TikTok Search Keeps Climbing - 2026 Study Reveals Google's Surprising New Rival

Executive Snapshot: Gen Z preference for TikTok over Google in search

• 49% of U.S. consumers say they have used TikTok as a search engine, up from 41% in 2024 (+8 percentage points). [S1][S2]
• Among Gen Z, the share who say they are more likely to rely on TikTok than Google dropped from 8% (2024) to 4% (2026) - a 50% relative decline. [S1][S2]
• 14% of all consumers say they are more likely to rely on ChatGPT than Google, versus 7% who say the same about TikTok. [S1]
• Google remains the most helpful platform for search at 85%, with Reddit (29%), ChatGPT (26%), YouTube (24%), and TikTok (16%) trailing. [S1]
• 58% of surveyed business owners use TikTok for promotions, but only 38% plan to increase TikTok affiliate investment, down from 53% in 2024, while influencer usage rose from 25% to 38%. [S1][S2]

Implication for marketers: TikTok deserves a defined search and content role, especially for younger users, but Google and emerging AI search tools (notably ChatGPT) still anchor discovery and intent capture.

Method & source notes on TikTok, Google, and ChatGPT search behavior

Adobe Express commissioned SurveyMonkey to poll 1,007 U.S. respondents for its 2026 report (updated report from Adobe Express): 807 consumers and 200 small business owners. Data was collected in January 2026, with fieldwork reported in February 2026. [S1] The study focuses on how people use TikTok, Google, and other platforms for search-like tasks, plus how small businesses invest in TikTok for marketing and search optimization. Adobe compares these findings against its 2024 survey using similar questions. [S1][S2]

The 2026 sample skews millennial: 53% of consumers are millennials, 15% are Gen Z; the remainder are Gen X and baby boomers. [S1] No margin of error, weighting scheme, or detailed sampling frame is published in the summary article, which limits statistical precision and generalizability beyond directional trends.

The Axios figure cited - 46% of 18-24-year-olds using Google as their primary search starting point - comes from a 2024 Axios report on Gen Z search behavior. [S3] Global market share context for Google is drawn from StatCounter's 2024 metrics, which show Google maintaining over 90% global search engine share on web search. [S4]

All year-over-year comparisons in this report rely on Adobe's own 2024 and 2026 surveys and may be affected by shifts in sampling or questionnaire wording. [S1][S2]

Findings on TikTok, Google, and ChatGPT as search engines

Adobe's 2026 data illustrate three parallel dynamics: broader consumer adoption of TikTok for search-like behavior, Gen Z's reduced willingness to prioritize TikTok over Google, and rising stated reliance on ChatGPT as a Google alternative. [S1] These patterns sit against a backdrop in which Google still dominates both self-reported "most helpful" status and measured search engine market share. [S1][S4]

While almost half of surveyed U.S. consumers have used TikTok as a search engine at least once, TikTok is not the primary starting point for most users. [S1] Instead, consumers report a mix of Google, social and video platforms, community sites, and AI tools for information queries. Within this mix, TikTok's role is growing in usage frequency but remains limited in terms of overall preference or trust compared with Google and even emerging AI chat tools. [S1]

Consumer search behavior across TikTok, Google, Reddit, YouTube, and ChatGPT

Adobe asked respondents which platforms they find "most helpful" for search. Google leads strongly at 85% of consumers, reinforcing its central role in general information discovery. [S1] Secondary platforms form a long tail: Reddit at 29%, ChatGPT at 26%, YouTube at 24%, and TikTok at 16%. [S1] This distribution indicates that while social and community platforms are meaningful complements, they are not yet close substitutes for Google in perceived utility.

