---
title: "Bubble tea chains in the United States: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the bubble tea and milk tea chains people in the US buy from. Share of Search among Kung Fu Tea, Gong cha, Happy Lemon, Feng Cha, Sharetea, Tiger Sugar, Boba Guys, Presotea and The Alley, the bubble tea chains Brandwave compares in the United States, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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/categories/us-bubble-tea-chains"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Bubble tea chains in the United States: Which are searched most?

Compare the bubble tea and milk tea chains people in the US buy from. Share of Search among Kung Fu Tea, Gong cha, Happy Lemon, Feng Cha, Sharetea, Tiger Sugar, Boba Guys, Presotea and The Alley, the bubble tea chains Brandwave compares in the United States, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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

- **Competitive set**: Bubble tea chains
- **Market**: United States
- **Brands compared**: 9
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Kung Fu Tea, 32.4%

## Which brand is most popular in search among bubble tea chains in the United States?

- In September 2026, Kung Fu Tea was the most searched among bubble tea chains in the United States, with an estimated 301K branded searches, 32.4% of all searches for the nine we track.
- Gong cha is in 2nd place, 5.9 percentage points behind at 26.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kung Fu Tea’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States increased from 30.5% to 32.4%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Gong cha’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States decreased from 30.5% to 26.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Happy Lemon’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States increased from 11.2% to 11.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Feng Cha’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States increased from 9.1% to 9.7%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sharetea’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States increased from 9.1% to 9.7%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kung Fu Tea’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States peaked at 36.9% in April 2026 and was lowest at 28.7% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Gong cha’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States peaked at 30.5% in October 2025 and was lowest at 24.6% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Happy Lemon’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States peaked at 14.1% in May 2026 and was lowest at 10.9% in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Feng Cha’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States peaked at 9.7% in September 2026 and was lowest at 8.1% in June 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sharetea’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States peaked at 10.9% in February 2026 and was lowest at 9% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Tiger Sugar’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States peaked at 7.1% in July 2026 and was lowest at 6% in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kung Fu Tea rose from 2nd to 1st among bubble tea chains in the United States.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Gong cha fell from 1st to 2nd among bubble tea chains in the United States.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Tiger Sugar, Boba Guys, Presotea and The Alley held steady: their share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Top bubble tea chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Kung Fu Tea appeared every time. Gong cha was recommended most often, coming first in two out of three answers that gave a list. Kung Fu Tea was second, and Sharetea was third. Presotea, which ranked eighth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Gong cha | 1st | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 |
| Kung Fu Tea | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 |
| Sharetea | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 |
| Happy Lemon | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 |
| Feng Cha | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 |
| The Alley | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 |
| Tiger Sugar | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 |
| Boba Guys | 8th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 |
| Presotea | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 |

## Every AI answer about bubble tea chains

- Asked ChatGPT "What's the best bubble tea chain in the US?": 1. Gong cha, 2. Kung Fu Tea, 3. Sharetea, 4. The Alley, 5. Happy Lemon
- Asked ChatGPT "Which boba chain in the US has the best milk tea?": 1. Gong cha, 2. Sharetea, 3. Kung Fu Tea, 4. Feng Cha
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the most popular bubble tea chains in the US?": 1. Kung Fu Tea, 2. Gong cha, 3. Sharetea, 4. Happy Lemon, 5. Feng Cha, 6. Tiger Sugar, 7. The Alley, 8. Boba Guys
- Searched Google, AI Overview "bubble tea": 1. Kung Fu Tea

Not named in any answer: Presotea.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 23, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Kung Fu Tea vs Gong cha: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/gong-cha-vs-kung-fu-tea): 32.4% against 26.5% Share of Search.
- [Kung Fu Tea vs Happy Lemon: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/happy-lemon-vs-kung-fu-tea): 32.4% against 11.8% Share of Search.
- [Kung Fu Tea vs Feng Cha: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/feng-cha-vs-kung-fu-tea): 32.4% against 9.7% Share of Search.
- [Kung Fu Tea vs Sharetea: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/kung-fu-tea-vs-sharetea): 32.4% against 9.7% Share of Search.
- [Gong cha vs Happy Lemon: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/gong-cha-vs-happy-lemon): 26.5% against 11.8% Share of Search.
- [Gong cha vs Feng Cha: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/feng-cha-vs-gong-cha): 26.5% against 9.7% Share of Search.
- [Gong cha vs Sharetea: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/gong-cha-vs-sharetea): 26.5% against 9.7% Share of Search.
- [Happy Lemon vs Feng Cha: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/feng-cha-vs-happy-lemon): 11.8% against 9.7% Share of Search.
- [Happy Lemon vs Sharetea: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/happy-lemon-vs-sharetea): 11.8% against 9.7% Share of Search.
- [Feng Cha vs Sharetea: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/feng-cha-vs-sharetea): 9.7% Share of Search each.

