Brandwave

Hill's vs Iams:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Iams had more branded searches than Hill's among cat food brands in the United States. Iams had about 22,200 branded searches, while Hill's had 8,100. Iams made up 7.8% of all cat food brand searches we track, and Hill's accounted for 2.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cat food brands, Hill's appeared in four of the five answers and Iams in one. Hill's was mentioned before Iams in every answer.

Among cat food brands in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Iams, about 3 searches for every 1 for Hill's

Iams 22.2K searchesHill's 8.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Hill's, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Iams in 1

Hill's in 4 of 5Iams in 1 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Hill's, named ahead of Iams in every answer

Hill's first in 4Iams never first

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Top cat food brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hill's was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Iams was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Hill's was listed before Iams in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Hill's1st
  2. Purina Pro Plan2nd
  3. Royal Canin3rd
  4. Smalls4th
  5. Fancy Feast4th
  6. Purina ONE6th
  7. Weruva7th
  8. Blue Buffalo8th
  9. Iams9th
  10. Meow Mix9th
  11. +5 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Royal Canin4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Purina Pro Plan4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Hill's4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Purina ONE2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Smalls1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Fancy Feast1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Iams1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Meow Mix1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Blue Buffalo1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Weruva1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about cat food 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 27, 2026.

Is Hill's or Iams more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Hill's and Iams by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 cat food brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Hill's and Iams among cat food brands in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Iams, Hill's. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSmallsFriskiesFancy FeastIamsMeow MixPurina ONERoyal CaninShebaBlue BuffaloPurina Pro PlanTiki CatHill'sWellnessWeruva9Lives
Oct 202521.4%7.9%6.4%6.4%6.4%6.4%11.7%5.2%6.4%11.7%3.5%0.84%2.3%2.3%0.84%
Nov 202518.3%6.7%5.5%6.7%6.7%6.7%12.2%5.5%6.7%15%3.7%0.88%2.4%2.4%0.73%
Dec 202519%7%5.7%7%5.7%7%12.7%5.7%7%12.7%3.8%0.91%2.8%2.5%0.75%
Jan 202619.7%7.2%5.9%5.9%5.9%5.9%10.8%5.9%5.9%16.1%3.9%0.96%2.6%2.6%0.77%
Feb 202619.9%7.3%6%7.3%6%6%10.9%6%7.3%13.3%3.3%1.2%2.4%2.2%0.96%
Mar 202621.8%8%5.3%6.6%5.3%6.6%8%5.3%6.6%14.6%3.6%2.4%3.1%1.9%0.86%
Apr 202623.1%8.5%5.7%5.7%5.7%5.7%6.9%5.7%5.7%15.5%3.8%2.5%2.1%2.5%1.1%
May 202622.2%8.1%5.4%5.4%5.4%6.7%8.1%6.7%5.4%14.9%3.6%2.4%2%2.4%1.1%
Jun 202616.9%7.6%6.2%7.6%6.2%9.2%9.2%7.6%6.2%11.3%4.1%2.8%2.3%2.2%0.82%
Jul 202616.3%7.3%6%7.3%6%8.9%10.9%7.3%6%10.9%4%3.3%2.4%2.7%0.79%
Aug 202616.1%8.8%7.2%7.2%7.2%8.8%7.2%7.2%5.9%10.7%4.8%3.2%2.4%2.6%0.78%
Sep 202617.3%9.5%7.8%7.8%7.8%7.8%7.8%7.8%6.3%6.3%5.2%2.8%2.6%2.3%1%

How has the Hill's and Iams comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Iams was ahead of Hill's in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hill's’ share of searches among cat food brands in the United States moved from 0.84% to 2.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.9K to 8.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Iams’ share of searches among cat food brands in the United States moved from 6.4% to 7.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 22.2K.

How did search popularity change for United States cat food brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Iams overtook Purina Pro Plan and Purina ONE to rank 4th among cat food brands in the United States, with 7.8% of the searches.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Hill's in the United States rose 179.3% over 12 measured months, from 2.9K to 8.1K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hill's’ and Iams’ 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.

Hill's

1 branded search term

  • hills science diet cat food

Iams

1 branded search term

  • iams cat food

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among cat food brands

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