Usage of TikTok for search-like behavior is substantial: 49% of consumers say they have used TikTok as a search engine, an 8-point increase from 41% in Adobe's 2024 survey. [S1][S2] However, only 7% of all consumers report being more likely to rely on TikTok than on Google for search. [S1] In contrast, 14% say they are more likely to rely on ChatGPT than on Google - double TikTok's figure. [S1]

ChatGPT's advantage over TikTok in this specific "more likely than Google" framing is consistent across age groups: 12% of Gen Z, 15% of millennials, 15% of Gen X, and 14% of baby boomers say they are more likely to rely on ChatGPT than Google. [S1] TikTok's numbers are uniformly lower, and almost negligible among baby boomers at 2%. [S1]

Gen Z and generational differences in search preferences

Among Gen Z consumers in the Adobe sample, 65% report using TikTok as a search engine, indicating that search-like usage is highest in younger cohorts. [S1] However, this does not translate into a strong shift away from Google. Only 4% of Gen Z say they are more likely to rely on TikTok than Google, down from 8% in Adobe's 2024 data - a 50% relative drop in TikTok-over-Google preference in two years. [S1][S2]

A quarter of Gen Z respondents (25%) say TikTok is effective for finding information, which shows that a meaningful minority see it as a useful search tool but not necessarily a primary search engine. [S1] Millennials are more likely than Gen Z to say they rely on TikTok over Google (8% vs 4%), suggesting TikTok's role as a Google substitute is not concentrated solely in the youngest group. [S1]

Axios' 2024 reporting provides an external check: 46% of 18-24-year-olds say they start online searches with Google, confirming that Google still functions as Gen Z's leading search entry point. [S3] Combined with Adobe's data, this points to Gen Z layering TikTok on top of Google rather than replacing Google.

Small business investment in TikTok search and influencer marketing

Of the 200 U.S. small business owners surveyed, 58% say they have used TikTok for promotions. [S1] On average, they allocate 16% of their marketing budget to TikTok content creation and 15% of their SEO budget specifically to TikTok search optimization. [S1] This indicates that a defined share of SEO and content spend is being redirected to TikTok's internal search and discovery systems.

Planned investment growth in TikTok affiliate marketing is moderating. Only 38% of business respondents plan to increase TikTok affiliate investment, compared with 53% in Adobe's 2024 report. [S1][S2] That suggests cooling enthusiasm for affiliate-driven sales on the platform.

At the same time, 38% of small business owners say they use TikTok influencers for product sales or promotions, up from 25% in 2024. [S1][S2] This signals a shift toward influencer partnerships rather than purely brand-owned content or affiliate structures. The leading challenge businesses report is converting TikTok engagement into sales (38%), followed by growing followers and engagement rates (36%). [S1] Businesses appear to be active on TikTok but are encountering friction moving users from views and likes to measurable revenue.

Interpretation & implications for search and social strategy

Likely: Google remains the central "anchor" of consumer search behavior, while TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, and ChatGPT function as complementary layers for specific tasks or formats. With 85% of consumers rating Google as most helpful for search and over 90% global search share on web according to StatCounter, displacing Google as the main discovery engine is unlikely in the near term. [S1][S4] For marketers, this supports continued priority on Google Search and YouTube SEO, using TikTok and Reddit search optimization as additive channels rather than replacements.

Likely: TikTok's high search usage among Gen Z (65%) makes it an important surface for category discovery, reviews, and trend-driven queries, but its declining TikTok-over-Google preference (8% to 4%) suggests that Gen Z is not abandoning Google. [S1][S2] Strategy should treat TikTok as a discovery and consideration engine: short-form content that answers specific queries (how-tos, product comparisons, local recommendations) can support awareness and mid-funnel intent, while Google properties handle broader search demand and high-intent queries.

Likely: ChatGPT is emerging as a more serious Google alternative signal than TikTok. Twice as many consumers say they are more likely to rely on ChatGPT than Google (14%) compared with TikTok (7%), and this pattern is relatively stable across age groups. [S1] Marketers should expect part of search-like behavior - especially for complex or exploratory questions - to migrate to AI chat tools and AI-infused search results. Content that is structured, accurate, and easy for models to parse (clear headings, concise explanations, up-to-date facts) is more likely to be surfaced or summarized by AI tools.

