Brandwave

Ace & Tate vs Glasses Direct:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Glasses Direct had more branded searches than Ace & Tate among opticians in the United Kingdom. Glasses Direct had about 165,000 branded searches, while Ace & Tate had 21,000. Glasses Direct made up 10.3% of all optician searches we track, and Ace & Tate accounted for 1.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about opticians, Glasses Direct appeared in three of the four answers and Ace & Tate in one. Glasses Direct was mentioned before Ace & Tate in three out of four answers.

Among opticians in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Glasses Direct, about 8 searches for every 1 for Ace & Tate

Glasses Direct 165K searchesAce & Tate 21K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Glasses Direct, mentioned in 3 of 4 answers, Ace & Tate in 1

Glasses Direct in 3 of 4Ace & Tate in 1 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

Glasses Direct, named ahead of Ace & Tate in 3 of 4 answers

Glasses Direct first in 3Ace & Tate first in 1

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Top opticians in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Glasses Direct was mentioned in three out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. Ace & Tate was mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Glasses Direct was listed before Ace & Tate in three out of four answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Specsavers1st
  2. Glasses Direct2nd
  3. SelectSpecs3rd
  4. Boots4th
  5. Cubitts4th
  6. Vision Express6th
  7. Ace & Tate7th
  8. Optical Express–
  9. Bloobloom–
  10. Spex4Less–
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Specsavers4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Glasses Direct3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • SelectSpecs3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Vision Express2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Boots2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Cubitts2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Ace & Tate1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Optical Express0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Bloobloom0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Spex4Less0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about opticians

4 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026.

Is Ace & Tate or Glasses Direct more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Ace & Tate and Glasses Direct by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 optician brands we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

Ace & Tate and Glasses Direct among opticians in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for Glasses Direct, Ace & Tate. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSpecsaversVision ExpressBootsGlasses DirectSelectSpecsAce & TateCubittsOptical ExpressBloobloomSpex4LessSmartBuyGlasses
Oct 202551.8%15.5%15.5%8.5%3.1%1.5%1.4%1.4%0.62%0.34%0.23%
Nov 202552%15.6%15.5%8.5%3.1%1.3%1.4%1.4%0.62%0.34%0.23%
Dec 202551.8%15.5%15.5%8.5%3.1%1.5%1.4%1.4%0.76%0.28%0.22%
Jan 202652.4%15.8%15.8%8.6%2.6%1.3%1.2%1.2%0.63%0.35%0.19%
Feb 202649.5%18.2%14.8%9.9%2.4%1.2%1.3%1.3%0.73%0.32%0.22%
Mar 202653.9%16.3%13.3%8.9%2.7%1.4%1.2%1.2%0.65%0.36%0.24%
Apr 202649.2%18%14.7%9.9%2.4%1.5%1.6%1.3%0.72%0.32%0.26%
May 202649.5%18.1%14.8%9.9%2.4%1.2%1.3%1.3%0.73%0.32%0.26%
Jun 202651.4%15.4%15.4%10.3%2.5%1.3%1.4%1.1%0.62%0.28%0.23%
Jul 202650.4%15.1%15.1%10.1%4.5%1.3%1.4%1.1%0.61%0.33%0.22%
Aug 202648%17.6%17.6%9.6%2.4%1.2%1.3%1.1%0.71%0.32%0.21%
Sep 202651.3%15.4%15.3%10.3%3.1%1.3%1.1%1.1%0.62%0.22%0.18%

How has the Ace & Tate and Glasses Direct comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Glasses Direct gained share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom, from 9.6% to 10.3%.

  2. In September 2026, Ace & Tate rose from 7th to 6th among opticians in the United Kingdom.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ace & Tate’s and Glasses Direct’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.

Ace & Tate

2 branded search terms

  • ace and tate
  • ace and tate glasses

Glasses Direct

1 branded search term

  • glasses direct

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among opticians

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