Brandwave

Dairy Queen vs Handel's:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Dairy Queen had more branded searches than Handel's among ice cream chains in the United States. Dairy Queen had about 3.4 million branded searches, while Handel's had 169,000. Dairy Queen made up 46.9% 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, Handel's appeared in three of the four answers and Dairy Queen in one. Handel's was mentioned before Dairy Queen in two out of three answers.

Among ice cream chains in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Dairy Queen, about 20 searches for every 1 for Handel's

Dairy Queen 3.4M searchesHandel's 169K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Handel's, mentioned in 3 of 4 answers, Dairy Queen in 1

Handel's in 3 of 4Dairy Queen in 1 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

Handel's, named ahead of Dairy Queen in 2 of 3 answers

Handel's first in 2Dairy Queen 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, Handel's was mentioned in three out of four: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Dairy Queen was mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Handel's was listed before Dairy Queen 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 Dairy Queen or Handel's more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Dairy Queen 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.

Dairy Queen and Handel's among ice cream chains in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Dairy Queen, 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 Dairy Queen 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, Dairy Queen gained share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States, from 45.6% to 46.9%.

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

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Dairy Queen’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.

Dairy Queen

1 branded search term

  • dairy queen

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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