--- title: "Substack vs WordPress: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Substack or WordPress more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Blog hosting 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/substack-vs-wordpress" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Substack vs WordPress: Which is searched more? Is Substack or WordPress more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Blog hosting 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**: Substack and WordPress - **Competitive set**: Blog hosting platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Substack Share of Search**: 22.7% - **WordPress Share of Search**: 12% ## Is Substack or WordPress more popular in search? - In September 2026, Substack had more branded searches than WordPress among blog hosting platforms worldwide. Substack had about 2.3 million branded searches, while WordPress had 1.2 million. Substack made up 22.7% of all blog hosting platform searches we track, and WordPress accounted for 12%. - The lead changed hands 3 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Substack took it in January 2026, WordPress took it in February 2026, Substack took it in March 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Substack’s share of searches among blog hosting platforms worldwide moved from 11.2% to 22.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.3M to 2.3M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WordPress’ share of searches among blog hosting platforms worldwide moved from 19.9% to 12%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.2M to 1.2M. ## Top blog hosting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Substack and WordPress showed up in all five answers. WordPress was listed before Substack 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | WordPress | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Wix | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Ghost | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Squarespace | 4th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Substack | 5th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Blogger | 6th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Medium | 7th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about blog hosting platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which blog hosting platform should I use?": 1. WordPress, 2. Substack, 3. Ghost, 4. Wix, 5. Medium - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best blog hosting platforms?": 1. WordPress, 2. Wix, 3. Squarespace, 4. Ghost, 5. Substack, 6. Blogger - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best blog hosting platform for a simple blog?": 1. WordPress, 2. Blogger, 3. Ghost, 4. Medium, 5. Substack - Searched Google, AI Overview "best blog platform": 1. WordPress, 2. Wix, 3. Squarespace, 4. Ghost, 5. Medium, 6. Substack - Searched Google, AI Overview "blog hosting service": 1. WordPress, 2. Wix, 3. Squarespace, 4. Blogger, 5. Ghost, 6. Substack 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 blog hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Substack lost share of searches among blog hosting platforms worldwide, from 24.5% to 22.7%. - In September 2026, WordPress lost share of searches among blog hosting platforms worldwide, from 12.9% to 12%. ## Month by month | Month | Substack estimated searches | Substack Share of Search | Substack rank | WordPress estimated searches | WordPress Share of Search | WordPress rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.3M | 11.2% | 5 | 2.2M | 19.9% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 1.3M | 12.5% | 4 | 1.8M | 18.2% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 1.5M | 16.5% | 4 | 1.8M | 19.6% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 1.9M | 17.9% | 2 | 1.8M | 17.3% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 1.5M | 15.2% | 4 | 1.8M | 17.9% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 1.9M | 17.2% | 2 | 1.8M | 16.8% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 1.9M | 17.7% | 2 | 1.8M | 17.4% | 4 | | May 2026 | 1.9M | 18.3% | 2 | 1.5M | 14.7% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 1.9M | 19.8% | 2 | 1.5M | 15.6% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 1.9M | 20.3% | 2 | 1.2M | 13.1% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 2.3M | 24.5% | 2 | 1.2M | 12.9% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 2.3M | 22.7% | 2 | 1.2M | 12% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Substack’s and WordPress’ 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. - **Substack**: Measured on the search terms “Substack”, “substack app”, “substack articles”, “substack live”, “substack newsletters”, “substack notes” and “substack podcast”, summed into one figure. - **WordPress**: Measured on the search term “wordpress”. - [Substack profile](/demand/global-en/brands/substack) - [WordPress profile](/demand/global-en/brands/wordpress) - [All blog hosting platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/blog-hosting-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 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 Substack or WordPress more popular in search? In September 2026, Substack had more branded searches than WordPress among blog hosting platforms worldwide. Substack had about 2.3 million branded searches, while WordPress had 1.2 million. Substack made up 22.7% of all blog hosting platform searches we track, and WordPress accounted for 12%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Substack vs WordPress: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/substack-vs-wordpress This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/substack-vs-wordpress. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.