The Times vs The Wall Street Journal:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, The Wall Street Journal had more branded searches than The Times among newspapers worldwide. The Wall Street Journal had about 1.8 million branded searches, while The Times had 550,000. The Wall Street Journal made up 14.3% of all newspaper searches we track, and The Times accounted for 4.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about newspapers, The Wall Street Journal appeared in four of the five answers and The Times in none.
Who do people search for more?
The Wall Street Journal, about 3 searches for every 1 for The Times
Who does AI mention more?
The Wall Street Journal, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, The Times in 0
Who does AI recommend more?
The Wall Street Journal, the only one of the two named
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Top newspapers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, The Wall Street Journal was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. The Times did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
The New York Times4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- The Wall Street Journal4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
The Washington Post3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
The Guardian1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Financial Times1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
The Times0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
The Telegraph0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about newspapers
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which newspaper should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best newspaper brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best newspaper for daily news?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“newspapers”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“daily newspaper”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.
Is The Times or The Wall Street Journal more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for The Times and The Wall Street Journal by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven newspapers we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for The Wall Street Journal, The Times. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | The Guardian | The New York Times | The Wall Street Journal | The Washington Post | Financial Times | The Times | The Telegraph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 28.8% | 28.4% | 15.7% | 15% | 4.8% | 4.7% | 2.6% |
| Nov 2025 | 29.8% | 30.4% | 14.6% | 13.1% | 4% | 4.9% | 3.3% |
| Dec 2025 | 31.6% | 30.2% | 14.1% | 13.5% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 2.8% |
| Jan 2026 | 28% | 33.6% | 13.7% | 15.1% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 2.1% |
| Feb 2026 | 30.7% | 31.3% | 13.6% | 14.6% | 3.4% | 4.1% | 2.3% |
| Mar 2026 | 29.8% | 30.3% | 16.2% | 13.6% | 4% | 4% | 2.2% |
| Apr 2026 | 30.4% | 29.9% | 16.6% | 12.6% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 2.2% |
| May 2026 | 31.2% | 30.7% | 15.3% | 10.6% | 4.2% | 5.1% | 2.8% |
| Jun 2026 | 33.7% | 28.1% | 15% | 11.2% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 3% |
| Jul 2026 | 33.4% | 27.8% | 14.9% | 11.1% | 3.7% | 5.5% | 3.7% |
| Aug 2026 | 33.5% | 29.2% | 14.9% | 11.1% | 3.7% | 4.5% | 3% |
| Sep 2026 | 32.1% | 31.5% | 14.3% | 10.6% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 2.9% |
How has the The Times and The Wall Street Journal comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The Wall Street Journal was ahead of The Times in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Times’ share of searches among newspapers worldwide moved from 4.7% to 4.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 673K to 550K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Wall Street Journal’s share of searches among newspapers worldwide moved from 15.7% to 14.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.2M to 1.8M.
How did search popularity change for newspapers worldwide in September 2026?
3 changes
In September 2026, Financial Times overtook The Times to rank 5th among newspapers worldwide, with 4.3% of the searches.
In September 2026, The Wall Street Journal lost share of searches among newspapers worldwide, from 14.9% to 14.3%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for The Times worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 673K to 550K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using The Times’ and The Wall Street Journal’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.
The Times
1 branded search term
- the times
The Wall Street Journal
2 branded search terms
- wall street journal
- wsj
Other head-to-heads among newspapers
- The Guardian vs The New York Times: compare popularity
- The Guardian vs The Wall Street Journal: compare popularity
- The Guardian vs The Washington Post: compare popularity
- The Guardian vs Financial Times: compare popularity
- The New York Times vs The Wall Street Journal: compare popularity
- The New York Times vs The Washington Post: compare popularity
Put your own brand in this comparison
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