--- title: "Ridge Merino vs Smartwool: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Ridge Merino or Smartwool more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Merino clothing 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/ridge-merino-vs-smartwool" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Ridge Merino vs Smartwool: Which is searched more? Is Ridge Merino or Smartwool more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Merino clothing 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**: Ridge Merino and Smartwool - **Competitive set**: Merino clothing brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Ridge Merino Share of Search**: 4.4% - **Smartwool Share of Search**: 48.9% ## Is Ridge Merino or Smartwool more popular in search? - In September 2026, Smartwool had more branded searches than Ridge Merino among merino clothing brands worldwide. Smartwool had about 90,500 branded searches, while Ridge Merino had 8,100. Smartwool made up 48.9% of all merino clothing brand searches we track, and Ridge Merino accounted for 4.4%. - Smartwool was ahead of Ridge Merino in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ridge Merino’s share of searches among merino clothing brands worldwide moved from 2.8% to 4.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.6K to 8.1K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Smartwool’s share of searches among merino clothing brands worldwide moved from 56.4% to 48.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 135K to 90.5K. ## Top merino clothing brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Ridge Merino and Smartwool were each mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Smartwool was listed before Ridge Merino 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Icebreaker | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Smartwool | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Wool&Prince | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Ridge Merino | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Minus33 | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Devold | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Mons Royale | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Merino Country | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about merino clothing brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which merino clothing brand should I buy?": 1. Icebreaker, 2. Smartwool, 3. Wool&Prince, 4. Ridge Merino - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best merino clothing brands?": 1. Icebreaker, 2. Wool&Prince, 3. Smartwool, 4. Ridge Merino, 5. Minus33 - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best merino clothing brand for cold weather layering?": 1. Smartwool, 2. Icebreaker, 3. Ridge Merino, 4. Minus33 - Searched Google, AI Overview "merino wool clothing": 1. Ridge Merino - Searched Google, AI Overview "merino base layer": 1. Smartwool, 2. Icebreaker, 3. Minus33 Not named in any answer: Devold, Mons Royale and Merino Country. 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 merino clothing brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Smartwool gained share of searches among merino clothing brands worldwide, from 47.8% to 48.9%. - In September 2026, Ridge Merino lost share of searches among merino clothing brands worldwide, from 5.2% to 4.4%. ## Month by month | Month | Ridge Merino estimated searches | Ridge Merino Share of Search | Ridge Merino rank | Smartwool estimated searches | Smartwool Share of Search | Smartwool rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 6.6K | 2.8% | 6 | 135K | 56.4% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 12.1K | 3% | 5 | 246K | 60.8% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 9.9K | 2.2% | 5 | 301K | 67.5% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 9.9K | 2.8% | 5 | 201K | 57.3% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 6.6K | 2.8% | 6 | 135K | 56.8% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 8.1K | 4.4% | 6 | 90.5K | 48.8% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 8.1K | 5.1% | 6 | 74K | 46.7% | 1 | | May 2026 | 9.9K | 6.2% | 5 | 74K | 46.1% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 8.1K | 5.2% | 6 | 74K | 47.8% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 8.1K | 5.1% | 6 | 74K | 46.8% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 9.9K | 5.2% | 6 | 90.5K | 47.8% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 8.1K | 4.4% | 6 | 90.5K | 48.9% | 1 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ridge Merino’s and Smartwool’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. - **Ridge Merino**: Measured on the search term “ridge merino”. - **Smartwool**: Measured on the search term “smartwool”. - [Ridge Merino profile](/demand/global-en/brands/ridge-merino) - [Smartwool profile](/demand/global-en/brands/smartwool) - [All merino clothing brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/merino-clothing-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 Ridge Merino or Smartwool more popular in search? In September 2026, Smartwool had more branded searches than Ridge Merino among merino clothing brands worldwide. Smartwool had about 90,500 branded searches, while Ridge Merino had 8,100. Smartwool made up 48.9% of all merino clothing brand searches we track, and Ridge Merino accounted for 4.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Ridge Merino vs Smartwool: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/ridge-merino-vs-smartwool This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/ridge-merino-vs-smartwool. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.