--- title: "Glasses Direct vs Optical Express: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is Glasses Direct or Optical Express more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Opticians 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/glasses-direct-vs-optical-express" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Glasses Direct vs Optical Express: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is Glasses Direct or Optical Express more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Opticians 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**: Glasses Direct and Optical Express - **Competitive set**: Opticians - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Glasses Direct Share of Search**: 10.5% - **Optical Express Share of Search**: 1.1% ## Is Glasses Direct or Optical Express more popular in search? - In September 2026, Glasses Direct had more branded searches than Optical Express among opticians in the United Kingdom. Glasses Direct had about 165,000 branded searches, while Optical Express had 18,100. Glasses Direct made up 10.5% of all optician searches we track, and Optical Express accounted for 1.1%. - Glasses Direct was ahead of Optical Express in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Glasses Direct’s share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom moved from 8.7% to 10.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 135K to 165K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Optical Express’ share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom moved from 1.4% to 1.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 22.2K to 18.1K. ## 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. Optical Express did not appear in any of the four answers. 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. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom opticians in September 2026? - In September 2026, Glasses Direct gained share of searches among opticians in the United Kingdom, from 9.8% to 10.5%. - 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. ## Month by month | Month | Glasses Direct estimated searches | Glasses Direct Share of Search | Glasses Direct rank | Optical Express estimated searches | Optical Express Share of Search | Optical Express rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 135K | 8.7% | 4 | 22.2K | 1.4% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | 135K | 8.7% | 4 | 22.2K | 1.4% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | 110K | 8.6% | 4 | 18.1K | 1.4% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | 165K | 8.8% | 4 | 22.2K | 1.2% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 165K | 10.1% | 4 | 22.2K | 1.4% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | 165K | 9.1% | 4 | 22.2K | 1.2% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | 165K | 10.1% | 4 | 22.2K | 1.4% | 7 | | May 2026 | 165K | 10.1% | 4 | 22.2K | 1.4% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | 165K | 10.5% | 4 | 18.1K | 1.2% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | 165K | 10.3% | 4 | 18.1K | 1.1% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | 165K | 9.8% | 4 | 18.1K | 1.1% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 165K | 10.5% | 4 | 18.1K | 1.1% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Glasses Direct’s and Optical Express’ 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. - **Glasses Direct**: Measured on the search term “glasses direct”. - **Optical Express**: Measured on the search term “optical express”. - [Glasses Direct profile](/demand/uk/brands/glasses-direct) - [Optical Express profile](/demand/uk/brands/optical-express) - [All opticians in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-opticians): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 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 Glasses Direct or Optical Express more popular in search? In September 2026, Glasses Direct had more branded searches than Optical Express among opticians in the United Kingdom. Glasses Direct had about 165,000 branded searches, while Optical Express had 18,100. Glasses Direct made up 10.5% of all optician searches we track, and Optical Express accounted for 1.1%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Glasses Direct vs Optical Express: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/glasses-direct-vs-optical-express This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/glasses-direct-vs-optical-express. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.