Brandwave

BIC vs Sharpie:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Sharpie had more branded searches than BIC among pen and stationery brands in New Zealand. Sharpie had about 1,930 branded searches, while BIC had 1,670. Sharpie made up 21.8% of all pen and stationery brand searches we track, and BIC accounted for 18.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about pen and stationery brands, neither BIC nor Sharpie appeared in any of the five answers.

Among pen and stationery brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Sharpie, about 16% more searches than BIC

Sharpie 1.9K searchesBIC 1.7K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 0 of 5 answers.

BIC in 0 of 5Sharpie in 0 of 5

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Top pen and stationery brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, neither BIC nor Sharpie showed up in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Pilot1st
  2. uni-ball2nd
  3. Lamy3rd
  4. Parker4th
  5. Zebra5th
  6. IRO6th
  7. Sharpie–
  8. BIC–
  9. Staedtler–
  10. Moleskine–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • uni-ball5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Pilot5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Lamy4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • IRO3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Parker2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Zebra2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Sharpie0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • BIC0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Staedtler0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Moleskine0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about pen and stationery brands

5 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 21, 2026.

Is BIC or Sharpie more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for BIC and Sharpie by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten pen and stationery brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

BIC and Sharpie among pen and stationery brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Sharpie, BIC. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSharpieBICStaedtlerParkeruni-ballPilotMoleskineIROLamyZebra
Oct 202523.6%18.8%11.8%11.2%7.2%7.5%10%4.9%2.7%2.3%
Nov 202520.9%17.2%11.7%11.9%7.2%6.6%12.1%6.5%3.5%2.4%
Dec 202519.9%15.8%11.7%13.7%5.8%5.5%16.1%6.6%3.6%1.4%
Jan 202621.3%17.1%19.2%7.9%8.2%6.5%11.2%5.2%2.3%1.1%
Feb 202623.5%16%13.4%9.8%13.2%7.7%6.9%5.3%2.8%1.4%
Mar 202623.9%18.9%10.7%10%10.4%9%7%4.4%2.4%3.2%
Apr 202621.5%24.5%10.7%9.8%9.7%7.4%7.3%4.4%2.9%1.9%
May 202621.1%20.5%12.6%10.6%9.8%10.4%6%4.7%2.5%1.7%
Jun 202622.2%18.8%13.9%11%9.1%8.3%6.9%4.9%2.6%2.3%
Jul 202620.3%19.5%12.3%10.7%11.1%7.8%8.5%4.8%3.2%1.7%
Aug 202619.5%19.2%12.6%10.7%13.3%8.2%8.1%4.2%2.2%1.9%
Sep 202621.8%18.9%12.8%11.3%11%8%7.5%4.4%2.4%2%

How has the BIC and Sharpie comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: BIC took it in April 2026, Sharpie took it in May 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BIC’s share of searches among pen and stationery brands in New Zealand moved from 18.8% to 18.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.5K to 1.7K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sharpie’s share of searches among pen and stationery brands in New Zealand moved from 23.6% to 21.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.9K.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand pen and stationery brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Sharpie gained share of searches among pen and stationery brands in New Zealand, from 19.5% to 21.8%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for BIC in New Zealand rose 12.8% over 12 measured months, from 1.5K to 1.7K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

19 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BIC’s and Sharpie’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.

BIC

10 branded search terms

  • bic ballpoint pens
  • bic cristal pens
  • bic gelocity pens
  • bic highlighters
  • bic lighter
  • bic markers
  • bic pen
  • bic pen clic
  • bic pencils
  • bic whiteboard pens

Sharpie

9 branded search terms

  • felt tip sharpie
  • fine tip sharpie
  • sharpie
  • sharpie highlighters
  • sharpie markers
  • sharpie pencils
  • sharpie pens
  • sharpie s gel
  • ultra fine sharpie

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among pen and stationery brands

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