--- title: "Nerds vs Starburst: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is Nerds or Starburst more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Candy 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/nerds-vs-starburst-candy" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Nerds vs Starburst: Which is searched more in the United States? Is Nerds or Starburst more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Candy 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**: Nerds and Starburst - **Competitive set**: Candy brands - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Nerds Share of Search**: 5.2% - **Starburst Share of Search**: 2.3% ## Is Nerds or Starburst more popular in search? - In September 2026, Nerds had more branded searches than Starburst among candy brands in the United States. Nerds had about 27,100 branded searches, while Starburst had 12,100. Nerds made up 5.2% of all candy brand searches we track, and Starburst accounted for 2.3%. - Nerds was ahead of Starburst in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Nerds’ share of searches among candy brands in the United States moved from 7.3% to 5.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 49.5K to 27.1K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Starburst’s share of searches among candy brands in the United States moved from 3.3% to 2.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 22.2K to 12.1K. ## Top candy brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Nerds was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Starburst did not appear in any of the four answers. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Haribo | 1st | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Sour Patch Kids | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Trolli | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Nerds | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Skittles | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Swedish Fish | 6th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Twizzlers | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Starburst | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about candy brands - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best candy to buy?": 1. Sour Patch Kids, 2. Haribo, 3. Nerds - Asked ChatGPT "Which gummy candy brand is the best?": 1. Haribo, 2. Trolli, 3. Nerds - Asked ChatGPT "What's the most popular sour candy?": 1. Skittles, 2. Sour Patch Kids - Searched Google, AI Overview "candy brands": 1. Haribo, 2. Sour Patch Kids, 3. Skittles, 4. Swedish Fish, 5. Trolli Not named in any answer: Twizzlers and Starburst. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 27, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States candy brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Nerds rose from 7th to 6th among candy brands in the United States. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Starburst in the United States fell 45.5% over 12 measured months, from 22.2K to 12.1K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Nerds estimated searches | Nerds Share of Search | Nerds rank | Starburst estimated searches | Starburst Share of Search | Starburst rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 49.5K | 7.3% | 6 | 22.2K | 3.3% | 8 | | Nov 2025 | 40.5K | 7% | 6 | 18.1K | 3.1% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | 33.1K | 6.7% | 6 | 14.8K | 3% | 8 | | Jan 2026 | 33.1K | 6.8% | 6 | 18.1K | 3.7% | 8 | | Feb 2026 | 33.1K | 6.4% | 6 | 14.8K | 2.9% | 8 | | Mar 2026 | 33.1K | 6.3% | 6 | 14.8K | 2.8% | 8 | | Apr 2026 | 33.1K | 6.7% | 6 | 14.8K | 3% | 8 | | May 2026 | 33.1K | 6.6% | 6 | 12.1K | 2.4% | 8 | | Jun 2026 | 27.1K | 7.1% | 6 | 9.9K | 2.6% | 8 | | Jul 2026 | 27.1K | 7.6% | 6 | 8.1K | 2.3% | 8 | | Aug 2026 | 22.2K | 5% | 7 | 12.1K | 2.7% | 8 | | Sep 2026 | 27.1K | 5.2% | 6 | 12.1K | 2.3% | 8 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Nerds’ and Starburst’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. - **Nerds**: Measured on the search term “nerds candy”. - **Starburst**: Measured on the search term “starburst candy”. - [Nerds profile](/demand/us/brands/nerds) - [Starburst profile](/demand/us/brands/starburst-candy) - [All candy brands in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-candy-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 Nerds or Starburst more popular in search? In September 2026, Nerds had more branded searches than Starburst among candy brands in the United States. Nerds had about 27,100 branded searches, while Starburst had 12,100. Nerds made up 5.2% of all candy brand searches we track, and Starburst accounted for 2.3%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Nerds vs Starburst: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/nerds-vs-starburst-candy This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/nerds-vs-starburst-candy. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.