--- title: "Pentel vs Tombow: Which is more popular?" description: "Is Pentel or Tombow more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Brush pen 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/pentel-vs-tombow" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Pentel vs Tombow: Which is more popular? Is Pentel or Tombow more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Brush pen 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**: Pentel and Tombow - **Competitive set**: Brush pen brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **Pentel Share of Search**: 25.7% - **Tombow Share of Search**: 43.3% ## Is Pentel or Tombow more popular in search? - In October 2026, Tombow had more branded searches than Pentel among brush pen brands worldwide. Tombow had about 16,700 branded searches, while Pentel had 9,900. Tombow made up 43.3% of all brush pen brand searches we track, and Pentel accounted for 25.7%. - Tombow was ahead of Pentel in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Pentel’s share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide moved from 24.2% to 25.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 9.9K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Tombow’s share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide moved from 40.1% to 43.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 16.4K to 16.7K. ## Top brush pen brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Tombow appeared in all five answers. Pentel was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Tombow was listed before Pentel in every answer. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Tombow | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Pentel | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Faber-Castell | 3rd | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Kuretake | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Sakura | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Ecoline | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Arteza | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Sharpie | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about brush pen brands - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best brush pens for lettering?": 1. Tombow, 2. Pentel, 3. Sakura, 4. Kuretake - Asked ChatGPT "Which brush pens should I buy for calligraphy?": 1. Tombow, 2. Pentel - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best brush pen for beginners?": 1. Tombow, 2. Pentel - Searched Google, AI Overview "brush pens": 1. Tombow, 2. Faber-Castell, 3. Kuretake - Searched Google, AI Overview "calligraphy pens": 1. Tombow, 2. Pentel, 3. Faber-Castell Not named in any answer: Ecoline, Arteza and Sharpie. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 27, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for brush pen brands worldwide in October 2026? - In October 2026, Tombow gained share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide, from 39.4% to 43.3%. - In October 2026, Pentel lost share of searches among brush pen brands worldwide, from 27.9% to 25.7%. ## How has branded search for Pentel and Tombow changed worldwide over the last 12 months? | Month | Pentel estimated searches | Pentel Share of Search | Pentel rank | Tombow estimated searches | Tombow Share of Search | Tombow rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 9.9K | 24.2% | 2 | 16.4K | 40.1% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 9.9K | 19.6% | 2 | 24.6K | 48.6% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 18.1K | 33.9% | 2 | 20.5K | 38.4% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 9.9K | 25.2% | 2 | 17.2K | 43.7% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 9.9K | 25% | 2 | 17.7K | 44.6% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 8.1K | 24.1% | 2 | 14K | 41.7% | 1 | | May 2026 | 8.1K | 22.7% | 2 | 16.4K | 45.9% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 6.6K | 20.1% | 2 | 16.4K | 49.9% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 8.1K | 21.3% | 2 | 20K | 52.5% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 9.9K | 23.6% | 2 | 20.5K | 48.9% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 9.9K | 27.9% | 2 | 14K | 39.4% | 1 | | Oct 2026 | 9.9K | 25.7% | 2 | 16.7K | 43.3% | 1 | ## How are Pentel’s and Tombow’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Pentel’s and Tombow’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. - **Pentel**: Measured on the search term “pentel brush pen”. - **Tombow**: Measured on the search terms “tombow brush pen” and “tombow dual brush”, summed into one figure. - [Pentel profile](/demand/global-en/brands/pentel) - [Tombow profile](/demand/global-en/brands/tombow) - [All brush pen brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/brush-pen-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 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 Pentel or Tombow more popular in search? In October 2026, Tombow had more branded searches than Pentel among brush pen brands worldwide. Tombow had about 16,700 branded searches, while Pentel had 9,900. Tombow made up 43.3% of all brush pen brand searches we track, and Pentel accounted for 25.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Pentel vs Tombow: Which is more popular?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/pentel-vs-tombow This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/pentel-vs-tombow. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.