--- title: "Telegram vs WhatsApp: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Telegram or WhatsApp more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Messaging apps 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/telegram-vs-whatsapp" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Telegram vs WhatsApp: Which is searched more? Is Telegram or WhatsApp more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Messaging apps 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**: Telegram and WhatsApp - **Competitive set**: Messaging apps - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Telegram Share of Search**: 8.8% - **WhatsApp Share of Search**: 78.1% ## Is Telegram or WhatsApp more popular in search? - In September 2026, WhatsApp had more branded searches than Telegram among messaging apps worldwide. WhatsApp had about 277 million branded searches, while Telegram had 31.1 million. WhatsApp made up 78.1% of all messaging app searches we track, and Telegram accounted for 8.8%. - WhatsApp was ahead of Telegram in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Telegram’s share of searches among messaging apps worldwide moved from 9.9% to 8.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 31.2M to 31.1M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WhatsApp’s share of searches among messaging apps worldwide moved from 71.8% to 78.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 226M to 277M. ## Top messaging apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Telegram and WhatsApp showed up in all five answers. WhatsApp was listed before Telegram 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | WhatsApp | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Signal | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Telegram | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Messenger | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Discord | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Viber | 6th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | WeChat | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about messaging apps - Asked ChatGPT "Which messaging app should I use?": 1. WhatsApp, 2. Signal, 3. Telegram - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best messaging apps?": 1. Signal, 2. WhatsApp, 3. Telegram, 4. Messenger, 5. Discord - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best messaging app for everyday chat?": 1. WhatsApp, 2. Signal, 3. Telegram - Searched Google, AI Overview "messaging apps": 1. WhatsApp, 2. Signal, 3. Telegram, 4. Messenger, 5. Viber, 6. Discord - Searched Google, AI Overview "secure messaging app": 1. Signal, 2. WhatsApp, 3. Telegram Not named in any answer: WeChat. 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 messaging apps worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, WhatsApp gained share of searches among messaging apps worldwide, from 72.7% to 78.1%. - In September 2026, Telegram lost share of searches among messaging apps worldwide, from 10% to 8.8%. ## Month by month | Month | Telegram estimated searches | Telegram Share of Search | Telegram rank | WhatsApp estimated searches | WhatsApp Share of Search | WhatsApp rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 31.2M | 9.9% | 3 | 226M | 71.8% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 31.2M | 10% | 3 | 226M | 72.6% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 31.2M | 11.6% | 3 | 185M | 68.4% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 31.2M | 11.6% | 3 | 185M | 68.4% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 31.1M | 11.8% | 2 | 185M | 70.3% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 31.2M | 10% | 3 | 226M | 72.6% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 31.1M | 10.2% | 2 | 226M | 74.3% | 1 | | May 2026 | 31.2M | 10% | 3 | 226M | 72.7% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 38.2M | 12.3% | 2 | 226M | 72.6% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 31.2M | 10.3% | 2 | 226M | 74.4% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 31.2M | 10% | 3 | 226M | 72.7% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 31.1M | 8.8% | 2 | 277M | 78.1% | 1 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Telegram’s and WhatsApp’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. - **Telegram**: Measured on the search terms “telegram” and “telegram app”, summed into one figure. - **WhatsApp**: Measured on the search term “whatsapp”. - [Telegram profile](/demand/global-en/brands/telegram) - [WhatsApp profile](/demand/global-en/brands/whatsapp) - [All messaging apps worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/messaging-apps): 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 Telegram or WhatsApp more popular in search? In September 2026, WhatsApp had more branded searches than Telegram among messaging apps worldwide. WhatsApp had about 277 million branded searches, while Telegram had 31.1 million. WhatsApp made up 78.1% of all messaging app searches we track, and Telegram accounted for 8.8%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Telegram vs WhatsApp: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/telegram-vs-whatsapp This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/telegram-vs-whatsapp. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.