Pencil vs Smartly.io:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Pencil had more branded searches than Smartly.io among AI ad creative tools worldwide. Pencil had about 6,990 branded searches, while Smartly.io had 2,110. Pencil made up 5.2% of all AI ad creative tool searches we track, and Smartly.io accounted for 1.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI ad creative tools, Pencil appeared in two of the five answers and Smartly.io in none.
Who do people search for more?
Pencil, about 3 searches for every 1 for Smartly.io
Who does AI mention more?
Pencil, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Smartly.io in 0
Who does AI recommend more?
Pencil, the only one of the two named
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Top AI ad creative tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Pencil was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Smartly.io 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.
AdCreative.ai1st
Creatify2nd
Arcads3rd- Pencil4th
Creatopy–
Smartly.io–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Creatify4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- AdCreative.ai4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Arcads2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Pencil2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Creatopy0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Smartly.io0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about AI ad creative tools
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which AI ad creative tool should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best AI ad creative tools?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best AI ad creative tool for ad creative?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“ai ad generator”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“ad design tool”
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 20, 2026.
Is Pencil or Smartly.io more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Pencil and Smartly.io by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six AI ad creative tools we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Pencil, Smartly.io. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Creatify | Arcads | AdCreative.ai | Pencil | Creatopy | Smartly.io |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 49.4% | 22.2% | 15.2% | 3.8% | 8.1% | 1.3% |
| Nov 2025 | 43.5% | 31.9% | 14.5% | 3.6% | 5.2% | 1.3% |
| Dec 2025 | 43.5% | 31.8% | 14.5% | 3.7% | 5.2% | 1.3% |
| Jan 2026 | 38.6% | 31.8% | 14.4% | 9.7% | 4.3% | 1.3% |
| Feb 2026 | 34.7% | 31.1% | 11.7% | 17.1% | 4.2% | 1.2% |
| Mar 2026 | 35.6% | 29.3% | 11% | 19.7% | 3.2% | 1.2% |
| Apr 2026 | 39.1% | 35.1% | 10.8% | 10.7% | 3.1% | 1.2% |
| May 2026 | 44.5% | 32.6% | 10% | 8.2% | 3.6% | 1.1% |
| Jun 2026 | 46.5% | 31.3% | 9.6% | 7.9% | 3.4% | 1.3% |
| Jul 2026 | 47.7% | 35.6% | 7.3% | 5% | 3.2% | 1.2% |
| Aug 2026 | 49.4% | 33.2% | 8.3% | 4.6% | 3% | 1.5% |
| Sep 2026 | 50.5% | 30.2% | 9.2% | 5.2% | 3.3% | 1.6% |
How has the Pencil and Smartly.io comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Pencil was ahead of Smartly.io in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pencil’s share of searches among AI ad creative tools worldwide moved from 3.8% to 5.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.9K to 7K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Smartly.io’s share of searches among AI ad creative tools worldwide moved from 1.3% to 1.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.4K to 2.1K.
How did search popularity change for AI ad creative tools worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Pencil gained share of searches among AI ad creative tools worldwide, from 4.6% to 5.2%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Smartly.io worldwide fell 12.4% over 12 measured months, from 2.4K to 2.1K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
5 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Pencil’s and Smartly.io’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.
Pencil
2 branded search terms
- pencil ai
- pencil creative
Smartly.io
3 branded search terms
- smartly ai
- smartly creative
- smartly.io
Other head-to-heads among AI ad creative tools
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