Brandwave

Burger King vs McDonald's:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, McDonald's had more branded searches than Burger King among burger chains in the United States. McDonald's had about 30.4 million branded searches, while Burger King had 11.1 million. McDonald's made up 45.6% of all burger chain searches we track, and Burger King accounted for 16.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about burger chains, Burger King and McDonald's each appeared in two of the four answers. Burger King was mentioned before McDonald's in two out of three answers that named either.

Among burger chains in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

McDonald's, about 3 searches for every 1 for Burger King

McDonald's 30.4M searchesBurger King 11.1M searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 2 of 4 answers.

Burger King in 2 of 4McDonald's in 2 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

Burger King, named ahead of McDonald's in 2 of 3 answers

Burger King first in 2McDonald's first in 1

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Top burger chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Burger King and McDonald's were each mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Burger King was listed before McDonald's in two out of three answers that named either.

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 Burger King or McDonald's more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Burger King 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.

Burger King and McDonald's among burger chains in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for McDonald's, Burger King. 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 Burger King 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?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Burger King gained share of searches among burger chains in the United States, from 12.5% to 16.7%.

  2. 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?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Burger King’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.

Burger King

1 branded search term

  • burger king

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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