Tentative: The cooling intent to increase TikTok affiliate investment (from 53% to 38%) alongside rising influencer usage (25% to 38%) implies that small businesses may see better returns from creator-driven awareness and social proof than from pure affiliate mechanics on TikTok. [S1][S2] Businesses may benefit from testing hybrid models: creator-produced tutorials or reviews linked to trackable landing pages, supported by search-optimized captions and hashtags inside TikTok.

Tentative: The reported difficulty converting TikTok engagement into sales (38% citing this as the top challenge) suggests that TikTok's algorithmic feed is strong for reach but weaker for predictable intent capture compared with search engines. [S1] To improve conversion, marketers can focus on clearer calls to action in video, consistent links in bios and TikTok Shops where relevant, and alignment between TikTok creative and landing page experience so users recognize the offer and brand when they click through.

Speculative: If ChatGPT and similar tools keep gaining as alternative starting points, classic SERP-only measurement may undercount how people discover brands. Over time, investment in structured data, factual authority (for example, third-party mentions and reviews), and clear explanations on owned properties may matter as much for AI-driven answer systems as for traditional organic rankings.

Contradictions and data gaps in TikTok vs Google search research

Adobe's data show high TikTok search usage but weak and declining TikTok-over-Google preference among Gen Z, while media narratives have often emphasized TikTok replacing Google for younger users. [S1][S2] The Axios figure that 46% of 18-24-year-olds still start searches at Google supports Adobe's picture of multi-platform usage rather than outright replacement. [S3] However, both Adobe and Axios rely on self-reported behavior, which can differ from observed behavior in logs.

The 2026 Adobe survey does not publish a margin of error, sampling approach, or detailed question wording in the summary. [S1] Without this, it is hard to judge statistical significance of shifts such as Gen Z's TikTok-over-Google preference halving from 8% to 4%. The sample is also millennial-heavy and only 15% Gen Z, which reduces confidence in fine-grained generational splits. [S1]

The data also do not break down TikTok search use by category (for example, local, shopping, how-to, entertainment), so businesses lack clarity on where TikTok search is strongest. There is no publisher-side measurement linking TikTok search queries to downstream site or sales metrics in this dataset. Finally, ChatGPT's 14% "more likely than Google" figure is striking but not tied to actual usage frequency or query types, leaving open how often and for what tasks people replace classic search with AI chat in practice. [S1]

Data appendix and key figures

Source map

• [S1] Adobe Express - "Using TikTok as a Search Engine," U.S. survey via SurveyMonkey, data collected January 2026; 807 consumers, 200 small business owners.
• [S2] Adobe Express - 2024 TikTok search report, U.S. survey; used as comparison baseline in [S1].
• [S3] Axios - 2024 report on Gen Z search preferences; 46% of 18-24-year-olds start searches with Google.
• [S4] StatCounter GlobalStats - Global search engine market share, 2024; Google maintains over 90% share of web search.

Selected consumer metrics (Adobe Express 2026 vs 2024)

Consumers who have used TikTok as a search engine:

• 2026: 49% [S1]
• 2024: 41% [S2]

Gen Z more likely to rely on TikTok than Google:

• 2026: 4% [S1]
• 2024: 8% [S2]

Platforms rated "most helpful" for search (2026, all consumers): [S1]

• Google: 85%
• Reddit: 29%
• ChatGPT: 26%
• YouTube: 24%
• TikTok: 16%

"More likely to rely on X than on Google" (2026, all consumers): [S1]

• ChatGPT: 14%
• TikTok: 7%

Selected business metrics (Adobe Express 2026 vs 2024)

• Businesses that have used TikTok for promotions: 58% [S1]
• Average share of marketing budget to TikTok content: 16% [S1]
• Average share of SEO budget to TikTok search optimization: 15% [S1]

Plan to increase TikTok affiliate marketing investment:

• 2026: 38% [S1]
• 2024: 53% [S2]

Use TikTok influencers for product sales or promotions:

• 2026: 38% [S1]
• 2024: 25% [S2]

Top reported TikTok marketing challenges (2026, business owners): [S1]

• Converting TikTok engagement into sales: 38%
• Growing followers and engagement rates: 36%