Online banks in the United States:Which are most popular?

Name: Online banks in the United States: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In October 2026, Ally Bank was the most searched online bank in the United States, accounting for 36.1% of all searches among the eight banks tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Capital One showed up in every answer. SoFi was recommended most often, coming first in two out of five responses.

Follow online banks and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand in this set →

Top online banks in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Capital One appeared every time. SoFi was recommended most often, coming first in two out of five answers. Capital One was second, and Ally Bank was third. Varo, which ranked third in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

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

Mentioned by AI

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

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Capital One	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
SoFi	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Ally Bank	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
Chime	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Varo	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Dave	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Current	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Discover	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

Capital One5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
SoFi4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Ally Bank3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Chime2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Varo0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Dave0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Current0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Discover0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about online banks

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best online bank?”
1. 1Ally Bank
2. 2SoFi
3. 3Capital One
Asked ChatGPT
“Which banking app should I use for my checking account?”
1. 1SoFi
2. 2Capital One
3. 3Chime
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best online banks with no fees?”
1. 1Ally Bank
2. 2SoFi
3. 3Capital One
Searched Google, AI Overview
“online bank”
1. 1Capital One
2. 2Chime
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best online banks”
1. 1SoFi
2. 2Capital One
3. 3Ally Bank

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 27, 2026.

Which online banks do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each online bank by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight online banks we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Share of searches among online banks in the United States, by month

Month	Ally Bank	Chime	Varo	SoFi	Capital One	Dave	Current	Discover
Nov 2025	38.6%	20.8%	17.2%	9.9%	9.2%	3%	0.77%	0.58%
Dec 2025	36.6%	19.7%	18.3%	11.4%	10%	2.7%	0.73%	0.55%
Jan 2026	39.3%	17.9%	17.5%	12.3%	9.4%	2.4%	0.64%	0.59%
Feb 2026	36.4%	20.3%	17.9%	11.3%	10.6%	2.3%	0.72%	0.54%
Mar 2026	40%	18.2%	16.1%	12.4%	10.2%	2.1%	0.65%	0.46%
Apr 2026	37.5%	21.8%	16.7%	11.6%	8.9%	2.3%	0.61%	0.43%
May 2026	39.8%	18.2%	16.3%	12.4%	9.7%	2.4%	0.65%	0.46%
Jun 2026	39.8%	21.4%	13.4%	10.1%	11.9%	2.4%	0.62%	0.43%
Jul 2026	38.5%	20.7%	13.6%	11.9%	11.5%	2.8%	0.6%	0.36%
Aug 2026	39.3%	21.1%	13.9%	12.3%	9.6%	2.8%	0.72%	0.34%
Sep 2026	36.3%	23.8%	15.7%	11.3%	9.2%	2.6%	0.66%	0.34%
Oct 2026	36.1%	24.6%	15.6%	11.3%	8.6%	2.7%	0.8%	0.27%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Ally Bank	36.1%	368K	0%	-0.2 points
2, held 2nd	Chime	24.6%	251K	+3.7%	+0.7 points
3, held 3rd	VaroVaro Bank	15.6%	160K	0%	-0.1 points
4, held 4th	SoFi	11.3%	115K	+0.87%	0 points
5, held 5th	Capital One	8.6%	87.6K	-6.4%	-0.6 points
6, held 6th	Dave	2.7%	27.6K	+3.8%	+0.1 points
7, held 7th	Current	0.8%	8.2K	+22.4%	+0.1 points
8, held 8th	Discover	0.27%	2.8K	-18.2%	-0.1 points

1.Ally Bank
36.1%
Held 1st. 368K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
2.Chime
24.6%
Held 2nd. 251K estimated branded searches, +3.7% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.
3.Varo
15.6%
Held 3rd. 160K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
4.SoFi
11.3%
Held 4th. 115K estimated branded searches, +0.87% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
5.Capital One
8.6%
Held 5th. 87.6K estimated branded searches, -6.4% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.
6.Dave
2.7%
Held 6th. 27.6K estimated branded searches, +3.8% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
7.Current
0.8%
Held 7th. 8.2K estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
8.Discover
0.27%
Held 8th. 2.8K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Capital One sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “capital one 360”.

Which brand is most popular in search among online banks in the United States?

8 brands

In October 2026, Ally Bank was the most searched among online banks in the United States, with an estimated 368K branded searches, 36.1% of all searches for the eight tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. Chime is in 2nd place, 11.5 percentage points behind at 24.6%.

United States online banks, last 12 months ending October 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Ally Bank	38.6% → 36.1%	40%Mar 2026	36.1%Oct 2026	1st
Chime	20.8% → 24.6%	24.6%Oct 2026	17.9%Jan 2026	2nd
Varo	17.2% → 15.6%	18.3%Dec 2025	13.4%Jun 2026	3rd
SoFi	9.9% → 11.3%	12.4%May 2026	9.9%Nov 2025	4th
Capital One	9.2% → 8.6%	11.9%Jun 2026	8.6%Oct 2026	5th
Dave	3% → 2.7%	3%Nov 2025	2.1%Mar 2026	6th
Current	0.77% → 0.8%	0.8%Oct 2026	0.6%Jul 2026	7th
Discover	0.58% → 0.27%	0.59%Jan 2026	0.27%Oct 2026	8th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Ally Bank’s share of searches among online banks in the United States decreased from 38.6% to 36.1%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Chime’s share of searches among online banks in the United States increased from 20.8% to 24.6%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Varo’s share of searches among online banks in the United States decreased from 17.2% to 15.6%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, SoFi’s share of searches among online banks in the United States increased from 9.9% to 11.3%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Capital One’s share of searches among online banks in the United States decreased from 9.2% to 8.6%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Ally Bank’s share of searches among online banks in the United States peaked at 40% in March 2026 and was lowest at 36.1% in October 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Chime’s share of searches among online banks in the United States peaked at 24.6% in October 2026 and was lowest at 17.9% in January 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Varo’s share of searches among online banks in the United States peaked at 18.3% in December 2025 and was lowest at 13.4% in June 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, SoFi’s share of searches among online banks in the United States peaked at 12.4% in May 2026 and was lowest at 9.9% in November 2025.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Capital One’s share of searches among online banks in the United States peaked at 11.9% in June 2026 and was lowest at 8.6% in October 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Dave, Current and Discover held steady: their share of searches among online banks in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for United States online banks in October 2026?

5 changes

In October 2026, Chime gained share of searches among online banks in the United States, from 23.8% to 24.6%.
In October 2026, Capital One lost share of searches among online banks in the United States, from 9.2% to 8.6%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for SoFi in the United States rose 22.6% over 12 measured months, from 94.1K to 115K in October 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Current in the United States rose 12.3% over 12 measured months, from 7.3K to 8.2K in October 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Discover in the United States fell 49.5% over 12 measured months, from 5.5K to 2.8K in October 2026.

How are branded searches counted for online banks?

15 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among online banks comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.