## How did search popularity change for United States bubble tea chains in September 2026?

- In September 2026, Kung Fu Tea overtook Gong cha to become the leader among bubble tea chains in the United States, with 32.4% of the searches.
- In September 2026, Feng Cha overtook Sharetea to rank 4th among bubble tea chains in the United States, with 9.7% of the searches.
- In September 2026, Gong cha lost share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States, from 28.7% to 26.5%.
- In September 2026, Happy Lemon lost share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States, from 12.9% to 11.8%.
- In September 2026, Sharetea lost share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States, from 10.5% to 9.7%.
- In September 2026, Tiger Sugar lost share of searches among bubble tea chains in the United States, from 7.1% to 6.5%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Boba Guys in the United States fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 22.2K to 14.8K in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for The Alley in the United States fell 32.8% over 12 measured months, from 4.8K to 3.2K in September 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Kung Fu Tea | 32.4% | 301K | 0.0% | Kung Fu Tea |
| 2 | Gong cha | 26.5% | 246K | -18.3% | Gong cha |
| 3 | Happy Lemon | 11.8% | 110K | -18.5% | Happy Lemon |
| 4 | Feng Cha | 9.7% | 90.5K | 0.0% | Feng Cha |
| 5 | Sharetea | 9.7% | 90.5K | -17.7% | Sharetea |
| 6 | Tiger Sugar | 6.5% | 60.5K | -18.2% | Tiger Sugar |
| 7 | Boba Guys | 1.6% | 14.8K | -18.2% | Boba Guys |
| 8 | Presotea | 1.3% | 12.1K | -18.2% | Presotea |
| 9 | The Alley | 0.35% | 3.2K | -4.7% | The Alley |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Gong cha | 368K | 30.5% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Kung Fu Tea | 368K | 30.5% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Happy Lemon | 135K | 11.2% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Feng Cha | 110K | 9.1% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Sharetea | 110K | 9.1% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | Tiger Sugar | 74K | 6.1% | 6 |
| Oct 2025 | Boba Guys | 22.2K | 1.8% | 7 |
| Oct 2025 | Presotea | 14.8K | 1.2% | 8 |
| Oct 2025 | The Alley | 4.8K | 0.4% | 9 |
| Nov 2025 | Kung Fu Tea | 368K | 32.3% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Gong cha | 301K | 26.4% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Happy Lemon | 135K | 11.9% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Feng Cha | 110K | 9.7% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Sharetea | 110K | 9.7% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Tiger Sugar | 74K | 6.5% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | Boba Guys | 22.2K | 2% | 7 |
| Nov 2025 | Presotea | 14.8K | 1.3% | 8 |
| Nov 2025 | The Alley | 3.3K | 0.29% | 9 |
| Dec 2025 | Kung Fu Tea | 450K | 36.9% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Gong cha | 301K | 24.7% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Happy Lemon | 135K | 11.1% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Feng Cha | 110K | 9% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Sharetea | 110K | 9% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Tiger Sugar | 74K | 6.1% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | Boba Guys | 22.2K | 1.8% | 7 |
| Dec 2025 | Presotea | 14.8K | 1.2% | 8 |
| Dec 2025 | The Alley | 3.2K | 0.26% | 9 |
| Jan 2026 | Kung Fu Tea | 368K | 32.2% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Gong cha | 301K | 26.4% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Happy Lemon | 135K | 11.8% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Feng Cha | 110K | 9.6% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Sharetea | 110K | 9.6% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Tiger Sugar | 74K | 6.5% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Boba Guys | 22.2K | 1.9% | 7 |
| Jan 2026 | Presotea | 18.1K | 1.6% | 8 |
| Jan 2026 | The Alley | 4K | 0.35% | 9 |
| Feb 2026 | Gong cha | 301K | 29.8% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Kung Fu Tea | 301K | 29.8% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Happy Lemon | 110K | 10.9% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Sharetea | 110K | 10.9% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Feng Cha | 90.5K | 9% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Tiger Sugar | 60.5K | 6% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Boba Guys | 18.1K | 1.8% | 7 |
| Feb 2026 | Presotea | 14.8K | 1.5% | 8 |
| Feb 2026 | The Alley | 3.3K | 0.33% | 9 |
| Mar 2026 | Kung Fu Tea | 450K | 36.8% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Gong cha | 301K | 24.6% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Happy Lemon | 135K | 11% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Feng Cha | 110K | 9% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Sharetea | 110K | 9% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Tiger Sugar | 74K | 6% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Boba Guys | 22.2K | 1.8% | 7 |
| Mar 2026 | Presotea | 18.1K | 1.5% | 8 |
| Mar 2026 | The Alley | 4K | 0.33% | 9 |
| Apr 2026 | Kung Fu Tea | 450K | 36.9% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Gong cha | 301K | 24.7% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Happy Lemon | 135K | 11.1% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Feng Cha | 110K | 9% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Sharetea | 110K | 9% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Tiger Sugar | 74K | 6.1% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | Boba Guys | 18.1K | 1.5% | 7 |
| Apr 2026 | Presotea | 18.1K | 1.5% | 8 |
| Apr 2026 | The Alley | 3.4K | 0.28% | 9 |
| May 2026 | Kung Fu Tea | 368K | 31.4% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Gong cha | 301K | 25.7% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Happy Lemon | 165K | 14.1% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Feng Cha | 110K | 9.4% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Sharetea | 110K | 9.4% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Tiger Sugar | 74K | 6.3% | 6 |
| May 2026 | Boba Guys | 22.2K | 1.9% | 7 |
| May 2026 | Presotea | 18.1K | 1.5% | 8 |
| May 2026 | The Alley | 3.3K | 0.28% | 9 |
| Jun 2026 | Kung Fu Tea | 368K | 33% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Gong cha | 301K | 27% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Happy Lemon | 135K | 12.1% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Sharetea | 110K | 9.9% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Feng Cha | 90.5K | 8.1% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Tiger Sugar | 74K | 6.6% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Boba Guys | 18.1K | 1.6% | 7 |
| Jun 2026 | Presotea | 14.8K | 1.3% | 8 |
| Jun 2026 | The Alley | 3.3K | 0.3% | 9 |
| Jul 2026 | Gong cha | 301K | 28.7% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Kung Fu Tea | 301K | 28.7% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Happy Lemon | 135K | 12.9% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Sharetea | 110K | 10.5% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Feng Cha | 90.5K | 8.6% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Tiger Sugar | 74K | 7.1% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Boba Guys | 18.1K | 1.7% | 7 |
| Jul 2026 | Presotea | 14.8K | 1.4% | 8 |
| Jul 2026 | The Alley | 3.3K | 0.31% | 9 |
| Aug 2026 | Gong cha | 301K | 28.7% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Kung Fu Tea | 301K | 28.7% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Happy Lemon | 135K | 12.9% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Sharetea | 110K | 10.5% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Feng Cha | 90.5K | 8.6% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Tiger Sugar | 74K | 7.1% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | Boba Guys | 18.1K | 1.7% | 7 |
| Aug 2026 | Presotea | 14.8K | 1.4% | 8 |
| Aug 2026 | The Alley | 3.4K | 0.32% | 9 |
| Sep 2026 | Kung Fu Tea | 301K | 32.4% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | Gong cha | 246K | 26.5% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Happy Lemon | 110K | 11.8% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | Feng Cha | 90.5K | 9.7% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | Sharetea | 90.5K | 9.7% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | Tiger Sugar | 60.5K | 6.5% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | Boba Guys | 14.8K | 1.6% | 7 |
| Sep 2026 | Presotea | 12.1K | 1.3% | 8 |
| Sep 2026 | The Alley | 3.2K | 0.35% | 9 |

