Brandwave

Illy vs Intelligentsia:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Illy had more branded searches than Intelligentsia among coffee brands in the United States. Illy had about 40,500 branded searches, while Intelligentsia had 18,100. Illy made up 3.7% of all coffee brand searches we track, and Intelligentsia accounted for 1.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about coffee brands, Intelligentsia appeared in one of the five answers and Illy in none.

Among coffee brands in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Illy, about 2 searches for every 1 for Intelligentsia

Illy 40.5K searchesIntelligentsia 18.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Intelligentsia, mentioned in 1 of 5 answers, Illy in 0

Intelligentsia in 1 of 5Illy in 0 of 5

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Top coffee brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Intelligentsia was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Illy did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Lavazza1st
  2. Peet's Coffee2nd
  3. Stumptown3rd
  4. Café Bustelo4th
  5. Counter Culture Coffee5th
  6. Folgers6th
  7. Intelligentsia7th
  8. Onyx Coffee Lab8th
  9. Death Wish Coffee9th
  10. +2 more
  11. Illy–
  12. +3 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Peet's Coffee3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Lavazza3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Café Bustelo2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Stumptown2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Folgers1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Death Wish Coffee1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Onyx Coffee Lab1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Counter Culture Coffee1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Intelligentsia1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Illy0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about coffee brands

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 26, 2026.

Is Illy or Intelligentsia more popular in search?

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

Illy and Intelligentsia among coffee brands in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Illy, Intelligentsia. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthPeet's CoffeeBlack Rifle CoffeeCafé BusteloLa ColombeFolgersDeath Wish CoffeeIllyLavazzaDunkin'Onyx Coffee LabStumptownBulletproofLifeboostCounter Culture CoffeeIntelligentsia
Oct 202539.2%11.8%7.8%6.5%4.3%4.3%1.9%3.5%9.6%1.9%2.4%1.9%1.3%1.6%1.9%
Nov 202528.9%12.9%4.8%4.8%3.2%2.6%1.7%3.2%28.9%1.7%2.1%1.4%0.95%1.4%1.4%
Dec 202520.8%9.3%4.2%3.4%2.3%2.3%1.3%2.3%46.1%1.5%1.9%1.3%1.3%1%1.3%
Jan 202640.1%12%6.6%5.4%4.4%3.6%2.4%3.6%6.6%2%3.6%3.6%2%2%2%
Feb 202635.6%13%7.2%5.8%4.8%3.9%2.6%3.2%10.7%2.1%3.2%2.6%1.8%1.8%1.8%
Mar 202636%13.2%7.2%7.2%4.8%4%2.2%3.2%8.8%2.6%2.6%2.6%1.8%1.8%1.8%
Apr 202637.7%11.3%7.6%6.2%4.1%3.4%2.8%3.4%11.3%2.3%2.8%2.3%1.5%1.9%1.5%
May 202645.5%11.2%7.5%6.1%4.1%3.4%2.2%3.4%3.4%2.2%3.4%2.2%1.8%1.8%1.8%
Jun 202643.2%10.6%7.1%7.1%4.8%3.9%2.6%3.9%2.1%2.6%3.9%2.6%1.7%2.1%1.7%
Jul 202641.9%12.6%8.4%6.9%4.6%3.8%2.5%3.8%2.1%3.1%3.1%2.1%1.4%2.1%1.7%
Aug 202647%9.4%7.7%6.3%5.2%3.5%2.3%3.5%2.3%2.8%2.8%1.9%1.9%1.9%1.5%
Sep 202640.9%10%8.2%6.7%5.5%3.7%3.7%3.7%3%3%3%2.5%2.5%2%1.6%

How has the Illy and Intelligentsia comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Illy overtook Lavazza and 3 others to rank 7th among coffee brands in the United States, with 3.7% of the searches.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Intelligentsia in the United States fell 33.2% over 12 measured months, from 27.1K to 18.1K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Illy’s and Intelligentsia’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.

Illy

1 branded search term

  • illy coffee

Intelligentsia

1 branded search term

  • intelligentsia coffee

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among coffee brands

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