Brandwave

How popular isA&W Root Beer?

In September 2026, people searched for A&W Root Beer by name about 40,500 times in the United States, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 23.2% of all United States root beer brand searches, placing A&W Root Beer second out of ten brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about root beer brands, A&W Root Beer appeared in three of the five answers and was the second most recommended of the ten.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

A&W Root Beer is the second most searched of 10 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Barq'sShare of searches 28.3%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. A&W Root BeerShare of searches 23.2%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. Mug Root BeerShare of searches 15.5%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. SprecherShare of searches 10.4%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  5. IBC Root BeerShare of searches 8.5%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th

+5 more

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Top root beer brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, A&W Root Beer was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. A&W Root Beer is the second most recommended of the ten.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Barq's1st
  2. A&W Root Beer2nd
  3. Mug Root Beer3rd
  4. Sprecher4th
  5. Stewart's4th
  6. IBC Root Beer6th
  7. Dad's Root Beer7th
  8. Virgil's7th
  9. OLIPOP9th
  10. Zevia10th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Sprecher4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Barq's3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • A&W Root Beer3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Mug Root Beer3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • IBC Root Beer3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Stewart's2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Virgil's2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Dad's Root Beer1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • OLIPOP1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Zevia1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about root beer brands

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 25, 2026.

Which root beer brands compete with A&W Root Beer?

A&W Root Beer against root beer brands in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Barq's, A&W Root Beer, Mug Root Beer, Sprecher, IBC Root Beer, Dad's Root Beer, Stewart's, Virgil's. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBarq'sA&W Root BeerMug Root BeerSprecherIBC Root BeerDad's Root BeerStewart'sVirgil'sOLIPOPZevia
Oct 202526.7%26.7%14.6%8%8%5.3%5.3%2.9%1.9%0.66%
Nov 202526.9%26.9%14.8%8%8%5.4%4.4%2.9%1.9%0.66%
Dec 202525.7%25.7%14.1%11.5%7.7%5.1%4.2%3.4%1.8%0.64%
Jan 202624.9%30.4%13.6%9.1%7.4%5%3.3%3.3%2.2%0.8%
Feb 202623.1%34.5%12.7%6.9%6.9%6.9%3.8%2.5%2.1%0.74%
Mar 202620.4%45.3%9.1%7.5%6.1%4.1%3.3%2.2%1.5%0.54%
Apr 202625.1%30.6%13.7%9.2%7.5%5%4.1%2.7%1.5%0.66%
May 202623.7%28.9%13%10.6%7.1%7.1%4.7%2.6%1.7%0.62%
Jun 202622.4%27.4%12.3%10.1%6.7%12.3%4.5%2.4%1.3%0.59%
Jul 202625.4%25.4%13.9%11.4%7.6%6.2%5.1%2.8%1.5%0.67%
Aug 202625.7%25.7%14.1%11.5%7.7%5.1%5.1%2.8%1.5%0.68%
Sep 202628.3%23.2%15.5%10.4%8.5%4.6%4.6%2.5%1.7%0.74%

  1. 1.Barq's

    28.3%

    Moved from 2nd to 1st. 49.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +2.6 points.

  2. 2.A&W Root Beer

    23.2%

    Moved from 1st to 2nd. 40.5K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -2.5 points.

  3. 3.Mug Root Beer

    15.5%

    Held 3rd. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.4 points.

  4. 4.Sprecher

    10.4%

    Held 4th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -1.2 points.

  5. 5.IBC Root Beer

    8.5%

    Held 5th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  6. 6.Dad's Root Beer

    4.6%

    Held 6th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  7. 7.Stewart's

    4.6%

    Held 7th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  8. 8.Virgil's

    2.5%

    Held 8th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  9. 9.OLIPOP

    1.7%

    Held 9th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  10. 10.Zevia

    0.74%

    Held 10th. 1.3K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

Compare popularity between A&W Root Beer and its closest rivals

Every comparison with A&W Root Beer

9 comparisons

How has branded search demand for A&W Root Beer changed in the United States over the last 12 months?

4 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for A&W Root Beer in the United States held steady at 40.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, A&W Root Beer’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States decreased from 26.7% to 23.2%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, A&W Root Beer’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States peaked at 45.3% in March 2026 and was lowest at 23.2% in September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, A&W Root Beer fell from 1st to 2nd among root beer brands in the United States.

How did search popularity change for United States root beer brands in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Barq's overtook A&W Root Beer to become the leader among root beer brands in the United States, with 28.3% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Mug Root Beer gained share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, from 14.1% to 15.5%.

  3. In September 2026, IBC Root Beer gained share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, from 7.7% to 8.5%.

  4. In September 2026, A&W Root Beer lost share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, from 25.7% to 23.2%.

  5. In September 2026, Sprecher lost share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, from 11.5% to 10.4%.

  6. In September 2026, Dad's Root Beer lost share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, from 5.1% to 4.6%.

How are A&W Root Beer’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using A&W Root Beer’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • a&w root beer

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns A&W Root Beer?

A&W Root Beer is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper. Brandwave also tracks IBC Root Beer and Stewart's, owned by the same company, in the United States.

Do you work for A&W Root Beer? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

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