--- title: "Alka-Seltzer Plus vs Zicam: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is Alka-Seltzer Plus or Zicam more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Cold and flu brands set in the United States. 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/compare/alka-seltzer-plus-vs-zicam" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Alka-Seltzer Plus vs Zicam: Which is searched more in the United States? Is Alka-Seltzer Plus or Zicam more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Cold and flu brands set in the United States. 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 - **Compared**: Alka-Seltzer Plus and Zicam - **Competitive set**: Cold and flu brands - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Alka-Seltzer Plus Share of Search**: 1.4% - **Zicam Share of Search**: 7.1% ## Is Alka-Seltzer Plus or Zicam more popular in search? - In September 2026, Zicam had more branded searches than Alka-Seltzer Plus among cold and flu brands in the United States. Zicam had about 110,000 branded searches, while Alka-Seltzer Plus had 22,200. Zicam made up 7.1% of all cold and flu brand searches we track, and Alka-Seltzer Plus accounted for 1.4%. - Zicam was ahead of Alka-Seltzer Plus in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Alka-Seltzer Plus’ share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States moved from 1.5% to 1.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.1K to 22.2K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zicam’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States moved from 7.4% to 7.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 90.5K to 110K. ## Top cold and flu brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, neither Alka-Seltzer Plus nor Zicam showed up in any of the five answers. Too few answers listed options to rank the brands, so only mentions are counted. | Brand | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mucinex | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | NyQuil | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Robitussin | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Theraflu | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | DayQuil | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Vicks | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Zicam | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Delsym | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Alka-Seltzer Plus | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about cold and flu brands - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best cold medicine?": 1. Mucinex - Asked ChatGPT "What's good for a stuffy nose?": named none of the brands we track - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best cough medicine for adults?": 1. Delsym, 2. Robitussin, 3. Mucinex - Searched Google, AI Overview "cold medicine": 1. Mucinex - Searched Google, AI Overview "best cold medicine": 1. Vicks, 2. DayQuil, 3. NyQuil, 4. Mucinex, 5. Delsym, 6. Robitussin Not named in any answer: Theraflu, Zicam and Alka-Seltzer Plus. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 27, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States cold and flu brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Zicam gained share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States, from 6.3% to 7.1%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Alka-Seltzer Plus in the United States rose 22.7% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 22.2K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Alka-Seltzer Plus estimated searches | Alka-Seltzer Plus Share of Search | Alka-Seltzer Plus rank | Zicam estimated searches | Zicam Share of Search | Zicam rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 18.1K | 1.5% | 9 | 90.5K | 7.4% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | 22.2K | 1.5% | 9 | 110K | 7.5% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | 33.1K | 1.4% | 9 | 165K | 7% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | 27.1K | 1.4% | 9 | 135K | 6.9% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 22.2K | 1.4% | 9 | 135K | 8.4% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | 22.2K | 1.6% | 9 | 90.5K | 6.7% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | 14.8K | 1.4% | 9 | 60.5K | 5.7% | 8 | | May 2026 | 14.8K | 1.5% | 9 | 60.5K | 6.1% | 8 | | Jun 2026 | 9.9K | 1.4% | 9 | 40.5K | 5.6% | 8 | | Jul 2026 | 9.9K | 1.5% | 9 | 40.5K | 6.1% | 8 | | Aug 2026 | 14.8K | 1.5% | 9 | 60.5K | 6.3% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 22.2K | 1.4% | 9 | 110K | 7.1% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Alka-Seltzer Plus’ and Zicam’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Alka-Seltzer Plus**: Measured on the search term “alka seltzer plus”. - **Zicam**: Measured on the search term “zicam”. - [Alka-Seltzer Plus profile](/demand/us/brands/alka-seltzer-plus) - [Zicam profile](/demand/us/brands/zicam) - [All cold and flu brands in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-cold-and-flu-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 brands. ## 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 ### Is Alka-Seltzer Plus or Zicam more popular in search? In September 2026, Zicam had more branded searches than Alka-Seltzer Plus among cold and flu brands in the United States. Zicam had about 110,000 branded searches, while Alka-Seltzer Plus had 22,200. Zicam made up 7.1% of all cold and flu brand searches we track, and Alka-Seltzer Plus accounted for 1.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Alka-Seltzer Plus vs Zicam: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/alka-seltzer-plus-vs-zicam This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/alka-seltzer-plus-vs-zicam. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.