Brandwave

Burger King vs McDonald's:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, McDonald's had more branded searches than Burger King among fast food chains in New Zealand. McDonald's had about 183,000 branded searches, while Burger King had 120,000. McDonald's made up 21% of all fast food chain searches we track, and Burger King accounted for 13.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about fast food chains, McDonald's appeared in all three answers and Burger King in none.

Among fast food chains in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

McDonald's, about 52% more searches than Burger King

McDonald's 183K searchesBurger King 120K searches

Who does AI mention more?

McDonald's, mentioned in every answer we collected

McDonald's in 3 of 3Burger King in 0 of 3

Who does AI recommend more?

McDonald's, the only one of the two named

McDonald's first in 3Burger King never named

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Top fast food chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, McDonald's appeared in all three answers. Burger King did not appear in any of the three answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. BurgerFuel1st
  2. McDonald's2nd
  3. KFC3rd
  4. Wendy's4th
  5. Subway5th
  6. Hell Pizza6th
  7. Carl's Jr.7th
  8. Taco Bell8th
  9. Pita Pit9th
  10. Burger King–
  11. +4 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • KFC3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • McDonald's3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • BurgerFuel3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Subway3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Wendy's2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Hell Pizza1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Taco Bell1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Carl's Jr.1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Pita Pit1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Burger King0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers

+4 more

See every answer about fast food chains

3 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is Burger King or McDonald's more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Burger King and McDonald's by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 14 fast food chains we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Burger King and McDonald's among fast food chains in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for McDonald's, Burger King. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthKFCMcDonald'sBurger KingHell PizzaTaco BellNando'sWendy'sCarl's Jr.BurgerFuelPopeyesPita PitZambreroSubwayMexicali Fresh
Oct 202531%21.6%11.9%10.1%3.6%3.9%3.6%4%2.8%3.4%2.2%0.84%0.59%0.48%
Nov 202528.7%23.8%11.4%9.4%4%4.3%3.9%3.1%3.1%3.6%2.5%0.95%0.64%0.54%
Dec 202526.5%25.6%11.8%10%5.4%3.9%3.6%2.7%2.8%3.3%2.3%1%0.48%0.48%
Jan 202621.6%28%12.9%9.1%5.7%4.3%4.1%3%3.1%3.6%2.5%0.96%0.64%0.53%
Feb 202623.8%26.5%12.2%10.2%5.2%4%3.6%3.3%2.8%3.3%2.9%1%0.61%0.59%
Mar 202623.5%26.6%12.3%9.8%5.2%4.2%4.2%3.3%2.7%3.3%2.7%1%0.7%0.56%
Apr 202623.6%26.7%12.3%9.8%5.4%4.3%3.6%3.4%3.3%3.3%2.2%1%0.67%0.46%
May 202624.7%23.2%14.2%9.9%5.5%4.5%3.5%3.4%3.3%3.5%2.2%1%0.69%0.47%
Jun 202626.2%21%13.5%10.5%5.7%4.2%3.8%3.5%3.6%3.6%2.3%1.1%0.74%0.5%
Jul 202626.6%21.3%11.7%10.5%6%4.8%3.9%3.6%3.6%3.5%2.3%0.91%0.73%0.51%
Aug 202626.2%21%11.9%11%5.9%4.8%4%3.7%3.1%3.7%2.4%0.96%0.82%0.53%
Sep 202626.5%21%13.8%9.1%5.8%4.8%4.1%3.8%3.1%3%2.4%0.98%0.89%0.54%

How has the Burger King and McDonald's comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand fast food chains in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Burger King gained share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand, from 11.9% to 13.8%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for McDonald's in New Zealand fell 28.6% over 12 measured months, from 257K to 183K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

35 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Burger King’s and McDonald'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.

Burger King

16 branded search terms

  • burger king
  • burger king delivery
  • burger king epsom
  • burger king hamilton
  • burger king hastings
  • burger king hillcrest
  • burger king linwood
  • burger king menu
  • burger king papatoetoe
  • burger king shirley
  • burger king vouchers
  • burgerking
  • burgerking delivery
  • burgerking menu
  • promo burger king
  • whopper burger king

McDonald's

19 branded search terms

  • big mac mcdonalds
  • mcdonald s
  • mcdonald's menu
  • mcdonalds
  • mcdonalds airport
  • mcdonalds albany
  • mcdonalds apps
  • mcdonalds belmont
  • mcdonalds burgers
  • mcdonalds delivery
  • mcdonalds egg mcmuffin
  • mcdonalds fries
  • mcdonalds happy meal
  • mcdonalds linwood
  • mcdonalds mcflurry
  • mcdonalds menu
  • mcdonalds restaurant
  • mcdonalds richmond
  • mcdonalds toy

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among fast food chains

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