## What is being compared

- **Boba Guys**: Measured on the search term “boba guys”.
- **Feng Cha**: Measured on the search term “feng cha”.
- **Gong cha**: Measured on the search term “gong cha”.
- **Happy Lemon**: Measured on the search term “happy lemon”.
- **Kung Fu Tea**: Measured on the search term “kung fu tea”.
- **Presotea**: Measured on the search term “presotea”.
- **Sharetea**: Measured on the search term “sharetea”.
- **The Alley**: Measured on the search terms “the alley boba” and “the alley bubble tea”, summed into one figure.
- **Tiger Sugar**: Measured on the search term “tiger sugar”.

- [Boba Guys](/demand/us/brands/boba-guys)
- [Feng Cha](/demand/us/brands/feng-cha)
- [Gong cha](/demand/us/brands/gong-cha)
- [Happy Lemon](/demand/us/brands/happy-lemon)
- [Kung Fu Tea](/demand/us/brands/kung-fu-tea)
- [Presotea](/demand/us/brands/presotea)
- [Sharetea](/demand/us/brands/sharetea)
- [The Alley](/demand/us/brands/the-alley)
- [Tiger Sugar](/demand/us/brands/tiger-sugar)

## 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

### Which brand is most popular in search among bubble tea chains in the United States?

In September 2026, Kung Fu Tea was the most searched among bubble tea chains in the United States, with an estimated 301K branded searches, 32.4% of all searches for the nine we track.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Bubble tea chains in the United States: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/categories/us-bubble-tea-chains

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/categories/us-bubble-tea-chains. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.