uni-ball vs Zebra:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Zebra had more branded searches than uni-ball among pen and stationery brands worldwide. Zebra had about 54,200 branded searches, while uni-ball had 14,800. Zebra made up 3% of all pen and stationery brand searches we track, and uni-ball accounted for 0.83%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about pen and stationery brands, uni-ball and Zebra each appeared in four of the five answers. uni-ball was mentioned before Zebra in every answer that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Zebra, about 4 searches for every 1 for uni-ball
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 4 of 5 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
uni-ball, named ahead of Zebra in 4 of 4 answers
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Top pen and stationery brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, uni-ball and Zebra were each mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. uni-ball was listed before Zebra in every answer that named either.
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.
Pilot5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- Zebra4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Pentel4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- uni-ball4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Parker3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Muji3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Rhodia3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Moleskine2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Leuchtturm19172 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Lamy2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about pen and stationery brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which pen or stationery brand should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best pen and stationery brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best pen or stationery brand for everyday writing?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“pen brands”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“stationery brands”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is uni-ball or Zebra more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for uni-ball and Zebra by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 13 pen and stationery brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Zebra, uni-ball. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | BIC | Parker | Moleskine | Pilot | Sharpie | Muji | Leuchtturm1917 | Staedtler | Zebra | Lamy | Pentel | Rhodia | uni-ball |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 29.3% | 12.3% | 12.3% | 8.7% | 10.1% | 4.5% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 3.3% | 3% | 3% | 1.4% | 0.91% |
| Nov 2025 | 27.9% | 11.7% | 14.4% | 8.4% | 9.6% | 6.1% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 3.2% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 1.3% | 0.86% |
| Dec 2025 | 25.4% | 12.9% | 15.8% | 8.5% | 8.7% | 5.6% | 8.7% | 3.9% | 2.8% | 3.2% | 2.6% | 1.2% | 0.78% |
| Jan 2026 | 27.2% | 11.1% | 13.6% | 8.2% | 9.1% | 5.5% | 9.1% | 5% | 3% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 1.2% | 0.82% |
| Feb 2026 | 27.8% | 13.6% | 11.2% | 10% | 9.1% | 5% | 6.1% | 5% | 3% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 1.2% | 1.2% |
| Mar 2026 | 29.3% | 12.3% | 10.1% | 8.7% | 12.3% | 5.7% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 3.3% | 3% | 3.7% | 1.4% | 1.1% |
| Apr 2026 | 31.8% | 11% | 11% | 10.1% | 11% | 5.1% | 4.9% | 4% | 3% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 1.2% | 0.98% |
| May 2026 | 28.6% | 11.5% | 11.5% | 10.6% | 11.5% | 5.3% | 5.2% | 4.2% | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.4% | 1.3% | 1% |
| Jun 2026 | 28.6% | 14.3% | 11.7% | 9.7% | 9.6% | 5.4% | 5.3% | 4.3% | 2.6% | 2.9% | 3.5% | 1.3% | 0.86% |
| Jul 2026 | 26.2% | 16% | 10.7% | 10.9% | 8.8% | 5.4% | 5.9% | 3.9% | 2.9% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 1.2% | 0.96% |
| Aug 2026 | 28% | 13.7% | 11.2% | 10.1% | 9.2% | 6.2% | 6.1% | 4.1% | 3% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 1.2% | 0.83% |
| Sep 2026 | 28.1% | 16.8% | 11.2% | 9.7% | 9.2% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 4.1% | 3% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1.2% | 0.83% |
How has the uni-ball and Zebra comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Zebra was ahead of uni-ball in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, uni-ball’s share of searches among pen and stationery brands worldwide moved from 0.91% to 0.83%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 14.8K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zebra’s share of searches among pen and stationery brands worldwide moved from 3.3% to 3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 54.2K.
How did search popularity change for pen and stationery brands worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Zebra rose from 10th to 9th among pen and stationery brands worldwide.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using uni-ball’s and Zebra’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.
Other head-to-heads among pen and stationery brands
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