--- title: "Apple iPad vs Microsoft Surface: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is Apple iPad or Microsoft Surface more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Tablet brands set in the United States. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/ipad-vs-microsoft-surface" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Apple iPad vs Microsoft Surface: Which is searched more in the United States? Is Apple iPad or Microsoft Surface more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Tablet brands set in the United States. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Apple iPad and Microsoft Surface - **Competitive set**: Tablet brands - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Apple iPad Share of Search**: 79.9% - **Microsoft Surface Share of Search**: 6.4% ## Is Apple iPad or Microsoft Surface more popular in search? - In September 2026, Apple iPad had more branded searches than Microsoft Surface among tablet brands in the United States. Apple iPad had about 1.5 million branded searches, while Microsoft Surface had 121,000. Apple iPad made up 79.9% of all tablet brand searches we track, and Microsoft Surface accounted for 6.4%. - Apple iPad was ahead of Microsoft Surface in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple iPad’s share of searches among tablet brands in the United States moved from 73.9% to 79.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2M to 1.5M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Microsoft Surface’s share of searches among tablet brands in the United States moved from 10% to 6.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 165K to 121K. ## Top tablet brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Apple iPad was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Microsoft Surface was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Apple iPad was listed before Microsoft Surface in three out of four answers that named either. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Apple iPad | 1st | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Samsung Galaxy Tab | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Microsoft Surface | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Lenovo Tab | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | OnePlus | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Amazon Fire Tablet | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Google Pixel | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | TCL | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about tablet brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which tablet should I buy?": 1. Apple iPad, 2. Samsung Galaxy Tab - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best tablet brands?": 1. Lenovo Tab, 2. Amazon Fire Tablet, 3. Apple iPad, 4. Samsung Galaxy Tab, 5. Microsoft Surface, 6. OnePlus - Asked ChatGPT "What is the best Android tablet?": 1. OnePlus, 2. Samsung Galaxy Tab, 3. Lenovo Tab - Searched Google, AI Overview "tablet": 1. Microsoft Surface, 2. Samsung Galaxy Tab - Searched Google, AI Overview "best tablet": 1. Apple iPad, 2. Samsung Galaxy Tab Not named in any answer: Google Pixel and TCL. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 26, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States tablet brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Apple iPad gained share of searches among tablet brands in the United States, from 77.9% to 79.9%. - In September 2026, Microsoft Surface lost share of searches among tablet brands in the United States, from 8.5% to 6.4%. ## Month by month | Month | Apple iPad estimated searches | Apple iPad Share of Search | Apple iPad rank | Microsoft Surface estimated searches | Microsoft Surface Share of Search | Microsoft Surface rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.2M | 73.9% | 1 | 165K | 10% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 2.7M | 84.2% | 1 | 181K | 5.6% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 2.7M | 84.8% | 1 | 148K | 4.6% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 1.5M | 78.5% | 1 | 148K | 7.7% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 1.2M | 78.8% | 1 | 121K | 7.8% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 1.2M | 77.2% | 1 | 135K | 8.5% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 1.2M | 78.9% | 1 | 121K | 7.8% | 3 | | May 2026 | 1M | 74.9% | 1 | 121K | 9.1% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 1.2M | 76.8% | 1 | 135K | 8.5% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 1.2M | 77.7% | 1 | 121K | 7.7% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 1.5M | 77.9% | 1 | 165K | 8.5% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 1.5M | 79.9% | 1 | 121K | 6.4% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apple iPad’s and Microsoft Surface’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. - **Apple iPad**: Measured on the search term “ipad”. - **Microsoft Surface**: Measured on the search terms “microsoft surface” and “surface pro”, summed into one figure. - [Apple iPad profile](/demand/us/brands/ipad) - [Microsoft Surface profile](/demand/us/brands/microsoft-surface) - [All tablet brands in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-tablet-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Apple iPad or Microsoft Surface more popular in search? In September 2026, Apple iPad had more branded searches than Microsoft Surface among tablet brands in the United States. Apple iPad had about 1.5 million branded searches, while Microsoft Surface had 121,000. Apple iPad made up 79.9% of all tablet brand searches we track, and Microsoft Surface accounted for 6.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Apple iPad vs Microsoft Surface: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/ipad-vs-microsoft-surface This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/ipad-vs-microsoft-surface. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.