--- title: "Costco vs LensDirect: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is Costco or LensDirect more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Contact lens retailers 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/costco-vs-lensdirect" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Costco vs LensDirect: Which is searched more in the United States? Is Costco or LensDirect more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Contact lens retailers 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**: Costco and LensDirect - **Competitive set**: Contact lens retailers - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Costco Share of Search**: 19.3% - **LensDirect Share of Search**: 2.7% ## Is Costco or LensDirect more popular in search? - In September 2026, Costco had more branded searches than LensDirect among contact lens retailers in the United States. Costco had about 160,000 branded searches, while LensDirect had 22,200. Costco made up 19.3% of all contact lens retailer searches we track, and LensDirect accounted for 2.7%. - Costco was ahead of LensDirect in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Costco’s share of searches among contact lens retailers in the United States moved from 20.5% to 19.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 160K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, LensDirect’s share of searches among contact lens retailers in the United States moved from 2.9% to 2.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 22.2K. ## Top contact lens retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Costco appeared in all five answers. LensDirect was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Costco was listed before LensDirect in four out of five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1-800 Contacts | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Costco | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Contacts Direct | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Contact Lens King | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | LensDirect | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Hubble | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about contact lens retailers - Asked ChatGPT "Where should I order contact lenses online in the US?": 1. Costco, 2. 1-800 Contacts, 3. Contact Lens King, 4. Contacts Direct - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best places to buy contacts online in the US?": 1. 1-800 Contacts, 2. Costco, 3. Contacts Direct, 4. Contact Lens King - Asked ChatGPT "What's the cheapest place to buy contact lenses online in the US?": 1. Contact Lens King, 2. Costco, 3. LensDirect, 4. Contacts Direct, 5. 1-800 Contacts - Searched Google, AI Overview "contact lenses online": 1. 1-800 Contacts, 2. Contacts Direct, 3. LensDirect, 4. Costco - Searched Google, AI Overview "buy contacts online": 1. 1-800 Contacts, 2. Costco, 3. Contacts Direct, 4. LensDirect Not named in any answer: Hubble. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 22, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States contact lens retailers in September 2026? - In September 2026, Costco gained share of searches among contact lens retailers in the United States, from 18.3% to 19.3%. - In September 2026, LensDirect rose from 6th to 5th among contact lens retailers in the United States. ## Month by month | Month | Costco estimated searches | Costco Share of Search | Costco rank | LensDirect estimated searches | LensDirect Share of Search | LensDirect rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 160K | 20.5% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.9% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 160K | 20.7% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.9% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 185K | 20.7% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.5% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 185K | 20.6% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.5% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 160K | 18.7% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.6% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 185K | 18.1% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.2% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 185K | 20.4% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.5% | 5 | | May 2026 | 160K | 18.1% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.5% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 160K | 17.3% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.4% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 185K | 19.5% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.3% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 185K | 18.3% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.2% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 160K | 19.3% | 2 | 22.2K | 2.7% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Costco’s and LensDirect’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. - **Costco**: Measured on the search terms “costco contacts” and “costco optical”, summed into one figure. - **LensDirect**: Measured on the search terms “lens direct” and “lensdirect”, summed into one figure. - [Costco profile](/demand/us/brands/costco) - [LensDirect profile](/demand/us/brands/lensdirect) - [All contact lens retailers in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-contact-lens-retailers): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 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 Costco or LensDirect more popular in search? In September 2026, Costco had more branded searches than LensDirect among contact lens retailers in the United States. Costco had about 160,000 branded searches, while LensDirect had 22,200. Costco made up 19.3% of all contact lens retailer searches we track, and LensDirect accounted for 2.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Costco vs LensDirect: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/costco-vs-lensdirect This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/costco-vs-lensdirect. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.