Turtle Beach vs Virpil:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Virpil had more branded searches than Turtle Beach among flight sim controller brands worldwide. Virpil had about 22,200 branded searches, while Turtle Beach had 880. Virpil made up 13.2% of all flight sim controller brand searches we track, and Turtle Beach accounted for 0.52%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about flight sim controller brands, Turtle Beach appeared in two of the five answers and Virpil in one. Turtle Beach and Virpil were each mentioned first in one of the two answers that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Virpil, about 25 searches for every 1 for Turtle Beach
Who does AI mention more?
Turtle Beach, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Virpil in 1
Who does AI recommend more?
Each is named first in 1 of 2 answers.
Follow Turtle Beach vs Virpil and get free monthly updates on what changed
By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Top flight sim controller brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Turtle Beach was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. 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. Turtle Beach and Virpil were each listed first in one of the two answers that named either.
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 Turtle Beach or Virpil more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Turtle Beach 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 Virpil, Turtle Beach. 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% |
Turtle Beach sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “velocityone flight”.
How has the Turtle Beach and Virpil comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Virpil was ahead of Turtle Beach in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Turtle Beach’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide moved from 0.44% to 0.52%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1K to 880.
- 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, Virpil lost share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 15.5% to 13.2%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Turtle Beach worldwide fell 12% over 12 measured months, from 1K to 880 in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Turtle Beach’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.
Turtle Beach
1 branded search term
- velocityone flight
Virpil
1 branded search term
- virpil
Other head-to-heads among flight sim controller brands
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.