Brandwave

How popular isMcDonald's?

In September 2026, people searched for McDonald's by name about 30.4 million times in the United States, an 18.3% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 45.6% of all United States burger chain searches, placing McDonald's first out of ten chains. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about burger chains, McDonald's appeared in two of the four answers and was the eighth most recommended of the ten.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

McDonald's is the most searched of 10 competitors and the eighth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. McDonald'sShare of searches 45.6%Mentioned in 2 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 8th
  2. Burger KingShare of searches 16.7%Mentioned in 2 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 9th
  3. Wendy'sShare of searches 13.7%Mentioned in 2 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  4. Culver'sShare of searches 7.5%Mentioned in 3 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  5. Five GuysShare of searches 6.1%Mentioned in 3 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd

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Top burger chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, McDonald's was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. McDonald's is the eighth most recommended of the ten.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. In-N-Out Burger1st
  2. Five Guys2nd
  3. Culver's3rd
  4. Shake Shack4th
  5. Whataburger5th
  6. Wendy's6th
  7. The Habit Burger Grill7th
  8. McDonald's8th
  9. Burger King9th
  10. Smashburger10th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • In-N-Out Burger4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Culver's3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Five Guys3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Shake Shack3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • The Habit Burger Grill3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • McDonald's2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Burger King2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Wendy's2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Whataburger2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Smashburger1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about burger chains

4 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 22, 2026.

Which burger chains compete with McDonald's?

McDonald's against burger chains in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Culver's, Five Guys, Whataburger, Shake Shack. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthMcDonald'sBurger KingWendy'sCulver'sFive GuysWhataburgerShake ShackIn-N-Out BurgerSmashburgerThe Habit Burger Grill
Oct 202551.7%12.7%12.7%7%4.7%5.7%2.5%1.7%0.94%0.34%
Nov 202547.2%14.2%14.2%6.3%5.2%6.3%2.8%2.3%1%0.38%
Dec 202550%14.9%12.3%6.7%4.5%5.5%2.5%2.5%0.9%0.33%
Jan 202649.7%12.2%12.2%6.7%5.5%6.7%3%2.5%1.1%0.4%
Feb 202650.6%12.4%12.4%6.8%5.6%5.6%3%2%1.1%0.41%
Mar 202644.5%16.3%13.4%7.3%6%6%2.7%2.2%1.2%0.44%
Apr 202646.9%14.1%14.1%7.7%5.2%6.3%2.3%1.9%1%0.38%
May 202645.9%13.8%13.8%9.2%5.1%6.2%2.8%1.8%1%0.45%
Jun 202647%14.1%14.1%7.7%5.2%6.3%2.3%1.9%0.85%0.47%
Jul 202651.2%12.6%12.6%8.4%4.6%5.6%2.1%1.7%0.76%0.41%
Aug 202650.8%12.5%12.5%8.4%4.6%5.6%2.5%2%0.75%0.41%
Sep 202645.6%16.7%13.7%7.5%6.1%5%2.3%1.8%0.83%0.37%

  1. 1.McDonald's

    45.6%

    Held 1st. 30.4M estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -5.2 points.

  2. 2.Burger King

    16.7%

    Held 2nd. 11.1M estimated branded searches, +21.4% vs prior month. Share +4.2 points.

  3. 3.Wendy's

    13.7%

    Held 3rd. 9.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.2 points.

  4. 4.Culver's

    7.5%

    Held 4th. 5M estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -0.9 points.

  5. 5.Five Guys

    6.1%

    Moved from 6th to 5th. 4.1M estimated branded searches, +22.1% vs prior month. Share +1.6 points.

  6. 6.Whataburger

    5%

    Moved from 5th to 6th. 3.4M estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  7. 7.Shake Shack

    2.3%

    Held 7th. 1.5M estimated branded searches, -18% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  8. 8.In-N-Out Burger

    1.8%

    Held 8th. 1.2M estimated branded searches, -18.7% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  9. 9.Smashburger

    0.83%

    Held 9th. 550K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  10. 10.The Habit Burger Grill

    0.37%

    Held 10th. 246K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between McDonald's and its closest rivals

Every comparison with McDonald's

9 comparisons

How has branded search demand for McDonald's changed in the United States over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for McDonald's in the United States fell from 37.2M to 30.4M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McDonald's’ share of searches among burger chains in the United States decreased from 51.7% to 45.6%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McDonald's’ share of searches among burger chains in the United States peaked at 51.7% in October 2025 and was lowest at 44.5% in March 2026.

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

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Five Guys overtook Whataburger to rank 5th among burger chains in the United States, with 6.1% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Burger King gained share of searches among burger chains in the United States, from 12.5% to 16.7%.

  3. In September 2026, Wendy's gained share of searches among burger chains in the United States, from 12.5% to 13.7%.

  4. In September 2026, McDonald's lost share of searches among burger chains in the United States, from 50.8% to 45.6%.

  5. In September 2026, Culver's lost share of searches among burger chains in the United States, from 8.4% to 7.5%.

  6. In September 2026, Whataburger lost share of searches among burger chains in the United States, from 5.6% to 5%.

How are McDonald's’ branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using McDonald'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.

  • mcdonald's

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