--- title: "SoundCloud vs YouTube Music: Which is more popular in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is SoundCloud or YouTube Music more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Music streaming services 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/soundcloud-vs-youtube-music" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # SoundCloud vs YouTube Music: Which is more popular in the United Kingdom? Is SoundCloud or YouTube Music more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Music streaming services 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**: SoundCloud and YouTube Music - **Competitive set**: Music streaming services - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **SoundCloud Share of Search**: 11.5% - **YouTube Music Share of Search**: 21% ## Is SoundCloud or YouTube Music more popular in search? - In September 2026, YouTube Music had more branded searches than SoundCloud among music streaming services in the United Kingdom. YouTube Music had about 823,000 branded searches, while SoundCloud had 450,000. YouTube Music made up 21% of all music streaming service searches we track, and SoundCloud accounted for 11.5%. - YouTube Music was ahead of SoundCloud in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SoundCloud’s share of searches among music streaming services in the United Kingdom moved from 13.7% to 11.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 550K to 450K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, YouTube Music’s share of searches among music streaming services in the United Kingdom moved from 20.4% to 21%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 823K. ## Top music streaming services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, YouTube Music was mentioned in three out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. SoundCloud 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Apple Music | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Spotify | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Tidal | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | YouTube Music | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Amazon Music | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | SoundCloud | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Deezer | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about music streaming services - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best music streaming service in the UK?": 1. Spotify, 2. Apple Music, 3. Tidal, 4. YouTube Music, 5. Amazon Music - Asked ChatGPT "Which music app has the best sound quality?": 1. Apple Music, 2. Tidal, 3. Spotify - Asked ChatGPT "Which music streaming subscription is best value?": 1. Apple Music, 2. Spotify, 3. YouTube Music, 4. Amazon Music - Searched Google, AI Overview "music streaming": 1. Spotify, 2. Apple Music, 3. Tidal, 4. Amazon Music, 5. YouTube Music Not named in any answer: SoundCloud and Deezer. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom music streaming services in September 2026? - SoundCloud’s share of searches among music streaming services in the United Kingdom has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 13.5% to 11.5% in September 2026. ## How has branded search for SoundCloud and YouTube Music changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months? | Month | SoundCloud estimated searches | SoundCloud Share of Search | SoundCloud rank | YouTube Music estimated searches | YouTube Music Share of Search | YouTube Music rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 550K | 13.7% | 3 | 823K | 20.4% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 550K | 14.1% | 3 | 673K | 17.2% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 550K | 12.5% | 3 | 673K | 15.3% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 550K | 13.6% | 3 | 823K | 20.3% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 450K | 11.9% | 3 | 673K | 17.9% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 550K | 13.5% | 3 | 823K | 20.3% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 450K | 11.6% | 3 | 823K | 21.2% | 2 | | May 2026 | 550K | 12.1% | 3 | 823K | 18.2% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 550K | 13.5% | 3 | 823K | 20.1% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 450K | 13.4% | 3 | 673K | 20% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 368K | 11.6% | 3 | 673K | 21.3% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 450K | 11.5% | 3 | 823K | 21% | 2 | ## How are SoundCloud’s and YouTube Music’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using SoundCloud’s and YouTube Music’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. - **SoundCloud**: Measured on the search term “soundcloud”. - **YouTube Music**: Measured on the search term “youtube music”. - [SoundCloud profile](/demand/uk/brands/soundcloud) - [YouTube Music profile](/demand/uk/brands/youtube-music) - [All music streaming services in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-music-streaming-services): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 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 SoundCloud or YouTube Music more popular in search? In September 2026, YouTube Music had more branded searches than SoundCloud among music streaming services in the United Kingdom. YouTube Music had about 823,000 branded searches, while SoundCloud had 450,000. YouTube Music made up 21% of all music streaming service searches we track, and SoundCloud accounted for 11.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "SoundCloud vs YouTube Music: Which is more popular in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/soundcloud-vs-youtube-music This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/soundcloud-vs-youtube-music. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.