---
title: "Donut chains in the United States: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the donut chains people in the US buy from. Share of Search among Dunkin', Krispy Kreme, Tim Hortons, Duck Donuts and Shipley Do-Nuts, the donut 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-donut-chains"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

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

Compare the donut chains people in the US buy from. Share of Search among Dunkin', Krispy Kreme, Tim Hortons, Duck Donuts and Shipley Do-Nuts, the donut 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**: Donut chains
- **Market**: United States
- **Brands compared**: 5
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Dunkin', 73.8%

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

- In September 2026, Dunkin' was the most searched among donut chains in the United States, with an estimated 10.8M branded searches, 73.8% of all searches for the five we track.
- Krispy Kreme is in 2nd place, 58.5 percentage points behind at 15.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Dunkin'’s share of searches among donut chains in the United States decreased from 75.8% to 73.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Krispy Kreme’s share of searches among donut chains in the United States increased from 13.6% to 15.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Tim Hortons’ share of searches among donut chains in the United States increased from 6.1% to 6.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Dunkin'’s share of searches among donut chains in the United States peaked at 75.9% in May 2026 and was lowest at 72% in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Krispy Kreme’s share of searches among donut chains in the United States peaked at 17.1% in March 2026 and was lowest at 13.5% in June 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Tim Hortons’ share of searches among donut chains in the United States peaked at 7% in January 2026 and was lowest at 5.9% in November 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Duck Donuts and Shipley Do-Nuts held steady: their share of searches among donut chains in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Top donut chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions, Dunkin', Krispy Kreme, Duck Donuts and Shipley Do-Nuts appeared every time. Krispy Kreme was recommended most often, coming first in every answer. Duck Donuts was second, and Shipley Do-Nuts was third. Tim Hortons, which ranked third 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 | All answers that named it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Krispy Kreme | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Duck Donuts | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Shipley Do-Nuts | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Dunkin' | 4th | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Tim Hortons | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 |

## Every AI answer about donut chains

- Asked ChatGPT "Which donut chain has the best donuts in the US?": 1. Krispy Kreme, 2. Duck Donuts, 3. Shipley Do-Nuts, 4. Dunkin'
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the best donut chains in the US?": 1. Krispy Kreme, 2. Duck Donuts, 3. Shipley Do-Nuts, 4. Dunkin'
- Asked ChatGPT "Where can I get the best glazed donut from a chain in the US?": 1. Krispy Kreme, 2. Shipley Do-Nuts, 3. Duck Donuts, 4. Dunkin'

Not named in any answer: Tim Hortons.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 22, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Dunkin' vs Krispy Kreme: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/dunkin-vs-krispy-kreme): 73.8% against 15.3% Share of Search.
- [Dunkin' vs Tim Hortons: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/dunkin-vs-tim-hortons): 73.8% against 6.8% Share of Search.
- [Dunkin' vs Duck Donuts: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/duck-donuts-vs-dunkin): 73.8% against 2.1% Share of Search.
- [Dunkin' vs Shipley Do-Nuts: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/dunkin-vs-shipley-donuts): 73.8% against 2.1% Share of Search.
- [Krispy Kreme vs Tim Hortons: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/krispy-kreme-vs-tim-hortons): 15.3% against 6.8% Share of Search.
- [Krispy Kreme vs Duck Donuts: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/duck-donuts-vs-krispy-kreme): 15.3% against 2.1% Share of Search.
- [Krispy Kreme vs Shipley Do-Nuts: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/krispy-kreme-vs-shipley-donuts): 15.3% against 2.1% Share of Search.
- [Tim Hortons vs Duck Donuts: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/duck-donuts-vs-tim-hortons): 6.8% against 2.1% Share of Search.
- [Tim Hortons vs Shipley Do-Nuts: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/shipley-donuts-vs-tim-hortons): 6.8% against 2.1% Share of Search.
- [Duck Donuts vs Shipley Do-Nuts: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/duck-donuts-vs-shipley-donuts): 2.1% Share of Search each.

