Brandwave

McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's:Which are most popular?

In September 2026, McDonald's drew 60% of estimated branded searches across these three brands in the United States, ahead of Burger King at 21.9%. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's were mentioned most often, in two of the four answers. Of all ten brands we track in burger chains, Wendy's was the sixth most recommended, McDonald's was eighth and Burger King was ninth.

All three are burger chains in the United States. See all burger chains

Brands in this comparisonAny 10 or fewer published brands in the United States
  • McDonald's
  • Burger King
  • Wendy's

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McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's were mentioned most often, in two of the four answers. Of all ten brands we track in burger chains, Wendy's was the sixth most recommended, McDonald's was eighth and Burger King was ninth.

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
  • Burger King2 of 4Named in 2 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
  • 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.

How these brands compare month by month

Share of Search here is each brand's branded searches divided by the total for the brands in this comparison. Add or remove a brand and every share is worked out again.

  • McDonald's
  • Burger King
  • Wendy's
McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthMcDonald'sBurger KingWendy's
Oct 202567.1%16.5%16.5%
Nov 202562.4%18.8%18.8%
Dec 202564.8%19.3%15.9%
Jan 202667%16.5%16.5%
Feb 202667%16.5%16.5%
Mar 202660%21.9%18%
Apr 202662.4%18.8%18.8%
May 202662.4%18.8%18.8%
Jun 202662.4%18.8%18.8%
Jul 202667.1%16.5%16.5%
Aug 202667.1%16.5%16.5%
Sep 202660%21.9%18%

  1. 1.McDonald's

    60%

    Held 1st. 30.4M estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -7 points.

  2. 2.Burger King

    21.9%

    Held 2nd. 11.1M estimated branded searches, +21.4% vs prior month. Share +5.4 points.

  3. 3.Wendy's

    18%

    Held 3rd. 9.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.6 points.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured