OpenSearch vs Perplexity:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Perplexity had more branded searches than OpenSearch among search engines worldwide. Perplexity had about 13.4 million branded searches, while OpenSearch had 60,500. Perplexity made up 2.4% of all search engine searches we track, and OpenSearch accounted for 0.01%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about search engines, Perplexity appeared in three of the five answers and OpenSearch in none.
Who do people search for more?
Perplexity, about 221 searches for every 1 for OpenSearch
Who does AI mention more?
Perplexity, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, OpenSearch in 0
Who does AI recommend more?
Perplexity, the only one of the two named
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Top search engines in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Perplexity was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. OpenSearch did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Google1st
DuckDuckGo2nd
Bing3rd
Algolia4th
Brave Search5th
Elastic6th
Perplexity7th
Meilisearch8th
Typesense9th- +3 more
OpenSearch–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Google4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Bing4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
DuckDuckGo3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Perplexity3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Brave Search3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Ecosia2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Algolia2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Elastic2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Meilisearch1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
OpenSearch0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about search engines
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which search engine should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best search engines?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best search engine for site search?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best search engine”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“site search engine”
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 19, 2026.
Is OpenSearch or Perplexity more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for OpenSearch and Perplexity by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 13 search engines we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Perplexity, OpenSearch. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | DuckDuckGo | Bing | Perplexity | Brave Search | Yahoo | Ecosia | OpenSearch | Algolia | Meilisearch | Solr | Typesense | Elastic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 80.6% | 9.8% | 2.4% | 6.5% | 0.48% | 0.18% | 0.08% | 0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Nov 2025 | 83.2% | 8.2% | 2.5% | 5.3% | 0.5% | 0.18% | 0.08% | 0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Dec 2025 | 84.3% | 8.5% | 2.5% | 3.9% | 0.51% | 0.19% | 0.08% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Jan 2026 | 84.6% | 8.5% | 2.5% | 3.4% | 0.51% | 0.19% | 0.19% | 0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Feb 2026 | 82.5% | 9.8% | 2.9% | 3.9% | 0.59% | 0.18% | 0.14% | 0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Mar 2026 | 83.1% | 10.1% | 2.5% | 3.4% | 0.61% | 0.18% | 0.15% | 0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Apr 2026 | 84.7% | 8.4% | 2.5% | 3.5% | 0.62% | 0.18% | 0.12% | 0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| May 2026 | 83.4% | 10.3% | 2.5% | 2.9% | 0.62% | 0.18% | 0.12% | 0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Jun 2026 | 83.6% | 10.5% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 0.63% | 0.19% | 0.13% | 0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Jul 2026 | 83.8% | 10.6% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 0.52% | 0.19% | 0.11% | 0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Aug 2026 | 83.8% | 10.5% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 0.63% | 0.23% | 0.13% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Sep 2026 | 81.9% | 12.1% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 0.73% | 0.27% | 0.18% | 0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
How has the OpenSearch and Perplexity comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Perplexity was ahead of OpenSearch in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, OpenSearch’s share of searches among search engines worldwide held steady at 0.01%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 60.5K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Perplexity’s share of searches among search engines worldwide moved from 6.5% to 2.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 36.8M to 13.4M.
How did search popularity change for search engines worldwide in September 2026?
1 change

Estimated monthly branded searches for Perplexity worldwide fell 63.6% over 12 measured months, from 36.8M to 13.4M in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
15 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using OpenSearch’s and Perplexity’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.
OpenSearch
1 branded search term
- opensearch
Perplexity
14 branded search terms
- comet perplexity
- perplexity
- perplexity ai
- perplexity ai app
- perplexity ai search
- perplexity app
- perplexity comet
- perplexity finance
- perplexity ia
- perplexity labs
- perplexity max
- perplexity pro
- perplexity search
- perplexity.ai
Other head-to-heads among search engines

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