---
title: "Opticians in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the opticians and online glasses shops people in the UK buy glasses and eye tests from. Share of Search among Specsavers, Vision Express, Boots, Glasses Direct, SelectSpecs, Cubitts, Optical Express and Bloobloom, the opticians Brandwave compares in the United Kingdom, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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/uk/categories/uk-opticians"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Opticians in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?

Compare the opticians and online glasses shops people in the UK buy glasses and eye tests from. Share of Search among Specsavers, Vision Express, Boots, Glasses Direct, SelectSpecs, Cubitts, Optical Express and Bloobloom, the opticians Brandwave compares in the United Kingdom, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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

- **Competitive set**: Opticians
- **Market**: United Kingdom
- **Brands compared**: 8
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Specsavers, 52.2%

## Which brand is most popular in search among opticians in the United Kingdom?

- In September 2026, Specsavers was the most searched among optician brands in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 823K branded searches, 52.2% of all searches for the eight we track.
- Vision Express is in 2nd place, 36.6 percentage points behind at 15.6%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Specsavers’ share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom decreased from 52.9% to 52.2%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Glasses Direct’s share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom increased from 8.7% to 10.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Specsavers’ share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom peaked at 55% in March 2026 and was lowest at 48.9% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vision Express’ share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom peaked at 18.5% in February 2026 and was lowest at 15.4% in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Boots’ share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom peaked at 17.9% in August 2026 and was lowest at 13.5% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Glasses Direct’s share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom peaked at 10.5% in June 2026 and was lowest at 8.6% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SelectSpecs’ share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom peaked at 4.6% in July 2026 and was lowest at 2.4% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vision Express, Boots, SelectSpecs, Cubitts, Optical Express and Bloobloom held steady: their share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Top opticians in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Specsavers appeared every time. Specsavers was recommended most often, coming first in two out of four answers. Glasses Direct was second, and SelectSpecs was third. Optical Express, which ranked seventh in searches, was not mentioned at all.

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Specsavers | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 |
| Glasses Direct | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 |
| SelectSpecs | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 |
| Boots | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 |
| Cubitts | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 |
| Vision Express | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 |
| Optical Express | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 |
| Bloobloom | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 |

## Every AI answer about opticians

- Asked ChatGPT "Where should I buy glasses in the UK?": 1. Specsavers, 2. Glasses Direct, 3. Cubitts, 4. SelectSpecs, 5. Boots
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the best opticians in the UK?": 1. Specsavers, 2. Boots, 3. Vision Express, 4. Cubitts
- Asked ChatGPT "What's the best place to buy prescription glasses online in the UK?": 1. Glasses Direct, 2. SelectSpecs, 3. Specsavers, 4. Vision Express
- Searched Google, AI Overview "glasses online": 1. Glasses Direct, 2. SelectSpecs, 3. Specsavers

Not named in any answer: Optical Express and Bloobloom.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Specsavers vs Vision Express: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/specsavers-vs-vision-express): 52.2% against 15.6% Share of Search.
- [Specsavers vs Boots: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/boots-vs-specsavers): 52.2% against 15.6% Share of Search.
- [Specsavers vs Glasses Direct: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/glasses-direct-vs-specsavers): 52.2% against 10.5% Share of Search.
- [Specsavers vs SelectSpecs: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/selectspecs-vs-specsavers): 52.2% against 3.1% Share of Search.
- [Vision Express vs Boots: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/boots-vs-vision-express): 15.6% Share of Search each.
- [Vision Express vs Glasses Direct: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/glasses-direct-vs-vision-express): 15.6% against 10.5% Share of Search.
- [Vision Express vs SelectSpecs: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/selectspecs-vs-vision-express): 15.6% against 3.1% Share of Search.
- [Boots vs Glasses Direct: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/boots-vs-glasses-direct): 15.6% against 10.5% Share of Search.
- [Boots vs SelectSpecs: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/boots-vs-selectspecs): 15.6% against 3.1% Share of Search.
- [Glasses Direct vs SelectSpecs: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/glasses-direct-vs-selectspecs): 10.5% against 3.1% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom opticians in September 2026?

