--- title: "Skool vs Substack: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Skool or Substack more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Membership platforms 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/skool-vs-substack" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Skool vs Substack: Which is searched more? Is Skool or Substack more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Membership platforms 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**: Skool and Substack - **Competitive set**: Membership platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Skool Share of Search**: 0.38% - **Substack Share of Search**: 39.3% ## Is Skool or Substack more popular in search? - In September 2026, Substack had more branded searches than Skool among membership platforms worldwide. Substack had about 2.3 million branded searches, while Skool had 22,200. Substack made up 39.3% of all membership platform searches we track, and Skool accounted for 0.38%. - Substack was ahead of Skool in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Skool’s share of searches among membership platforms worldwide moved from 0.37% to 0.38%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.1K to 22.2K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Substack’s share of searches among membership platforms worldwide moved from 25.8% to 39.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.3M to 2.3M. ## Top membership platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Skool was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Substack did not appear in any of the 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Circle | 1st | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Mighty Networks | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Skool | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Patreon | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | MemberPress | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Kajabi | 6th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Podia | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Wild Apricot | 8th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Substack | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Memberful | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about membership platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which membership platform should I use?": 1. Patreon, 2. Circle, 3. Skool, 4. Kajabi, 5. Podia - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best membership platforms?": 1. Circle, 2. Mighty Networks, 3. Skool, 4. Podia, 5. Kajabi, 6. Patreon, 7. MemberPress - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best membership platform for a paid community?": 1. Circle, 2. Skool, 3. Mighty Networks, 4. Patreon, 5. Kajabi - Searched Google, AI Overview "membership platforms": 1. Mighty Networks, 2. MemberPress - Searched Google, AI Overview "membership site software": 1. MemberPress, 2. Wild Apricot Not named in any answer: Substack and Memberful. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 19, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for membership platforms worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Substack gained share of searches among membership platforms worldwide, from 35% to 39.3%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Skool worldwide rose 22.7% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 22.2K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Skool estimated searches | Skool Share of Search | Skool rank | Substack estimated searches | Substack Share of Search | Substack rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 18.1K | 0.37% | 6 | 1.3M | 25.8% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 22.2K | 0.45% | 6 | 1.3M | 25.8% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 18.1K | 0.35% | 6 | 1.5M | 29.9% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 22.2K | 0.35% | 6 | 1.9M | 30% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 22.2K | 0.43% | 6 | 1.5M | 29.8% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 22.2K | 0.36% | 6 | 1.9M | 30.2% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 22.2K | 0.41% | 6 | 1.9M | 34.2% | 2 | | May 2026 | 22.2K | 0.36% | 6 | 1.9M | 30.1% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 22.2K | 0.36% | 6 | 1.9M | 30.6% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 22.2K | 0.41% | 6 | 1.9M | 34.6% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 22.2K | 0.34% | 5 | 2.3M | 35% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 22.2K | 0.38% | 5 | 2.3M | 39.3% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Skool’s and Substack’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. - **Skool**: Measured on the search term “skool community”. - **Substack**: Measured on the search terms “Substack”, “substack app”, “substack articles”, “substack live”, “substack newsletters”, “substack notes” and “substack podcast”, summed into one figure. - [Skool profile](/demand/global-en/brands/skool) - [Substack profile](/demand/global-en/brands/substack) - [All membership platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/membership-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 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 Skool or Substack more popular in search? In September 2026, Substack had more branded searches than Skool among membership platforms worldwide. Substack had about 2.3 million branded searches, while Skool had 22,200. Substack made up 39.3% of all membership platform searches we track, and Skool accounted for 0.38%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Skool vs Substack: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/skool-vs-substack This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/skool-vs-substack. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.