C4 vs Red Bull:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Red Bull had more branded searches than C4 among energy drink brands in the United States. Red Bull had about 450,000 branded searches, while C4 had 14,800. Red Bull made up 48.6% of all energy drink brand searches we track, and C4 accounted for 1.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about energy drink brands, Red Bull appeared in all five answers and C4 in three. Red Bull was mentioned before C4 in four out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Red Bull, about 30 searches for every 1 for C4
Who does AI mention more?
Red Bull, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Red Bull, named ahead of C4 in 4 of 5 answers
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Top energy drink brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Red Bull appeared in all five answers. C4 was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Red Bull was listed before C4 in four out of five answers.
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.
- Red Bull5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Celsius5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Alani Nu3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Ghost3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
C43 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Monster Energy2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
NOS1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Reign1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Rockstar0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Bang0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about energy drink brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which energy drink should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best energy drink brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What is the healthiest energy drink?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“energy drinks”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best energy drink”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 26, 2026.
Is C4 or Red Bull more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for C4 and Red Bull by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 energy drink brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for Red Bull, C4. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Red Bull | Celsius | Monster Energy | Alani Nu | Ghost | C4 | Rockstar | Bang | NOS | Bucked Up | Reign | ZOA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 41.1% | 28.5% | 15.1% | 6.8% | 3% | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 0.49% | 0.4% | 0.74% | 0.4% |
| Nov 2025 | 42.7% | 26.1% | 15.7% | 7% | 3.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 0.51% | 0.28% | 0.63% | 0.51% |
| Dec 2025 | 37.5% | 26% | 16.8% | 9.2% | 4.1% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1% | 0.45% | 0.45% | 0.67% | 1.2% |
| Jan 2026 | 43.7% | 21.9% | 16% | 8.8% | 3.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.96% | 0.43% | 0.28% | 0.52% | 1.8% |
| Feb 2026 | 47.4% | 23.8% | 14.2% | 6.4% | 2.9% | 1.3% | 1% | 1% | 0.46% | 0.25% | 0.57% | 0.7% |
| Mar 2026 | 44.9% | 25.5% | 13.5% | 7.4% | 3.3% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.54% | 0.29% | 0.66% | 0.36% |
| Apr 2026 | 44.9% | 20.9% | 13.5% | 11% | 4% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.54% | 0.36% | 0.66% | 0.54% |
| May 2026 | 48.8% | 21.2% | 14.6% | 5.4% | 4.4% | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 0.59% | 0.39% | 0.72% | 0.39% |
| Jun 2026 | 41.3% | 28.7% | 12.4% | 6.8% | 4.5% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.1% | 0.74% | 0.4% | 0.74% | 0.49% |
| Jul 2026 | 36.7% | 31.2% | 13.5% | 6% | 4.9% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.2% | 0.81% | 0.43% | 0.81% | 1.5% |
| Aug 2026 | 39.2% | 22.3% | 11.7% | 14.4% | 6.4% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.86% | 0.7% | 0.38% | 0.58% | 0.86% |
| Sep 2026 | 48.6% | 19.9% | 11.9% | 8% | 5.3% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 0.87% | 0.71% | 0.58% | 0.58% | 0.58% |
How has the C4 and Red Bull comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Red Bull was ahead of C4 in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, C4’s share of searches among energy drink brands in the United States moved from 1.4% to 1.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 12.1K to 14.8K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Red Bull’s share of searches among energy drink brands in the United States moved from 41.1% to 48.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 368K to 450K.
How did search popularity change for United States energy drink brands in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Red Bull gained share of searches among energy drink brands in the United States, from 39.2% to 48.6%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for C4 in the United States rose 22.3% over 12 measured months, from 12.1K to 14.8K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using C4’s and Red Bull’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 energy drink brands
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