Wave vs Western Union:Which is searched more?
In September 2026, Western Union had more branded searches than Wave among send Money brands worldwide. Western Union was estimated to have 9.1M branded searches compared to Wave’s 107K, and held a 25.8% Share of Search versus Wave’s 0.3%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Which is more popular in search, Wave or Western Union?
Compare the send money brands people buy. 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.
Share of Search by month for Western Union, Wave. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | PayPal | Western Union | MoneyGram | Remitly | Wise | Xoom | Wave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 62.5% | 22.9% | 9.1% | 3.1% | 1.5% | 0.75% | 0.22% |
| Nov 2025 | 62.8% | 22.9% | 9% | 3.1% | 1.4% | 0.62% | 0.18% |
| Dec 2025 | 58.6% | 26% | 10.3% | 2.9% | 1.4% | 0.71% | 0.2% |
| Jan 2026 | 58.6% | 26% | 10.2% | 2.9% | 1.5% | 0.58% | 0.25% |
| Feb 2026 | 54.2% | 29.4% | 11.5% | 2.6% | 1.5% | 0.65% | 0.2% |
| Mar 2026 | 53.7% | 29.1% | 11.5% | 3.2% | 1.6% | 0.79% | 0.21% |
| Apr 2026 | 54.9% | 29.8% | 9.5% | 3.3% | 1.7% | 0.66% | 0.2% |
| May 2026 | 55% | 29.8% | 9.5% | 3.3% | 1.6% | 0.66% | 0.17% |
| Jun 2026 | 58.4% | 26% | 10.1% | 2.8% | 1.7% | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| Jul 2026 | 55.3% | 30% | 9.6% | 2.7% | 1.6% | 0.66% | 0.16% |
| Aug 2026 | 53.8% | 29.2% | 11.3% | 3.2% | 1.7% | 0.65% | 0.18% |
| Sep 2026 | 57.9% | 25.8% | 10% | 3.4% | 1.8% | 0.7% | 0.3% |
How has the Wave and Western Union comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Western Union was ahead of Wave in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wave’s estimated Share of Search among send Money brands worldwide moved from 0.22% to 0.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 86.1K to 107K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Western Union’s estimated Share of Search among send Money brands worldwide moved from 22.9% to 25.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 9.1M.
How did search popularity change for send Money brands worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Western Union lost estimated Share of Search among send Money brands worldwide, from 29.2% to 25.8%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Wave worldwide rose 24.4% over 12 measured months, from 86.1K to 107K in September 2026.
Other head-to-heads among send Money brands
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Wave’s and Western Union’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.
Wave
2 branded search terms
- wave accounting
- wave accounting software
Western Union
1 branded search term
- western union
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