Brandwave

NOS vs ZOA:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, NOS had more branded searches than ZOA among energy drink brands in the United States. NOS had about 6,600 branded searches, while ZOA had 5,400. NOS made up 0.71% of all energy drink brand searches we track, and ZOA accounted for 0.58%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about energy drink brands, NOS appeared in one of the five answers and ZOA in none.

Among energy drink brands in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

NOS, about 22% more searches than ZOA

NOS 6.6K searchesZOA 5.4K searches

Who does AI mention more?

NOS, mentioned in 1 of 5 answers, ZOA in 0

NOS in 1 of 5ZOA in 0 of 5

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Top energy drink brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, NOS was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. ZOA 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. Red Bull1st
  2. Celsius2nd
  3. Monster Energy3rd
  4. Ghost4th
  5. C45th
  6. Alani Nu6th
  7. NOS7th
  8. Reign8th
  9. Rockstar–
  10. +2 more
  11. ZOA–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Red Bull5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Celsius5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Alani Nu3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Ghost3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • C43 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Monster Energy2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • NOS1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Reign1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Rockstar0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • ZOA0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about energy drink brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

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

Is NOS or ZOA more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for NOS and ZOA by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 energy drink brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

NOS and ZOA among energy drink brands in the United States, by month

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthRed BullCelsiusMonster EnergyAlani NuGhostC4RockstarBangNOSBucked UpReignZOA
Oct 202541.1%28.5%15.1%6.8%3%1.4%1.1%1.1%0.49%0.4%0.74%0.4%
Nov 202542.7%26.1%15.7%7%3.1%1.1%1.1%1.1%0.51%0.28%0.63%0.51%
Dec 202537.5%26%16.8%9.2%4.1%1.2%1.2%1%0.45%0.45%0.67%1.2%
Jan 202643.7%21.9%16%8.8%3.2%1.2%1.2%0.96%0.43%0.28%0.52%1.8%
Feb 202647.4%23.8%14.2%6.4%2.9%1.3%1%1%0.46%0.25%0.57%0.7%
Mar 202644.9%25.5%13.5%7.4%3.3%1.2%1.2%1.2%0.54%0.29%0.66%0.36%
Apr 202644.9%20.9%13.5%11%4%1.2%1.2%1.2%0.54%0.36%0.66%0.54%
May 202648.8%21.2%14.6%5.4%4.4%1.3%1.1%1.1%0.59%0.39%0.72%0.39%
Jun 202641.3%28.7%12.4%6.8%4.5%1.4%1.4%1.1%0.74%0.4%0.74%0.49%
Jul 202636.7%31.2%13.5%6%4.9%1.5%1.5%1.2%0.81%0.43%0.81%1.5%
Aug 202639.2%22.3%11.7%14.4%6.4%1.3%1.3%0.86%0.7%0.38%0.58%0.86%
Sep 202648.6%19.9%11.9%8%5.3%1.6%1.3%0.87%0.71%0.58%0.58%0.58%

How has the NOS and ZOA comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands 4 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: ZOA took it in December 2025, NOS took it in March 2026, ZOA took it in July 2026, NOS took it in September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NOS’s share of searches among energy drink brands in the United States moved from 0.49% to 0.71%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.4K to 6.6K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ZOA’s share of searches among energy drink brands in the United States moved from 0.4% to 0.58%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.6K to 5.4K.

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

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, NOS rose from 10th to 9th among energy drink brands in the United States.

  2. In September 2026, ZOA fell from 9th to 12th among energy drink brands in the United States.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using NOS’s and ZOA’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.

NOS

1 branded search term

  • nos energy

ZOA

1 branded search term

  • zoa energy

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among energy drink brands

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