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These Are the Top Brands of 2026, Says YouGov
From tech platforms to candy companies, here’s how some of the highest-ranking brands earned their spot on the list.
Market researcher YouGov has ranked the top brands of 2026 in the U.S. and worldwide, based on each brand’s score via the YouGov Brand Index.
New York—Market research and analytics company YouGov has unveiled its list of the top brands of 2026, ranking the strongest brands in the United States and worldwide.
The “Best Brand Rankings 2026” lists the top 50 brands globally and also shares the top 10 brands in key markets, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Australia.
On a webinar Thursday, YouGov executives delved into the list and highlighted how a few of the top brands earned their spots.
Value and trust are especially important to brand health in the U.S., said Brandy Hecke, senior enterprise account director at YouGov.
In the U.S., the top 10 brands are:
1. Amazon
2. Band-Aid
3. Dawn
4. Dove
5. Samsung
6. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
7. M&M’s
8. Amazon Prime
9. YouTube
10. Tylenol
Every brand in the top 10, except Tylenol, was also in the top 10 last year.
In 2025, Amazon was still in the No.1 spot, followed by Dawn, Band-Aid, Samsung, and Dove.
“What stands out in this year’s global and U.S. rankings is the consistency of the brands at the top,” said Ray Martin, CEO at YouGov America, in a statement.
“In both the U.S. and globally, the strongest performers are brands that have become part of everyday life, consistently meeting consumer expectations around quality, value, and experience in ways people recognize and reward over time.”
Amazon has maintained its hold on U.S. shoppers.
“Consumers consistently describe Amazon as fast, easy, and incredibly comprehensive, essentially setting the standard for modern-day shopping,” said Ryan Gross, senior vice president of data products and client services at YouGov.
“People still strongly associate Amazon with affordability, discounts, and flexible payment options, which reinforces its everyday relevance.”
Despite taking the top spot, consumers did mention concerns about ethics, product quality, and authenticity.
The “Best Brand Rankings 2026” lists the top 50 brands globally and also shares the top 10 brands in key markets, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Australia.
On a webinar Thursday, YouGov executives delved into the list and highlighted how a few of the top brands earned their spots.
Value and trust are especially important to brand health in the U.S., said Brandy Hecke, senior enterprise account director at YouGov.
In the U.S., the top 10 brands are:
1. Amazon
2. Band-Aid
3. Dawn
4. Dove
5. Samsung
6. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
7. M&M’s
8. Amazon Prime
9. YouTube
10. Tylenol
Every brand in the top 10, except Tylenol, was also in the top 10 last year.
In 2025, Amazon was still in the No.1 spot, followed by Dawn, Band-Aid, Samsung, and Dove.
“What stands out in this year’s global and U.S. rankings is the consistency of the brands at the top,” said Ray Martin, CEO at YouGov America, in a statement.
“In both the U.S. and globally, the strongest performers are brands that have become part of everyday life, consistently meeting consumer expectations around quality, value, and experience in ways people recognize and reward over time.”
Amazon has maintained its hold on U.S. shoppers.
“Consumers consistently describe Amazon as fast, easy, and incredibly comprehensive, essentially setting the standard for modern-day shopping,” said Ryan Gross, senior vice president of data products and client services at YouGov.
“People still strongly associate Amazon with affordability, discounts, and flexible payment options, which reinforces its everyday relevance.”
Despite taking the top spot, consumers did mention concerns about ethics, product quality, and authenticity.
“The top 10 reminds us that strong brand health does not come from doing more. It comes from doing the right things repeatedly in a way that genuinely fits into people’s lives.”-Brandy Hecke, YouGov
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a pediatric research and treatment hospital specializing in childhood cancers and other life-threatening illnesses, is an outlier compared to the other tech and consumer product brands in the top 10.
The hospital accepts donations to offer cost-free care to children and families in need. It ranks highly in the advocacy and giving sector, noted Gross.
YouGov tailors its questions to consumers using “sector-specific” wording so that “value” in this case is relevant to a charity.
“We actually ask about value by asking whether the consumer feels those organizations provide good value in return for the time invested or money spent by their supporters,” said Gross.
Looking at the overall top 10 list in the U.S., the brands that performed well combine scale with everyday relevance, said YouGov, and scored well on quality and recommendations.
The top 10 brands globally also featured tech platforms and household names, including athletic brands.
The top 10 brands globally are:
1. WhatsApp
2. Samsung
3. YouTube
4. Google
5. Adidas
6. Nike
7. Netflix
8. Dettol
9. Colgate
10. Toyota
Every brand in the top 10, except Dettol, was also in the top 10 last year.
In 2025, the top five were Samsung, YouTube, WhatsApp, Google, and Adidas.
“The strongest brands today aren’t necessarily the loudest. They are the most embedded. Many of these brands are at the top because they sit naturally in everyday routines,” said Hecke.
“Second, habit beats hype. Platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp perform well not because they’re constantly persuading you but because people return to them instinctively.”
Lastly, trust in a brand still matters, she said, noting that brands like Samsung and Toyota build trust through consistency and delivery. as well as usefulness and simplicity.
The survey also lists the most-improved brands based on year-over-year scores.
The most improved brands in the U.S. are:
1. Cheerios
2. Reese’s
3. Skechers
4. General Mills
5. Lindt
6. Jersey Mike’s
7. Band-Aid
8. Johnson & Johnson
9. Dunkin’
10. Tyson
Cheerios increased its visibility in the U.S. with a major campaign promoting its new higher protein cereal, said Gross.
It also brought back a limited-edition frosted lemon Cheerios flavor last summer. The “fan favorite” generated buzz and consumer engagement that kept the momentum rolling, said Gross.
“Ongoing product innovation and portfolio updates keep a brand like Cheerios relevant while evolving consumer tastes change,” he said.
“The strongest brands today aren’t necessarily the loudest. They are the most embedded." -Brandy Hecke, YouGov
Hecke noted two brands that capitalized on major cultural moments, like the Super Bowl.
Skechers aired a campaign before and during the Super Bowl with appearances from Martha Stewart, Andy Reid, and others.
Reese’s leaned into its “fun and relatable identity” with its “Don’t Eat Lava” commercial.
To rank these brands, the list analyzed 6 million consumer surveys in 28 markets over the last 12 months.
It scored the brands on the YouGov Brand Index based on six metrics, including impression, quality, value, customer satisfaction, corporate reputation, and recommendations.
If a brand’s absence from the top 10 list is a surprise, it may be because they had a low score in one of those categories, YouGov explained.
A well-known brand with expensive products might have a low value score, for example.
“The top 10 reminds us that strong brand health does not come from doing more. It comes from doing the right things repeatedly in a way that genuinely fits into people’s lives,” said Hecke.
The full list is available to download here.
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