--- title: "Universal Audio vs Waves: Which is more popular?" description: "Is Universal Audio or Waves more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Audio plugin 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/universal-audio-vs-waves-audio" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Universal Audio vs Waves: Which is more popular? Is Universal Audio or Waves more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Audio plugin 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**: Universal Audio and Waves - **Competitive set**: Audio plugin brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **Universal Audio Share of Search**: 3.7% - **Waves Share of Search**: 5.5% ## Is Universal Audio or Waves more popular in search? - In October 2026, Waves had more branded searches than Universal Audio among audio plugin brands worldwide. Waves had about 22,200 branded searches, while Universal Audio had 14,800. Waves made up 5.5% of all audio plugin brand searches we track, and Universal Audio accounted for 3.7%. - The lead changed hands 3 times in the 12 months ending October 2026: Waves took it in January 2026, Universal Audio took it in April 2026, Waves took it in May 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Universal Audio’s share of searches among audio plugin brands worldwide moved from 6.8% to 3.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 49.5K to 14.8K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Waves’ share of searches among audio plugin brands worldwide moved from 6.8% to 5.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 49.5K to 22.2K. ## Top audio plugin brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Waves was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Universal Audio was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Universal Audio and Waves were each listed first in two of the four answers that named either. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | FabFilter | 1st | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Waves | 2nd | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Soundtoys | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Universal Audio | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | iZotope | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Native Instruments | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Xfer Records | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Plugin Alliance | 8th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Valhalla DSP | 9th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | u-he | 10th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Slate Digital | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Kilohearts | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Spectrasonics | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Output | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Eventide | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about audio plugin brands - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best VST plugins for mixing?": 1. FabFilter, 2. Soundtoys, 3. Universal Audio, 4. iZotope - Asked ChatGPT "Which companies make the best audio plugins?": 1. FabFilter, 2. Universal Audio, 3. iZotope, 4. Soundtoys, 5. Valhalla DSP, 6. Waves, 7. Plugin Alliance, 8. u-he - Asked ChatGPT "What plugins should I buy for music production?": 1. Xfer Records, 2. FabFilter, 3. Soundtoys, 4. Native Instruments - Searched Google, AI Overview "vst plugins": 1. Native Instruments, 2. Waves, 3. iZotope - Searched Google, AI Overview "audio plugins": 1. Waves, 2. Plugin Alliance Not named in any answer: Slate Digital, Kilohearts, Spectrasonics, Output and Eventide. 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 audio plugin brands worldwide in October 2026? - In October 2026, Universal Audio lost share of searches among audio plugin brands worldwide, from 4.7% to 3.7%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Waves worldwide fell 55.2% over 12 measured months, from 49.5K to 22.2K in October 2026. ## How has branded search for Universal Audio and Waves changed worldwide over the last 12 months? | Month | Universal Audio estimated searches | Universal Audio Share of Search | Universal Audio rank | Waves estimated searches | Waves Share of Search | Waves rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 49.5K | 6.8% | 7 | 49.5K | 6.8% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | 40.5K | 5% | 6 | 27.1K | 3.3% | 9 | | Jan 2026 | 22.2K | 4.9% | 9 | 27.1K | 5.9% | 8 | | Feb 2026 | 18.1K | 4.9% | 9 | 22.2K | 6% | 8 | | Mar 2026 | 18.1K | 4.6% | 9 | 22.2K | 5.6% | 8 | | Apr 2026 | 27.1K | 6.7% | 8 | 22.2K | 5.5% | 9 | | May 2026 | 18.1K | 4.8% | 9 | 22.2K | 5.9% | 8 | | Jun 2026 | 18.1K | 5.3% | 8 | 18.1K | 5.3% | 9 | | Jul 2026 | 18.1K | 5.3% | 8 | 18.1K | 5.3% | 9 | | Aug 2026 | 14.8K | 4.6% | 9 | 18.1K | 5.6% | 8 | | Sep 2026 | 14.8K | 4.7% | 9 | 18.1K | 5.7% | 8 | | Oct 2026 | 14.8K | 3.7% | 9 | 22.2K | 5.5% | 8 | ## How are Universal Audio’s and Waves’ branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Universal Audio’s and Waves’ 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. - **Universal Audio**: Measured on the search term “uad plugins”. - **Waves**: Measured on the search term “waves plugins”. - [Universal Audio profile](/demand/global-en/brands/universal-audio) - [Waves profile](/demand/global-en/brands/waves-audio) - [All audio plugin brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/audio-plugin-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 15 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 Universal Audio or Waves more popular in search? In October 2026, Waves had more branded searches than Universal Audio among audio plugin brands worldwide. Waves had about 22,200 branded searches, while Universal Audio had 14,800. Waves made up 5.5% of all audio plugin brand searches we track, and Universal Audio accounted for 3.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Universal Audio vs Waves: Which is more popular?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/universal-audio-vs-waves-audio This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/universal-audio-vs-waves-audio. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.