--- title: "Surfshark vs Windscribe: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Surfshark or Windscribe more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the VPN services 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/surfshark-vs-windscribe" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Surfshark vs Windscribe: Which is searched more? Is Surfshark or Windscribe more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the VPN services 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**: Surfshark and Windscribe - **Competitive set**: VPN services - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Surfshark Share of Search**: 17% - **Windscribe Share of Search**: 11.4% ## Is Surfshark or Windscribe more popular in search? - In September 2026, Surfshark had more branded searches than Windscribe among VPN services worldwide. Surfshark had about 673,000 branded searches, while Windscribe had 450,000. Surfshark made up 17% of all VPN service searches we track, and Windscribe accounted for 11.4%. - Surfshark was ahead of Windscribe in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Surfshark’s share of searches among VPN services worldwide moved from 17.6% to 17%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 823K to 673K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Windscribe’s share of searches among VPN services worldwide moved from 7.9% to 11.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 368K to 450K. ## Top VPN services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Surfshark was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Windscribe was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Surfshark was listed before Windscribe in three out of four answers that named either. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | NordVPN | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Surfshark | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Mullvad | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Windscribe | 4th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | ExpressVPN | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | CyberGhost | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about VPN services - Asked ChatGPT "Which VPN service should I use?": 1. NordVPN, 2. Mullvad, 3. Surfshark - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best VPN services?": 1. NordVPN, 2. Surfshark, 3. ExpressVPN, 4. Mullvad - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best VPN service for online privacy?": 1. Mullvad, 2. NordVPN - Searched Google, AI Overview "best vpn": 1. NordVPN, 2. Surfshark, 3. Windscribe, 4. Mullvad - Searched Google, AI Overview "vpn service": 1. Windscribe, 2. NordVPN, 3. Surfshark, 4. ExpressVPN, 5. Mullvad Not named in any answer: CyberGhost. 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 VPN services worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Surfshark overtook ExpressVPN to rank 2nd among VPN services worldwide, with 17% of the searches. - In September 2026, Windscribe gained share of searches among VPN services worldwide, from 10.1% to 11.4%. ## Month by month | Month | Surfshark estimated searches | Surfshark Share of Search | Surfshark rank | Windscribe estimated searches | Windscribe Share of Search | Windscribe rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 823K | 17.6% | 3 | 368K | 7.9% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | 823K | 18.2% | 2 | 368K | 8.2% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 823K | 17.4% | 3 | 368K | 7.8% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 823K | 17.3% | 3 | 450K | 9.5% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 673K | 15.5% | 3 | 368K | 8.5% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | 823K | 17.5% | 3 | 368K | 7.8% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | 673K | 17.3% | 3 | 368K | 9.4% | 4 | | May 2026 | 673K | 17.8% | 2 | 368K | 9.7% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 673K | 17.1% | 3 | 368K | 9.4% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | 550K | 15.1% | 3 | 368K | 10.1% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | 550K | 15.1% | 3 | 368K | 10.1% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | 673K | 17% | 2 | 450K | 11.4% | 4 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Surfshark’s and Windscribe’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. - **Surfshark**: Measured on the search term “surfshark”. - **Windscribe**: Measured on the search term “windscribe”. - [Surfshark profile](/demand/global-en/brands/surfshark) - [Windscribe profile](/demand/global-en/brands/windscribe) - [All VPN services worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/vpn-services): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 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 Surfshark or Windscribe more popular in search? In September 2026, Surfshark had more branded searches than Windscribe among VPN services worldwide. Surfshark had about 673,000 branded searches, while Windscribe had 450,000. Surfshark made up 17% of all VPN service searches we track, and Windscribe accounted for 11.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Surfshark vs Windscribe: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/surfshark-vs-windscribe This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/surfshark-vs-windscribe. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.