Brandwave

Ghost vs Monster Energy:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Monster Energy had more branded searches than Ghost among energy drink brands in the United States. Monster Energy had about 110,000 branded searches, while Ghost had 49,500. Monster Energy made up 11.9% of all energy drink brand searches we track, and Ghost accounted for 5.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about energy drink brands, Ghost appeared in three of the five answers and Monster Energy in two. Monster Energy was mentioned before Ghost in two out of three answers that named either.

Among energy drink brands in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Monster Energy, about 2 searches for every 1 for Ghost

Monster Energy 110K searchesGhost 49.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Ghost, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Monster Energy in 2

Ghost in 3 of 5Monster Energy in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Monster Energy, named ahead of Ghost in 2 of 3 answers

Monster Energy first in 2Ghost first in 1

Follow Ghost vs Monster Energy and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand against a rival →

Top energy drink brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Ghost was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Monster Energy was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Monster Energy was listed before Ghost in two out of three answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Red Bull1st
  2. Celsius2nd
  3. Monster Energy3rd
  4. Ghost4th
  5. C45th
  6. Alani Nu6th
  7. NOS7th
  8. Reign8th
  9. Rockstar–
  10. Bang–
  11. +2 more

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

+2 more

See every answer about energy drink brands

5 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 26, 2026.

Is Ghost or Monster Energy more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Ghost and Monster Energy 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.

Ghost and Monster Energy among energy drink brands in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Monster Energy, Ghost. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthRed BullCelsiusMonster EnergyAlani NuGhostC4RockstarBangNOSBucked UpReignZOA
Oct 202541.1%28.5%15.1%6.8%3%1.4%1.1%1.1%0.49%0.4%0.74%0.4%
Nov 202542.7%26.1%15.7%7%3.1%1.1%1.1%1.1%0.51%0.28%0.63%0.51%
Dec 202537.5%26%16.8%9.2%4.1%1.2%1.2%1%0.45%0.45%0.67%1.2%
Jan 202643.7%21.9%16%8.8%3.2%1.2%1.2%0.96%0.43%0.28%0.52%1.8%
Feb 202647.4%23.8%14.2%6.4%2.9%1.3%1%1%0.46%0.25%0.57%0.7%
Mar 202644.9%25.5%13.5%7.4%3.3%1.2%1.2%1.2%0.54%0.29%0.66%0.36%
Apr 202644.9%20.9%13.5%11%4%1.2%1.2%1.2%0.54%0.36%0.66%0.54%
May 202648.8%21.2%14.6%5.4%4.4%1.3%1.1%1.1%0.59%0.39%0.72%0.39%
Jun 202641.3%28.7%12.4%6.8%4.5%1.4%1.4%1.1%0.74%0.4%0.74%0.49%
Jul 202636.7%31.2%13.5%6%4.9%1.5%1.5%1.2%0.81%0.43%0.81%1.5%
Aug 202639.2%22.3%11.7%14.4%6.4%1.3%1.3%0.86%0.7%0.38%0.58%0.86%
Sep 202648.6%19.9%11.9%8%5.3%1.6%1.3%0.87%0.71%0.58%0.58%0.58%

How has the Ghost and Monster Energy comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for United States energy drink brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Ghost lost share of searches among energy drink brands in the United States, from 6.4% to 5.3%.

  2. In September 2026, Monster Energy rose from 4th to 3rd among energy drink brands in the United States.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ghost’s and Monster Energy’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.

Ghost

1 branded search term

  • ghost energy

Monster Energy

1 branded search term

  • monster energy

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among energy drink brands

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.

Start free