--- title: "CalMac vs Wightlink: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is CalMac or Wightlink more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Ferry companies set in the United Kingdom. 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/compare/calmac-vs-wightlink" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # CalMac vs Wightlink: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is CalMac or Wightlink more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Ferry companies set in the United Kingdom. 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 - **Compared**: CalMac and Wightlink - **Competitive set**: Ferry companies - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **CalMac Share of Search**: 18.8% - **Wightlink Share of Search**: 8.4% ## Is CalMac or Wightlink more popular in search? - In September 2026, CalMac had more branded searches than Wightlink among ferry companies in the United Kingdom. CalMac had about 110,000 branded searches, while Wightlink had 49,500. CalMac made up 18.8% of all ferry company searches we track, and Wightlink accounted for 8.4%. - CalMac was ahead of Wightlink in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, CalMac’s share of searches among ferry companies in the United Kingdom moved from 17.5% to 18.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 110K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wightlink’s share of searches among ferry companies in the United Kingdom moved from 7.9% to 8.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 49.5K. ## Top ferry companies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, CalMac and Wightlink were each mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | DFDS | 1st | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | P&O Ferries | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Brittany Ferries | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Stena Line | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Irish Ferries | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | CalMac | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Wightlink | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Red Funnel | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Condor Ferries | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about ferry companies - Asked ChatGPT "Which ferry company should I use to get to France from the UK?": 1. DFDS, 2. P&O Ferries, 3. Brittany Ferries, 4. Irish Ferries - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best ferry companies in the UK?": 1. Brittany Ferries, 2. DFDS, 3. Stena Line, 4. P&O Ferries, 5. CalMac, 6. Wightlink - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best ferry company for taking a car to Ireland from the UK?": 1. Stena Line, 2. Irish Ferries, 3. P&O Ferries - Searched Google, AI Overview "ferry to france": 1. P&O Ferries, 2. DFDS, 3. Irish Ferries, 4. Brittany Ferries Not named in any answer: Red Funnel and Condor Ferries. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom ferry companies in September 2026? - In September 2026, CalMac overtook P&O Ferries and Stena Line to rank 2nd among ferry companies in the United Kingdom, with 18.8% of the searches. - In September 2026, Wightlink rose from 7th to 6th among ferry companies in the United Kingdom. ## Month by month | Month | CalMac estimated searches | CalMac Share of Search | CalMac rank | Wightlink estimated searches | Wightlink Share of Search | Wightlink rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 110K | 17.5% | 2 | 49.5K | 7.9% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | 74K | 14.1% | 3 | 40.5K | 7.7% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | 90.5K | 16.5% | 2 | 49.5K | 9% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | 90.5K | 14.3% | 3 | 49.5K | 7.8% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 90.5K | 15.4% | 2 | 49.5K | 8.4% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | 135K | 19.1% | 2 | 60.5K | 8.5% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | 135K | 19.1% | 2 | 60.5K | 8.5% | 7 | | May 2026 | 110K | 14.4% | 2 | 74K | 9.7% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 110K | 15% | 2 | 60.5K | 8.2% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | 135K | 16.3% | 2 | 60.5K | 7.3% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | 110K | 13.2% | 4 | 74K | 8.9% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 110K | 18.8% | 2 | 49.5K | 8.4% | 6 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using CalMac’s and Wightlink’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. - **CalMac**: Measured on the search term “calmac”. - **Wightlink**: Measured on the search term “wightlink”. - [CalMac profile](/demand/uk/brands/calmac) - [Wightlink profile](/demand/uk/brands/wightlink) - [All ferry companies in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-ferry-companies): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 brands. ## 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 ### Is CalMac or Wightlink more popular in search? In September 2026, CalMac had more branded searches than Wightlink among ferry companies in the United Kingdom. CalMac had about 110,000 branded searches, while Wightlink had 49,500. CalMac made up 18.8% of all ferry company searches we track, and Wightlink accounted for 8.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "CalMac vs Wightlink: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/calmac-vs-wightlink This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/calmac-vs-wightlink. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.