Thrustmaster vs Virpil:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Thrustmaster had more branded searches than Virpil among flight sim controller brands worldwide. Thrustmaster had about 32,700 branded searches, while Virpil had 22,200. Thrustmaster made up 19.4% of all flight sim controller brand searches we track, and Virpil accounted for 13.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about flight sim controller brands, Thrustmaster appeared in all five answers and Virpil in one. Thrustmaster was mentioned before Virpil in four out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Thrustmaster, about 47% more searches than Virpil
Who does AI mention more?
Thrustmaster, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Thrustmaster, named ahead of Virpil in 4 of 5 answers
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Top flight sim controller brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Thrustmaster appeared in all five answers. Virpil was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Thrustmaster was listed before Virpil in four out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Thrustmaster1st
Logitech2nd- VKB3rd
Virpil4th
Turtle Beach5th
Honeycomb6th
WINWING7th
Moza–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Thrustmaster5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Logitech5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- VKB2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Turtle Beach2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- WINWING1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Virpil1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Honeycomb1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Moza0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about flight sim controller brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best HOTAS for flight sims?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which joystick should I buy for Microsoft Flight Simulator?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best flight sim controller brands?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“hotas”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“flight stick”
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 27, 2026.
Is Thrustmaster or Virpil more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Thrustmaster and Virpil by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight flight sim controller brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Thrustmaster, Virpil. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | WINWING | Thrustmaster | VKB | Virpil | Logitech | Moza | Honeycomb | Turtle Beach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 59.5% | 9.5% | 6.2% | 11.9% | 5.5% | 2.9% | 4% | 0.44% |
| Nov 2025 | 59.4% | 9.5% | 6.4% | 11.9% | 4.9% | 3.6% | 4% | 0.36% |
| Dec 2025 | 57.9% | 11.9% | 7.2% | 9.5% | 5.8% | 3.5% | 3.9% | 0.46% |
| Jan 2026 | 55.4% | 11.3% | 7.1% | 11.1% | 5.5% | 5% | 4.2% | 0.41% |
| Feb 2026 | 50.8% | 12.4% | 9.6% | 12.4% | 5.7% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 0.4% |
| Mar 2026 | 48.2% | 13.8% | 11.2% | 11.8% | 5.9% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 0.47% |
| Apr 2026 | 44.1% | 15.4% | 9% | 13.2% | 6.6% | 5.9% | 5.3% | 0.53% |
| May 2026 | 36.3% | 15.5% | 10.6% | 16.3% | 6.6% | 8.9% | 5.3% | 0.53% |
| Jun 2026 | 41.4% | 14.8% | 9.9% | 15.2% | 7% | 6.8% | 4.4% | 0.49% |
| Jul 2026 | 38.6% | 16.5% | 9.2% | 14.1% | 7.6% | 7.7% | 5.7% | 0.56% |
| Aug 2026 | 34.6% | 18.1% | 10.1% | 15.5% | 8.4% | 6.9% | 5.6% | 0.62% |
| Sep 2026 | 29.4% | 19.4% | 18.2% | 13.2% | 9.1% | 5.9% | 4.3% | 0.52% |
How has the Thrustmaster and Virpil comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands 5 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Thrustmaster took it in December 2025, Virpil took it in February 2026, Thrustmaster took it in March 2026, Virpil took it in May 2026, Thrustmaster took it in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrustmaster’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide moved from 9.5% to 19.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 21.6K to 32.7K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virpil’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide moved from 11.9% to 13.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 27.1K to 22.2K.
How did search popularity change for flight sim controller brands worldwide in September 2026?
3 changes
In September 2026, VKB overtook Virpil to rank 3rd among flight sim controller brands worldwide, with 18.2% of the searches.
In September 2026, Thrustmaster gained share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 18.1% to 19.4%.
In September 2026, Virpil lost share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 15.5% to 13.2%.
How are branded searches counted?
4 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Thrustmaster’s and Virpil’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.
Thrustmaster
3 branded search terms
- thrustmaster hotas
- thrustmaster t16000m
- thrustmaster tca
Virpil
1 branded search term
- virpil
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