--- title: "Westlaw: search popularity in the United States" description: "Westlaw is a legal research platform. 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/us/brands/westlaw" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Westlaw: search popularity in the United States Westlaw is a legal research platform. 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 - **Brand**: Westlaw - **Market**: United States - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among court records platforms**: 83.6% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Court records platforms | 1 | 83.6% | 201K | - [Court records platforms](/demand/us/categories/us-court-records-platforms) ## Top court records platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Westlaw was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Westlaw is the third most recommended of the six. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | PACER | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | CourtListener | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Westlaw | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | UniCourt | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Trellis | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Lex Machina | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about court records platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which court records platform should I use in the US?": 1. PACER, 2. CourtListener, 3. Westlaw - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best court records platforms in the US?": 1. PACER, 2. CourtListener, 3. UniCourt, 4. Trellis, 5. Westlaw - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best court records platform in the US for legal research?": 1. Westlaw, 2. PACER, 3. CourtListener, 4. UniCourt - Searched Google, AI Overview "search court records": 1. PACER - Searched Google, AI Overview "legal research platform": 1. Westlaw, 2. CourtListener, 3. PACER Not named in any answer: Lex Machina. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 19, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Westlaw changed in the United States over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Westlaw in the United States held steady at 201K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Westlaw’s share of searches among court records platforms in the United States increased from 82% to 83.6%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Westlaw’s share of searches among court records platforms in the United States peaked at 83.6% in September 2026 and was lowest at 65.4% in November 2025. ## How did search popularity change for United States court records platforms in September 2026? - In September 2026, Westlaw gained share of searches among court records platforms in the United States, from 79% to 83.6%. - In September 2026, UniCourt lost share of searches among court records platforms in the United States, from 3.2% to 1.8%. - In September 2026, CourtListener lost share of searches among court records platforms in the United States, from 8.7% to 7.5%. - In September 2026, Trellis lost share of searches among court records platforms in the United States, from 3.2% to 2.2%. - In September 2026, PACER lost share of searches among court records platforms in the United States, from 3.9% to 3.3%. - In September 2026, Lex Machina lost share of searches among court records platforms in the United States, from 2.1% to 1.5%. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Court records platforms | 201K | 82% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Court records platforms | 135K | 65.4% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Court records platforms | 110K | 65.5% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Court records platforms | 165K | 71% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Court records platforms | 165K | 75.3% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Court records platforms | 135K | 68.3% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Court records platforms | 135K | 68.7% | 1 | | May 2026 | Court records platforms | 110K | 69.4% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Court records platforms | 135K | 76.5% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Court records platforms | 110K | 75.3% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Court records platforms | 135K | 79% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Court records platforms | 201K | 83.6% | 1 | ## How are Westlaw’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Westlaw’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. - “westlaw” ## Which court records platforms compete with Westlaw? - [CourtListener](/demand/us/brands/courtlistener): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/courtlistener-vs-westlaw - [PACER](/demand/us/brands/pacer): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/pacer-vs-westlaw - [Trellis](/demand/us/brands/trellis): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/trellis-vs-westlaw - [UniCourt](/demand/us/brands/unicourt): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/unicourt-vs-westlaw - [Lex Machina](/demand/us/brands/lex-machina): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/lex-machina-vs-westlaw ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Westlaw: search popularity in the United States". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/westlaw This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/westlaw. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.