--- title: "First Direct vs Nationwide: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is First Direct or Nationwide more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Banks 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/first-direct-vs-nationwide-building-society" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # First Direct vs Nationwide: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is First Direct or Nationwide more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Banks 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**: First Direct and Nationwide - **Competitive set**: Banks - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **First Direct Share of Search**: 1.5% - **Nationwide Share of Search**: 4.5% ## Is First Direct or Nationwide more popular in search? - In September 2026, Nationwide had more branded searches than First Direct among banks in the United Kingdom. Nationwide had about 450,000 branded searches, while First Direct had 150,000. Nationwide made up 4.5% of all bank searches we track, and First Direct accounted for 1.5%. - Nationwide was ahead of First Direct in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, First Direct’s share of searches among banks in the United Kingdom moved from 1.6% to 1.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 180K to 150K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Nationwide’s share of searches among banks in the United Kingdom moved from 4% to 4.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 450K. ## Top banks in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, First Direct was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Nationwide was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. First Direct was listed before Nationwide in every answer. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Barclays | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | First Direct | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Starling Bank | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Monzo | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | HSBC | 5th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Chase UK | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Nationwide | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Lloyds Bank | 8th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Santander | 9th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | NatWest | 10th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Halifax | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | TSB | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about banks - Asked ChatGPT "Which bank should I open a current account with in the UK?": 1. Monzo, 2. Starling Bank, 3. First Direct, 4. Nationwide, 5. Barclays, 6. HSBC - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best banks in the UK?": 1. Starling Bank, 2. Monzo, 3. First Direct, 4. Chase UK, 5. Nationwide, 6. Barclays, 7. HSBC - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best UK bank account for switching incentives?": 1. Barclays, 2. Lloyds Bank, 3. HSBC, 4. First Direct, 5. NatWest - Searched Google, AI Overview "bank account": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "best bank account": 1. Barclays, 2. HSBC, 3. First Direct, 4. Chase UK, 5. Santander, 6. Starling Bank, 7. Monzo Not named in any answer: Halifax and TSB. 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 banks in September 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for First Direct in the United Kingdom fell 16.7% over 12 measured months, from 180K to 150K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | First Direct estimated searches | First Direct Share of Search | First Direct rank | Nationwide estimated searches | Nationwide Share of Search | Nationwide rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 180K | 1.6% | 9 | 450K | 4% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | 177K | 1.7% | 9 | 450K | 4.2% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | 177K | 1.8% | 8 | 550K | 5.5% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 216K | 1.9% | 9 | 550K | 4.8% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 177K | 1.9% | 9 | 550K | 5.9% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 177K | 1.7% | 9 | 450K | 4.3% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 177K | 1.7% | 9 | 673K | 6.4% | 6 | | May 2026 | 177K | 1.8% | 9 | 823K | 8.2% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 177K | 1.8% | 9 | 450K | 4.6% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | 180K | 1.9% | 9 | 450K | 4.7% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 150K | 1.6% | 9 | 450K | 4.8% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 150K | 1.5% | 9 | 450K | 4.5% | 6 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using First Direct’s and Nationwide’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. - **First Direct**: Measured on the search terms “first direct” and “first direct bank”, summed into one figure. - **Nationwide**: Measured on the search term “nationwide building society”. - [First Direct profile](/demand/uk/brands/first-direct) - [Nationwide profile](/demand/uk/brands/nationwide-building-society) - [All banks in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-banks): The set both shares are measured inside, 12 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 First Direct or Nationwide more popular in search? In September 2026, Nationwide had more branded searches than First Direct among banks in the United Kingdom. Nationwide had about 450,000 branded searches, while First Direct had 150,000. Nationwide made up 4.5% of all bank searches we track, and First Direct accounted for 1.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "First Direct vs Nationwide: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/first-direct-vs-nationwide-building-society This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/first-direct-vs-nationwide-building-society. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.