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

- Estimated monthly branded searches for Duck Donuts in the United States fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 368K to 301K in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Shipley Do-Nuts in the United States fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 368K to 301K in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Dunkin' in the United States fell 13.2% over 12 measured months, from 12.5M to 10.8M in September 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Dunkin' | 73.8% | 10.8M | -18.1% | Dunkin' |
| 2 | Krispy Kreme | 15.3% | 2.2M | -18.2% | Krispy Kreme |
| 3 | Tim Hortons | 6.8% | 1M | -18.0% | Tim Hortons |
| 4 | Duck Donuts | 2.1% | 301K | -18.2% | Duck Donuts |
| 5 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 2.1% | 301K | -18.2% | Shipley Do-Nuts |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Dunkin' | 12.5M | 75.8% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Krispy Kreme | 2.2M | 13.6% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Tim Hortons | 1M | 6.1% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Duck Donuts | 368K | 2.2% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 368K | 2.2% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Dunkin' | 12.5M | 73.6% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Krispy Kreme | 2.7M | 16.2% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Tim Hortons | 1M | 5.9% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Duck Donuts | 368K | 2.2% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 368K | 2.2% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Dunkin' | 12.5M | 73.6% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Krispy Kreme | 2.7M | 16.2% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Tim Hortons | 1M | 5.9% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Duck Donuts | 368K | 2.2% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 368K | 2.2% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Dunkin' | 10.2M | 72% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Krispy Kreme | 2.2M | 15.8% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Tim Hortons | 1M | 7% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Duck Donuts | 368K | 2.6% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 368K | 2.6% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Dunkin' | 10.2M | 73.2% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Krispy Kreme | 2.2M | 16.1% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Tim Hortons | 823K | 5.9% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 368K | 2.6% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Duck Donuts | 301K | 2.2% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Dunkin' | 11.6M | 72.1% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Krispy Kreme | 2.7M | 17.1% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Tim Hortons | 1M | 6.2% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Duck Donuts | 368K | 2.3% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 368K | 2.3% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Dunkin' | 10.8M | 73.1% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Krispy Kreme | 2.2M | 15.1% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Tim Hortons | 1M | 6.8% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Duck Donuts | 368K | 2.5% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 368K | 2.5% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Dunkin' | 12.5M | 75.9% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Krispy Kreme | 2.2M | 13.6% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Tim Hortons | 1M | 6.1% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Duck Donuts | 368K | 2.2% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 368K | 2.2% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Dunkin' | 12.5M | 75.5% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Krispy Kreme | 2.2M | 13.5% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Tim Hortons | 1M | 6% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Duck Donuts | 450K | 2.7% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 368K | 2.2% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Dunkin' | 12.5M | 75.5% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Krispy Kreme | 2.2M | 13.5% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Tim Hortons | 1M | 6% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Duck Donuts | 450K | 2.7% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 368K | 2.2% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Dunkin' | 13.2M | 73.8% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Krispy Kreme | 2.7M | 15.3% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Tim Hortons | 1.2M | 6.8% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Duck Donuts | 368K | 2.1% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 368K | 2.1% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | Dunkin' | 10.8M | 73.8% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | Krispy Kreme | 2.2M | 15.3% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Tim Hortons | 1M | 6.8% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | Duck Donuts | 301K | 2.1% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | Shipley Do-Nuts | 301K | 2.1% | 5 |

## What is being compared

- **Duck Donuts**: Measured on the search term “duck donuts”.
- **Dunkin'**: Measured on the search terms “dunkin” and “dunkin donuts”, summed into one figure.
- **Krispy Kreme**: Measured on the search term “krispy kreme”.
- **Shipley Do-Nuts**: Measured on the search term “shipley donuts”.
- **Tim Hortons**: Measured on the search term “tim hortons”.

- [Duck Donuts](/demand/us/brands/duck-donuts)
- [Dunkin'](/demand/us/brands/dunkin)
- [Krispy Kreme](/demand/us/brands/krispy-kreme)
- [Shipley Do-Nuts](/demand/us/brands/shipley-donuts)
- [Tim Hortons](/demand/us/brands/tim-hortons)

## 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 donut chains in the United States?

In September 2026, Dunkin' was the most searched among donut chains in the United States, with an estimated 10.8M branded searches, 73.8% of all searches for the five we track.

## Cite this page

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

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