfshark - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best VPN services?": 1. NordVPN, 2. Surfshark, 3. ExpressVPN, 4. Mullvad - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best VPN service for online privacy?": 1. Mullvad, 2. NordVPN - Searched Google, AI Overview "best vpn": 1. NordVPN, 2. Surfshark, 3. Windscribe, 4. Mullvad - Searched Google, AI Overview "vpn service": 1. Windscribe, 2. NordVPN, 3. Surfshark, 4. ExpressVPN, 5. Mullvad Not named in any answer: CyberGhost. 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 VPN services worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Surfshark overtook ExpressVPN to rank 2nd among VPN services worldwide, with 17% of the searches. - In September 2026, Mullvad lost share of searches among VPN services worldwide, from 6.8% to 6.2%. ## Month by month | Month | Mullvad estimated searches | Mullvad Share of Search | Mullvad rank | Surfshark estimated searches | Surfshark Share of Search | Surfshark rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 246K | 5.3% | 5 | 823K | 17.6% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 246K | 5.4% | 5 | 823K | 18.2% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 301K | 6.4% | 5 | 823K | 17.4% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 246K | 5.2% | 5 | 823K | 17.3% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 246K | 5.7% | 5 | 673K | 15.5% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 301K | 6.4% | 5 | 823K | 17.5% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 246K | 6.3% | 5 | 673K | 17.3% | 3 | | May 2026 | 246K | 6.5% | 5 | 673K | 17.8% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 246K | 6.3% | 5 | 673K | 17.1% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 246K | 6.7% | 5 | 550K | 15.1% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 246K | 6.8% | 5 | 550K | 15.1% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 246K | 6.2% | 5 | 673K | 17% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Mullvad’s and Surfshark’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. - **Mullvad**: Measured on the search term “mullvad”. - **Surfshark**: Measured on the search term “surfshark”. - [Mullvad profile](/demand/global-en/brands/mullvad) - [Surfshark profile](/demand/global-en/brands/surfshark) - [All VPN services worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/vpn-services): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 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 Mullvad or Surfshark more popular in search? In September 2026, Surfshark had more branded searches than Mullvad among VPN services worldwide. Surfshark had about 673,000 branded searches, while Mullvad had 246,000. Surfshark made up 17% of all VPN service searches we track, and Mullvad accounted for 6.2%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Mullvad vs Surfshark: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/mullvad-vs-surfshark This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/mullvad-vs-surfshark. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.