Brandwave

Cold Stone Creamery vs Handel's:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Cold Stone Creamery had more branded searches than Handel's among ice cream chains in the United States. Cold Stone Creamery had about 1.7 million branded searches, while Handel's had 169,000. Cold Stone Creamery made up 23.4% of all ice cream chain searches we track, and Handel's accounted for 2.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about ice cream chains, Cold Stone Creamery and Handel's each appeared in three of the four answers. Handel's was mentioned before Cold Stone Creamery in two out of three answers.

Among ice cream chains in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Cold Stone Creamery, about 10 searches for every 1 for Handel's

Cold Stone Creamery 1.7M searchesHandel's 169K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 3 of 4 answers.

Cold Stone Creamery in 3 of 4Handel's in 3 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

Handel's, named ahead of Cold Stone Creamery in 2 of 3 answers

Handel's first in 2Cold Stone Creamery first in 1

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Top ice cream chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Cold Stone Creamery and Handel's were each mentioned in three out of four: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Handel's was listed before Cold Stone Creamery in two out of three answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams1st
  2. Salt & Straw2nd
  3. Handel's3rd
  4. Cold Stone Creamery4th
  5. Dairy Queen5th
  6. Baskin-Robbins6th
  7. Culver's7th
  8. Marble Slab Creamery–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Cold Stone Creamery3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Handel's3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Salt & Straw2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Culver's2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Dairy Queen1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Baskin-Robbins1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Marble Slab Creamery0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about ice cream chains

4 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 23, 2026.

Is Cold Stone Creamery or Handel's more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Cold Stone Creamery and Handel's by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight ice cream chains we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Cold Stone Creamery and Handel's among ice cream chains in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Cold Stone Creamery, Handel's. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthDairy QueenCold Stone CreameryBaskin-RobbinsSalt & StrawCulver'sHandel'sMarble Slab CreameryJeni's Splendid Ice Creams
Oct 202548.3%24.1%17.6%4.3%2.5%2%0.58%0.56%
Nov 202544.1%22.1%24.1%4%2.2%2.3%0.65%0.52%
Dec 202546.4%23.2%20.7%4.2%1.9%2.4%0.69%0.55%
Jan 202650%22.3%18.2%3.7%2.5%2.1%0.6%0.49%
Feb 202650.4%22.5%18.3%3%2.5%2.1%0.61%0.49%
Mar 202651.8%21.2%19%3.1%1.8%2.2%0.51%0.5%
Apr 202647%23.5%21%2.8%2%2.4%0.57%0.66%
May 202649.5%24.8%18.1%2.4%2.1%2.1%0.49%0.5%
Jun 202645.3%25.7%20.3%3.3%1.9%2.3%0.55%0.56%
Jul 202644.5%27.2%19.9%2.7%1.9%2.8%0.54%0.49%
Aug 202645.6%25.9%20.4%2.7%1.9%2.4%0.55%0.54%
Sep 202646.9%23.4%21%2.8%2.4%2.4%0.57%0.51%

How has the Cold Stone Creamery and Handel's comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for United States ice cream chains in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Cold Stone Creamery lost share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States, from 25.9% to 23.4%.

  2. In September 2026, Handel's fell from 5th to 6th among ice cream chains in the United States.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cold Stone Creamery’s and Handel'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.

Cold Stone Creamery

2 branded search terms

  • cold stone
  • cold stone creamery

Handel's

2 branded search terms

  • handels
  • handels ice cream

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among ice cream chains

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