Hill's vs Purina Pro Plan:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Purina Pro Plan had more branded searches than Hill's among cat food brands in the United States. Purina Pro Plan had about 18,100 branded searches, while Hill's had 8,100. Purina Pro Plan made up 6.3% 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 and Purina Pro Plan each appeared in four of the five answers. Hill's was mentioned before Purina Pro Plan in three out of four answers.
Who do people search for more?
Purina Pro Plan, about 2 searches for every 1 for Hill's
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 4 of 5 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
Hill's, named ahead of Purina Pro Plan in 3 of 4 answers
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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 and Purina Pro Plan were each mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Hill's was listed before Purina Pro Plan in three out of four answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Hill's1st
- Purina Pro Plan2nd
Royal Canin3rd
Smalls4th- Fancy Feast4th
- Purina ONE6th
Weruva7th
Blue Buffalo8th
Iams9th
Meow Mix9th- +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
See every answer about cat food brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best cat food?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which cat food do vets recommend?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Is fresh cat food better than kibble?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cat food”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best cat food”
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 Purina Pro Plan more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Hill's and Purina Pro Plan 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.
Share of searches by month for Purina Pro Plan, Hill's. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Smalls | Friskies | Fancy Feast | Iams | Meow Mix | Purina ONE | Royal Canin | Sheba | Blue Buffalo | Purina Pro Plan | Tiki Cat | Hill's | Wellness | Weruva | 9Lives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 21.4% | 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 2025 | 18.3% | 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 2025 | 19% | 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 2026 | 19.7% | 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 2026 | 19.9% | 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 2026 | 21.8% | 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 2026 | 23.1% | 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 2026 | 22.2% | 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 2026 | 16.9% | 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 2026 | 16.3% | 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 2026 | 16.1% | 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 2026 | 17.3% | 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 Purina Pro Plan comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Purina Pro Plan 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, Purina Pro Plan’s share of searches among cat food brands in the United States moved from 11.7% to 6.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.5K to 18.1K.
How did search popularity change for United States cat food brands in September 2026?
6 changes
In September 2026, Friskies overtook Purina Pro Plan to rank 2nd among cat food brands in the United States, with 9.5% of the searches.
In September 2026, Fancy Feast overtook Purina Pro Plan and Purina ONE to rank 3rd among cat food brands in the United States, with 7.8% of the searches.
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.
In September 2026, Meow Mix overtook Purina Pro Plan and Purina ONE to rank 5th among cat food brands in the United States, with 7.8% of the searches.
In September 2026, Royal Canin overtook Purina Pro Plan to rank 7th among cat food brands in the United States, with 7.8% of the searches.
In September 2026, Sheba overtook Purina Pro Plan to rank 8th among cat food brands in the United States, with 7.8% of the searches.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hill's’ and Purina Pro Plan’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.
Hill's
1 branded search term
- hills science diet cat food
Purina Pro Plan
1 branded search term
- purina pro plan cat food
Other head-to-heads among cat food brands
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