- In September 2026, Specsavers gained share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom, from 48.9% to 52.2%.
- In September 2026, SelectSpecs gained share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom, from 2.4% to 3.1%.
- In September 2026, Glasses Direct gained share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom, from 9.8% to 10.5%.
- In September 2026, Vision Express lost share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom, from 17.9% to 15.6%.
- In September 2026, Boots lost share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom, from 17.9% to 15.6%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Cubitts in the United Kingdom fell 18.5% over 12 measured months, from 22.2K to 18.1K in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Optical Express in the United Kingdom fell 18.5% over 12 measured months, from 22.2K to 18.1K in September 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Specsavers | 52.2% | 823K | 0.0% | Specsavers |
| 2 | Vision Express | 15.6% | 247K | -18.3% | Vision Express |
| 3 | Boots | 15.6% | 246K | -18.3% | Boots |
| 4 | Glasses Direct | 10.5% | 165K | 0.0% | Glasses Direct |
| 5 | SelectSpecs | 3.1% | 49.5K | +22.2% | SelectSpecs |
| 6 | Cubitts | 1.1% | 18.1K | -18.5% | Cubitts |
| 7 | Optical Express | 1.1% | 18.1K | 0.0% | Optical Express |
| 8 | Bloobloom | 0.63% | 9.9K | -18.2% | Bloobloom |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Specsavers | 823K | 52.9% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Vision Express | 247K | 15.9% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Boots | 246K | 15.8% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Glasses Direct | 135K | 8.7% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | SelectSpecs | 49.5K | 3.2% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | Cubitts | 22.2K | 1.4% | 6 |
| Oct 2025 | Optical Express | 22.2K | 1.4% | 7 |
| Oct 2025 | Bloobloom | 9.9K | 0.64% | 8 |
| Nov 2025 | Specsavers | 823K | 52.9% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Vision Express | 247K | 15.9% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Boots | 246K | 15.8% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Glasses Direct | 135K | 8.7% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | SelectSpecs | 49.5K | 3.2% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Cubitts | 22.2K | 1.4% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | Optical Express | 22.2K | 1.4% | 7 |
| Nov 2025 | Bloobloom | 9.9K | 0.64% | 8 |
| Dec 2025 | Specsavers | 673K | 52.9% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Vision Express | 202K | 15.8% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Boots | 201K | 15.8% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Glasses Direct | 110K | 8.6% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | SelectSpecs | 40.5K | 3.2% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Cubitts | 18.1K | 1.4% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | Optical Express | 18.1K | 1.4% | 7 |
| Dec 2025 | Bloobloom | 9.9K | 0.78% | 8 |
| Jan 2026 | Specsavers | 1M | 53.4% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Vision Express | 302K | 16.1% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Boots | 301K | 16.1% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Glasses Direct | 165K | 8.8% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | SelectSpecs | 49.5K | 2.6% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Cubitts | 22.2K | 1.2% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Optical Express | 22.2K | 1.2% | 7 |
| Jan 2026 | Bloobloom | 12.1K | 0.65% | 8 |
| Feb 2026 | Specsavers | 823K | 50.4% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Vision Express | 302K | 18.5% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Boots | 246K | 15.1% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Glasses Direct | 165K | 10.1% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | SelectSpecs | 40.5K | 2.5% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Cubitts | 22.2K | 1.4% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Optical Express | 22.2K | 1.4% | 7 |
| Feb 2026 | Bloobloom | 12.1K | 0.74% | 8 |
| Mar 2026 | Specsavers | 1M | 55% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Vision Express | 302K | 16.6% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Boots | 246K | 13.5% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Glasses Direct | 165K | 9.1% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | SelectSpecs | 49.5K | 2.7% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Cubitts | 22.2K | 1.2% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Optical Express | 22.2K | 1.2% | 7 |
| Mar 2026 | Bloobloom | 12.1K | 0.67% | 8 |
| Apr 2026 | Specsavers | 823K | 50.3% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Vision Express | 302K | 18.4% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Boots | 246K | 15% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Glasses Direct | 165K | 10.1% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | SelectSpecs | 40.5K | 2.5% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Cubitts | 27.1K | 1.7% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | Optical Express | 22.2K | 1.4% | 7 |
| Apr 2026 | Bloobloom | 12.1K | 0.74% | 8 |
| May 2026 | Specsavers | 823K | 50.4% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Vision Express | 302K | 18.5% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Boots | 246K | 15.1% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Glasses Direct | 165K | 10.1% | 4 |
| May 2026 | SelectSpecs | 40.5K | 2.5% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Cubitts | 22.2K | 1.4% | 6 |
| May 2026 | Optical Express | 22.2K | 1.4% | 7 |
| May 2026 | Bloobloom | 12.1K | 0.74% | 8 |
| Jun 2026 | Specsavers | 823K | 52.4% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Vision Express | 246K | 15.7% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Boots | 246K | 15.7% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Glasses Direct | 165K | 10.5% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | SelectSpecs | 40.5K | 2.6% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Cubitts | 22.2K | 1.4% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Optical Express | 18.1K | 1.2% | 7 |
| Jun 2026 | Bloobloom | 9.9K | 0.63% | 8 |
| Jul 2026 | Specsavers | 823K | 51.3% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Vision Express | 247K | 15.4% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Boots | 246K | 15.3% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Glasses Direct | 165K | 10.3% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | SelectSpecs | 74K | 4.6% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Cubitts | 22.2K | 1.4% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Optical Express | 18.1K | 1.1% | 7 |
| Jul 2026 | Bloobloom | 9.9K | 0.62% | 8 |
| Aug 2026 | Specsavers | 823K | 48.9% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Vision Express | 302K | 17.9% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Boots | 301K | 17.9% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Glasses Direct | 165K | 9.8% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | SelectSpecs | 40.5K | 2.4% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Cubitts | 22.2K | 1.3% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | Optical Express | 18.1K | 1.1% | 7 |
| Aug 2026 | Bloobloom | 12.1K | 0.72% | 8 |
| Sep 2026 | Specsavers | 823K | 52.2% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | Vision Express | 247K | 15.6% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Boots | 246K | 15.6% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | Glasses Direct | 165K | 10.5% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | SelectSpecs | 49.5K | 3.1% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | Cubitts | 18.1K | 1.1% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | Optical Express | 18.1K | 1.1% | 7 |
| Sep 2026 | Bloobloom | 9.9K | 0.63% | 8 |

