--- title: "PenFed Credit Union vs RateGenius: Which is more popular in the United States?" description: "Is PenFed Credit Union or RateGenius more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Auto refinance companies 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/penfed-vs-rategenius" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # PenFed Credit Union vs RateGenius: Which is more popular in the United States? Is PenFed Credit Union or RateGenius more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Auto refinance companies 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**: PenFed Credit Union and RateGenius - **Competitive set**: Auto refinance companies - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **PenFed Credit Union Share of Search**: 3% - **RateGenius Share of Search**: 10.9% ## Is PenFed Credit Union or RateGenius more popular in search? - In October 2026, RateGenius had more branded searches than PenFed Credit Union among auto refinance companies in the United States. RateGenius had about 3,600 branded searches, while PenFed Credit Union had 1,000. RateGenius made up 10.9% of all auto refinance company searches we track, and PenFed Credit Union accounted for 3%. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending October 2026: PenFed Credit Union took it in April 2026, RateGenius took it in June 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, PenFed Credit Union’s share of searches among auto refinance companies in the United States moved from 3.7% to 3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, RateGenius’ share of searches among auto refinance companies in the United States moved from 16.2% to 10.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.4K to 3.6K. ## Top auto refinance companies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, PenFed Credit Union appeared in all five answers. RateGenius did not appear in any of the five 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | PenFed Credit Union | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Caribou | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Navy Federal Credit Union | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | myAutoloan | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Autopay | 5th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Gravity Lending | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | RateGenius | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | iLending | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about auto refinance companies - Asked ChatGPT "Where's the best place to refinance my car loan?": 1. PenFed Credit Union, 2. Caribou, 3. myAutoloan - Asked ChatGPT "Which companies offer the lowest auto refinance rates?": 1. Navy Federal Credit Union, 2. PenFed Credit Union, 3. Gravity Lending, 4. myAutoloan, 5. Caribou - Asked ChatGPT "Is it worth refinancing my car, and who should I use?": 1. PenFed Credit Union, 2. Caribou, 3. myAutoloan - Searched Google, AI Overview "auto refinance": 1. PenFed Credit Union - Searched Google, AI Overview "best auto refinance": 1. Autopay, 2. PenFed Credit Union, 3. Navy Federal Credit Union, 4. Gravity Lending Not named in any answer: RateGenius and iLending. 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 auto refinance companies in October 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for RateGenius in the United States fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 4.4K to 3.6K in October 2026. ## How has branded search for PenFed Credit Union and RateGenius changed in the United States over the last 12 months? | Month | PenFed Credit Union estimated searches | PenFed Credit Union Share of Search | PenFed Credit Union rank | RateGenius estimated searches | RateGenius Share of Search | RateGenius rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 1K | 3.7% | 7 | 4.4K | 16.2% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 1.9K | 5.8% | 7 | 5.4K | 16.6% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 2.4K | 6.3% | 7 | 6.6K | 17.2% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 1.6K | 4.5% | 7 | 6.6K | 18.6% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 1.9K | 4.5% | 7 | 6.6K | 15.8% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 9.9K | 22.1% | 2 | 5.4K | 12.1% | 5 | | May 2026 | 12.1K | 26.4% | 1 | 5.4K | 11.8% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 2.4K | 6.8% | 7 | 4.4K | 12.5% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | 1K | 2.8% | 8 | 4.4K | 12.2% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | 1K | 3.2% | 8 | 4.4K | 14.1% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 1K | 3% | 8 | 3.6K | 10.8% | 5 | | Oct 2026 | 1K | 3% | 8 | 3.6K | 10.9% | 5 | ## How are PenFed Credit Union’s and RateGenius’ branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using PenFed Credit Union’s and RateGenius’ 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. - **PenFed Credit Union**: Measured on the search term “penfed auto refinance”. - **RateGenius**: Measured on the search term “rategenius”. - [PenFed Credit Union profile](/demand/us/brands/penfed) - [RateGenius profile](/demand/us/brands/rategenius) - [All auto refinance companies in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-auto-refinance-companies): 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 PenFed Credit Union or RateGenius more popular in search? In October 2026, RateGenius had more branded searches than PenFed Credit Union among auto refinance companies in the United States. RateGenius had about 3,600 branded searches, while PenFed Credit Union had 1,000. RateGenius made up 10.9% of all auto refinance company searches we track, and PenFed Credit Union accounted for 3%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "PenFed Credit Union vs RateGenius: Which is more popular in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/penfed-vs-rategenius This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/penfed-vs-rategenius. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.