--- title: "Thrustmaster vs Virpil: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Thrustmaster or Virpil more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Flight sim controller brands 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/thrustmaster-vs-virpil" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Thrustmaster vs Virpil: Which is searched more? Is Thrustmaster or Virpil more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Flight sim controller brands 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**: Thrustmaster and Virpil - **Competitive set**: Flight sim controller brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Thrustmaster Share of Search**: 19.4% - **Virpil Share of Search**: 13.2% ## Is Thrustmaster or Virpil more popular in search? - 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%. - 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. ## 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. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Thrustmaster | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Logitech | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | VKB | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Virpil | 4th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Turtle Beach | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Honeycomb | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | WINWING | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Moza | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about flight sim controller brands - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best HOTAS for flight sims?": 1. VKB, 2. Thrustmaster, 3. Logitech - Asked ChatGPT "Which joystick should I buy for Microsoft Flight Simulator?": 1. Thrustmaster, 2. Turtle Beach, 3. Logitech - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best flight sim controller brands?": 1. VKB, 2. Virpil, 3. Thrustmaster, 4. Honeycomb, 5. Logitech, 6. WINWING, 7. Turtle Beach - Searched Google, AI Overview "hotas": 1. Thrustmaster, 2. Logitech - Searched Google, AI Overview "flight stick": 1. Thrustmaster, 2. Logitech Not named in any answer: Moza. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 27, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for flight sim controller brands worldwide in September 2026? - 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%. ## Month by month | Month | Thrustmaster estimated searches | Thrustmaster Share of Search | Thrustmaster rank | Virpil estimated searches | Virpil Share of Search | Virpil rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 21.6K | 9.5% | 3 | 27.1K | 11.9% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 26.4K | 9.5% | 3 | 33.1K | 11.9% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 33.9K | 11.9% | 2 | 27.1K | 9.5% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 27.6K | 11.3% | 2 | 27.1K | 11.1% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 22.1K | 12.4% | 3 | 22.2K | 12.4% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 25.9K | 13.8% | 2 | 22.2K | 11.8% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 21.1K | 15.4% | 2 | 18.1K | 13.2% | 3 | | May 2026 | 21.1K | 15.5% | 3 | 22.2K | 16.3% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 21.6K | 14.8% | 3 | 22.2K | 15.2% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 21.1K | 16.5% | 2 | 18.1K | 14.1% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 25.9K | 18.1% | 2 | 22.2K | 15.5% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 32.7K | 19.4% | 2 | 22.2K | 13.2% | 4 | ## How each brand is measured 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**: Measured on the search terms “thrustmaster hotas”, “thrustmaster t16000m” and “thrustmaster tca”, summed into one figure. - **Virpil**: Measured on the search term “virpil”. - [Thrustmaster profile](/demand/global-en/brands/thrustmaster) - [Virpil profile](/demand/global-en/brands/virpil) - [All flight sim controller brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/flight-sim-controller-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 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 Thrustmaster or Virpil more popular in search? 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%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Thrustmaster vs Virpil: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/thrustmaster-vs-virpil This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/thrustmaster-vs-virpil. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.