Brandwave

In-N-Out Burger vs McDonald's:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, McDonald's had more branded searches than In-N-Out Burger among burger chains in the United States. McDonald's had about 30.4 million branded searches, while In-N-Out Burger had 1.2 million. McDonald's made up 45.6% of all burger chain searches we track, and In-N-Out Burger accounted for 1.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about burger chains, In-N-Out Burger appeared in all four answers and McDonald's in two. In-N-Out Burger was mentioned before McDonald's in every answer.

Among burger chains in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

McDonald's, about 25 searches for every 1 for In-N-Out Burger

McDonald's 30.4M searchesIn-N-Out Burger 1.2M searches

Who does AI mention more?

In-N-Out Burger, mentioned in every answer we collected

In-N-Out Burger in 4 of 4McDonald's in 2 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

In-N-Out Burger, named ahead of McDonald's in every answer

In-N-Out Burger first in 4McDonald's never first

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Top burger chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, In-N-Out Burger appeared in all four answers. McDonald's was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. In-N-Out Burger was listed before McDonald's in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. In-N-Out Burger1st
  2. Five Guys2nd
  3. Culver's3rd
  4. Shake Shack4th
  5. Whataburger5th
  6. Wendy's6th
  7. The Habit Burger Grill7th
  8. McDonald's8th
  9. Burger King9th
  10. Smashburger10th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • In-N-Out Burger4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Culver's3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Five Guys3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Shake Shack3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • The Habit Burger Grill3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • McDonald's2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Burger King2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Wendy's2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Whataburger2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Smashburger1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about burger chains

4 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 22, 2026.

Is In-N-Out Burger or McDonald's more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for In-N-Out Burger and McDonald's by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten burger chains we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

In-N-Out Burger and McDonald's among burger chains in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for McDonald's, In-N-Out Burger. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthMcDonald'sBurger KingWendy'sCulver'sFive GuysWhataburgerShake ShackIn-N-Out BurgerSmashburgerThe Habit Burger Grill
Oct 202551.7%12.7%12.7%7%4.7%5.7%2.5%1.7%0.94%0.34%
Nov 202547.2%14.2%14.2%6.3%5.2%6.3%2.8%2.3%1%0.38%
Dec 202550%14.9%12.3%6.7%4.5%5.5%2.5%2.5%0.9%0.33%
Jan 202649.7%12.2%12.2%6.7%5.5%6.7%3%2.5%1.1%0.4%
Feb 202650.6%12.4%12.4%6.8%5.6%5.6%3%2%1.1%0.41%
Mar 202644.5%16.3%13.4%7.3%6%6%2.7%2.2%1.2%0.44%
Apr 202646.9%14.1%14.1%7.7%5.2%6.3%2.3%1.9%1%0.38%
May 202645.9%13.8%13.8%9.2%5.1%6.2%2.8%1.8%1%0.45%
Jun 202647%14.1%14.1%7.7%5.2%6.3%2.3%1.9%0.85%0.47%
Jul 202651.2%12.6%12.6%8.4%4.6%5.6%2.1%1.7%0.76%0.41%
Aug 202650.8%12.5%12.5%8.4%4.6%5.6%2.5%2%0.75%0.41%
Sep 202645.6%16.7%13.7%7.5%6.1%5%2.3%1.8%0.83%0.37%

How has the In-N-Out Burger and McDonald's comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for United States burger chains in September 2026?

1 change

  1. In September 2026, McDonald's lost share of searches among burger chains in the United States, from 50.8% to 45.6%.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using In-N-Out Burger’s and McDonald'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.

In-N-Out Burger

2 branded search terms

  • in n out
  • in-n-out

McDonald's

1 branded search term

  • mcdonald's

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among burger chains

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