Brandwave

How popular isCold Stone Creamery?

In September 2026, people searched for Cold Stone Creamery by name about 1.7 million times in the United States, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 23.4% of all United States ice cream chain searches, placing Cold Stone Creamery second out of eight chains. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about ice cream chains, Cold Stone Creamery appeared in three of the four answers and was the fourth most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Cold Stone Creamery is the second most searched of 8 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Dairy QueenShare of searches 46.9%Mentioned in 1 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  2. Cold Stone CreameryShare of searches 23.4%Mentioned in 3 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  3. Baskin-RobbinsShare of searches 21%Mentioned in 1 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  4. Salt & StrawShare of searches 2.8%Mentioned in 2 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  5. Culver'sShare of searches 2.4%Mentioned in 2 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th

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Top ice cream chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Cold Stone Creamery was mentioned in three out of four: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Cold Stone Creamery is the fourth most recommended of the eight.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams1st
  2. Salt & Straw2nd
  3. Handel's3rd
  4. Cold Stone Creamery4th
  5. Dairy Queen5th
  6. Baskin-Robbins6th
  7. Culver's7th
  8. Marble Slab Creamery–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Cold Stone Creamery3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Handel's3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Salt & Straw2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Culver's2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Dairy Queen1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Baskin-Robbins1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Marble Slab Creamery0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about ice cream chains

4 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 23, 2026.

Which ice cream chains compete with Cold Stone Creamery?

Cold Stone Creamery against ice cream chains in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Dairy Queen, Cold Stone Creamery, Baskin-Robbins, Salt & Straw, Culver's, Handel's. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthDairy QueenCold Stone CreameryBaskin-RobbinsSalt & StrawCulver'sHandel'sMarble Slab CreameryJeni's Splendid Ice Creams
Oct 202548.3%24.1%17.6%4.3%2.5%2%0.58%0.56%
Nov 202544.1%22.1%24.1%4%2.2%2.3%0.65%0.52%
Dec 202546.4%23.2%20.7%4.2%1.9%2.4%0.69%0.55%
Jan 202650%22.3%18.2%3.7%2.5%2.1%0.6%0.49%
Feb 202650.4%22.5%18.3%3%2.5%2.1%0.61%0.49%
Mar 202651.8%21.2%19%3.1%1.8%2.2%0.51%0.5%
Apr 202647%23.5%21%2.8%2%2.4%0.57%0.66%
May 202649.5%24.8%18.1%2.4%2.1%2.1%0.49%0.5%
Jun 202645.3%25.7%20.3%3.3%1.9%2.3%0.55%0.56%
Jul 202644.5%27.2%19.9%2.7%1.9%2.8%0.54%0.49%
Aug 202645.6%25.9%20.4%2.7%1.9%2.4%0.55%0.54%
Sep 202646.9%23.4%21%2.8%2.4%2.4%0.57%0.51%

  1. 1.Dairy Queen

    46.9%

    Held 1st. 3.4M estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.

  2. 2.Cold Stone Creamery

    23.4%

    Held 2nd. 1.7M estimated branded searches, -28% vs prior month. Share -2.5 points.

  3. 3.Baskin-Robbins

    21%

    Held 3rd. 1.5M estimated branded searches, -18% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.

  4. 4.Salt & Straw

    2.8%

    Held 4th. 201K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  5. 5.Culver's

    2.4%

    Moved from 6th to 5th. 170K estimated branded searches, -0.7% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  6. 6.Handel's

    2.4%

    Moved from 5th to 6th. 169K estimated branded searches, -20.1% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Marble Slab Creamery

    0.57%

    Held 7th. 40.5K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

    0.51%

    Held 8th. 36.7K estimated branded searches, -24.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Cold Stone Creamery and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Cold Stone Creamery

7 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Cold Stone Creamery changed in the United States over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Cold Stone Creamery in the United States held steady at 1.7M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cold Stone Creamery’s share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States decreased from 24.1% to 23.4%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cold Stone Creamery’s share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States peaked at 27.2% in July 2026 and was lowest at 21.2% in March 2026.

How did search popularity change for United States ice cream chains in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Dairy Queen gained share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States, from 45.6% to 46.9%.

  2. In September 2026, Baskin-Robbins gained share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States, from 20.4% to 21%.

  3. In September 2026, Cold Stone Creamery lost share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States, from 25.9% to 23.4%.

  4. In September 2026, Culver's rose from 6th to 5th among ice cream chains in the United States.

  5. In September 2026, Handel's fell from 5th to 6th among ice cream chains in the United States.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Salt & Straw in the United States fell 33.2% over 12 measured months, from 301K to 201K in September 2026.

How are Cold Stone Creamery’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cold Stone Creamery’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • cold stone
  • cold stone creamery

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