## What is being compared

- **Bloobloom**: Measured on the search term “bloobloom”.
- **Boots**: Measured on the search term “boots opticians”.
- **Cubitts**: Measured on the search term “cubitts”.
- **Glasses Direct**: Measured on the search term “glasses direct”.
- **Optical Express**: Measured on the search term “optical express”.
- **SelectSpecs**: Measured on the search terms “select specs” and “selectspecs”, summed into one figure.
- **Specsavers**: Measured on the search term “specsavers”.
- **Vision Express**: Measured on the search terms “vision express” and “vision express opticians”, summed into one figure.

- [Bloobloom](/demand/uk/brands/bloobloom)
- [Boots](/demand/uk/brands/boots)
- [Cubitts](/demand/uk/brands/cubitts)
- [Glasses Direct](/demand/uk/brands/glasses-direct)
- [Optical Express](/demand/uk/brands/optical-express)
- [SelectSpecs](/demand/uk/brands/selectspecs)
- [Specsavers](/demand/uk/brands/specsavers)
- [Vision Express](/demand/uk/brands/vision-express)

## 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

### Which brand is most popular in search among opticians in the United Kingdom?

In September 2026, Specsavers was the most searched among optician brands in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 823K branded searches, 52.2% of all searches for the eight we track.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Opticians in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-opticians

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-opticians. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.