Better vs Rate:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Rate had more branded searches than Better among mortgage lenders in the United States. Rate had about 23,500 branded searches, while Better had 8,100. Rate made up 1% of all mortgage lender searches we track, and Better accounted for 0.36%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about mortgage lenders, Rate appeared in two of the five answers and Better in none.
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Top mortgage lenders in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Rate was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Better did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Rocket Mortgage1st
Chase2nd
Bank of America3rd
Truist4th
loanDepot5th
Veterans United6th
Navy Federal Credit Union7th
Rate8th
SoFi9th- +3 more
Better–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Rocket Mortgage5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Bank of America4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Chase4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- loanDepot3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Veterans United2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Rate2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Truist2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Navy Federal Credit Union2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- SoFi2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Better0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about mortgage lenders
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which mortgage lender should I use in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best mortgage lenders in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best mortgage lender in the US for a first-time home buyer?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“mortgage lenders”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best mortgage lenders”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 22, 2026.
Is Better or Rate more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Better and Rate by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 13 mortgage lenders we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for Rate, Better. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Rocket Mortgage | Pennymac | Mr. Cooper | loanDepot | Bank of America | Chase | UWM | Veterans United | Rate | Truist | Navy Federal Credit Union | Better | SoFi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 29% | 19.4% | 29% | 4.7% | 3.2% | 4.7% | 3.9% | 2.7% | 1.2% | 0.78% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.12% |
| Nov 2025 | 27.7% | 22.6% | 27.7% | 4.6% | 3% | 3.7% | 4.6% | 3% | 1.1% | 0.91% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.15% |
| Dec 2025 | 30.1% | 20.1% | 30.1% | 4% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 4% | 2.8% | 1% | 0.81% | 0.54% | 0.44% | 0.13% |
| Jan 2026 | 27.3% | 22.4% | 33.2% | 3.7% | 2% | 2.5% | 3.7% | 2.5% | 0.96% | 0.74% | 0.49% | 0.49% | 0.15% |
| Feb 2026 | 34.7% | 19.1% | 28.5% | 3.8% | 2.1% | 2.6% | 3.8% | 2.6% | 0.96% | 0.77% | 0.51% | 0.42% | 0.12% |
| Mar 2026 | 47.4% | 17.4% | 17.4% | 4.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 3.5% | 2.4% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.57% | 0.47% | 0.14% |
| Apr 2026 | 45.4% | 20.4% | 13.7% | 4.1% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 4.1% | 2.7% | 1% | 0.83% | 0.45% | 0.45% | 0.16% |
| May 2026 | 50.1% | 18.5% | 10.1% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 3% | 2.5% | 1.1% | 0.74% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.15% |
| Jun 2026 | 50.8% | 18.7% | 8.4% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 2.7% | 0.98% | 0.75% | 0.41% | 0.41% | 0.15% |
| Jul 2026 | 54.7% | 16.5% | 7.4% | 4.9% | 4.1% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 1.1% | 0.81% | 0.44% | 0.44% | 0.36% |
| Aug 2026 | 51.9% | 19.1% | 5.7% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 4.7% | 2.5% | 1% | 0.77% | 0.42% | 0.51% | 0.15% |
| Sep 2026 | 54.1% | 19.9% | 6% | 4.9% | 4% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 2.2% | 1% | 0.8% | 0.54% | 0.36% | 0.19% |
How has the Better and Rate comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Rate was ahead of Better in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Better’s share of searches among mortgage lenders in the United States moved from 0.64% to 0.36%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.8K to 8.1K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Rate’s share of searches among mortgage lenders in the United States moved from 1.2% to 1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 28.8K to 23.5K.
How did search popularity change for United States mortgage lenders in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Better fell from 11th to 12th among mortgage lenders in the United States.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Rate in the United States fell 18.4% over 12 measured months, from 28.8K to 23.5K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Better’s and Rate’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.
Other head-to-heads among mortgage lenders
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