--- title: "College application platforms in United States: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the platforms students apply to universities through. Share of Search among Common App, ApplyTexas and QuestBridge, the college application platforms Brandwave compares in 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-college-application-platforms" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # College application platforms in United States: Which are searched most? Compare the platforms students apply to universities through. Share of Search among Common App, ApplyTexas and QuestBridge, the college application platforms Brandwave compares in 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**: College application platforms - **Market**: United States - **Brands compared**: 3 - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: Common App, 89.1% ## Which brand is most popular in search among college application platforms in United States? - In September 2026, Common App was the most searched among college application platforms in United States, with an estimated 2.2M branded searches and 89.1% estimated Share of Search within this set. - ApplyTexas is in 2nd place, 82.5 percentage points behind at 6.6% Share of Search. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Common App’s estimated Share of Search among college application platforms in United States increased from 86.1% to 89.1%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ApplyTexas’ estimated Share of Search among college application platforms in United States decreased from 11.6% to 6.6%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, QuestBridge’s estimated Share of Search among college application platforms in United States increased from 2.3% to 4.4%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Common App’s estimated Share of Search among college application platforms in United States peaked at 90.2% in November 2025 and was lowest at 75.8% in April 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ApplyTexas’ estimated Share of Search among college application platforms in United States peaked at 18.6% in April 2026 and was lowest at 6.5% in December 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, QuestBridge’s estimated Share of Search among college application platforms in United States peaked at 8.6% in March 2026 and was lowest at 1.6% in November 2025. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [Common App vs ApplyTexas: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/applytexas-vs-common-app): 89.1% against 6.6% Share of Search. - [Common App vs QuestBridge: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/common-app-vs-questbridge): 89.1% against 4.4% Share of Search. - [ApplyTexas vs QuestBridge: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/applytexas-vs-questbridge): 6.6% against 4.4% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for United States college application platforms in September 2026? - In September 2026, QuestBridge gained estimated Share of Search among college application platforms in United States, from 3.6% to 4.4%. - In September 2026, Common App gained estimated Share of Search among college application platforms in United States, from 88.5% to 89.1%. - In September 2026, ApplyTexas lost estimated Share of Search among college application platforms in United States, from 8% to 6.6%. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Common App | 89.1% | 2.2M | +49.3% | Common App | | 2 | ApplyTexas | 6.6% | 165K | +22.2% | ApplyTexas | | 3 | QuestBridge | 4.4% | 110K | +81.8% | QuestBridge | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Common App | 3.4M | 86.1% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | ApplyTexas | 450K | 11.6% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | QuestBridge | 90.5K | 2.3% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Common App | 1.5M | 90.2% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | ApplyTexas | 135K | 8.1% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | QuestBridge | 27.1K | 1.6% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Common App | 1.2M | 87.1% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | ApplyTexas | 90.5K | 6.5% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | QuestBridge | 90.5K | 6.5% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Common App | 1M | 87.9% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | ApplyTexas | 110K | 9.7% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | QuestBridge | 27.1K | 2.4% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Common App | 550K | 80.8% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | ApplyTexas | 90.5K | 13.3% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | QuestBridge | 40.5K | 5.9% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Common App | 550K | 78.5% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | ApplyTexas | 90.5K | 12.9% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | QuestBridge | 60.5K | 8.6% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Common App | 368K | 75.8% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | ApplyTexas | 90.5K | 18.6% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | QuestBridge | 27.1K | 5.6% | 3 | | May 2026 | Common App | 368K | 79.3% | 1 | | May 2026 | ApplyTexas | 74K | 15.9% | 2 | | May 2026 | QuestBridge | 22.2K | 4.8% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Common App | 368K | 81.7% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | ApplyTexas | 60.5K | 13.4% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | QuestBridge | 22.2K | 4.9% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Common App | 450K | 84.5% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | ApplyTexas | 60.5K | 11.4% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | QuestBridge | 22.2K | 4.2% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Common App | 1.5M | 88.5% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | ApplyTexas | 135K | 8% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | QuestBridge | 60.5K | 3.6% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Common App | 2.2M | 89.1% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | ApplyTexas | 165K | 6.6% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | QuestBridge | 110K | 4.4% | 3 | ## What is being compared - **ApplyTexas**: Measured on the search term “applytexas”. - **Common App**: Measured on the search term “common app”. - **QuestBridge**: Measured on the search term “questbridge”. - [ApplyTexas](/demand/us/brands/applytexas) - [Common App](/demand/us/brands/common-app) - [QuestBridge](/demand/us/brands/questbridge) ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand 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 college application platforms in United States? In September 2026, Common App was the most searched among college application platforms in United States, with an estimated 2.2M branded searches and 89.1% estimated Share of Search within this set. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "College application platforms in United States: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/categories/us-college-application-platforms This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/categories/us-college-application-platforms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.