Rival
20262025

Rival 50

Overall leaderboard (2026)

iMeet the top 20

50 brands

Ranks 1–50 are the Rival 50, and ranks 51–191 completed full human scoring. From 192 onwards, brands are ranked by their Rival Intelligence screening scores alone.

The Rival 50 2026: rank, brand, industry, archetype and scores. Column headers sort the table.
2025
1 HOKAScience as the whole argument Footwear Science as the whole argument 4.00 4.00 4.24 4.50 4.06
2 Owala2025: #5Import an alien aesthetic into the category Home, Furniture & Garden Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.00 4.00 4.20 4.40 4.02 2025: #5
3 Liquid Death2025: #3Turn buyers into a tribe Food & Drink Turn buyers into a tribe 5.00 4.33 4.30 4.07 3.98 2025: #3
4 Dr. Bronner'sMake the mission the product Beauty & Personal Care Make the mission the product 5.00 4.00 3.82 4.20 3.97
5 Who Gives A CrapMake the mission the product Home, Furniture & Garden Make the mission the product 4.33 4.00 3.93 4.30 3.97
6 Fenty Beauty2025: #30Open the door to the locked out Beauty & Personal Care Open the door to the locked out 4.33 4.00 4.19 4.20 3.94 2025: #30
7 SidemenTurn buyers into a tribe Media, Publishing & Entertainment Turn buyers into a tribe 5.00 5.00 3.98 3.90 3.93
8 Slate AutoStrip it back to one thing Mobility & Automotive Strip it back to one thing 4.67 3.67 3.85 4.20 3.91
9 Tony's Chocolonely2025: #47Make the mission the product Food & Drink Make the mission the product 5.00 4.67 3.47 4.00 3.90 2025: #47
10 Crocs2025: #6Say the thing nobody says out loud Footwear Say the thing nobody says out loud 4.00 4.00 4.65 4.10 3.90 2025: #6
11 MINISOCut out the gatekeeper Retail & Marketplaces Cut out the gatekeeper 4.00 4.00 4.42 4.10 3.88
12 VacationImport an alien aesthetic into the category Beauty & Personal Care Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.67 4.00 3.72 4.10 3.88
13 DuolingoSay the thing nobody says out loud Education & Careers Say the thing nobody says out loud 5.00 5.00 4.26 3.70 3.85
14 VollebakStrip it back to one thing Fashion & Apparel Strip it back to one thing 5.00 4.33 3.14 4.00 3.84
15 LomographyTurn buyers into a tribe Consumer Electronics & Hardware Turn buyers into a tribe 5.00 4.00 3.78 3.90 3.82
16 Graza2025: #27Import an alien aesthetic into the category Food & Drink Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.33 4.33 3.62 4.00 3.82 2025: #27
17 GoodlesRewrite the category's money rules Food & Drink Rewrite the category's money rules 4.33 4.00 4.36 3.80 3.76
18 Bandit Running2025: #36Turn buyers into a tribe Sports, Fitness & Outdoor Turn buyers into a tribe 5.00 5.00 3.71 3.60 3.75 2025: #36
19 FeeldOpen the door to the locked out Media, Publishing & Entertainment Open the door to the locked out 4.67 4.67 4.52 3.50 3.72
20 Cactus Plant Flea MarketTurn buyers into a tribe Fashion & Apparel Turn buyers into a tribe 5.00 4.33 2.94 3.80 3.72
21 PlaydateTurn buyers into a tribe Consumer Electronics & Hardware Turn buyers into a tribe 5.00 4.00 3.30 3.80 3.72
22 KnixSay the thing nobody says out loud Fashion & Apparel Say the thing nobody says out loud 4.33 4.00 4.12 3.70 3.69
23 Buldak2025: #1Say the thing nobody says out loud Food & Drink Say the thing nobody says out loud 5.00 5.00 4.39 3.30 3.67 2025: #1
24 DropoutCut out the gatekeeper Media, Publishing & Entertainment Cut out the gatekeeper 5.00 4.00 3.64 3.60 3.66
25 TelfarOpen the door to the locked out Fashion & Apparel Open the door to the locked out 5.00 5.00 4.05 3.30 3.63
26 Wispr FlowStrip it back to one thing Software & AI (business) Strip it back to one thing 4.67 4.67 4.65 3.30 3.63
27 Light Phone2025: #11Strip it back to one thing Consumer Electronics & Hardware Strip it back to one thing 4.00 4.00 4.35 3.60 3.63 2025: #11
28 FigmaTurn buyers into a tribe Software & AI (business) Turn buyers into a tribe 4.67 4.00 3.96 3.50 3.60
29 Chase BlissImport an alien aesthetic into the category Consumer Electronics & Hardware Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.33 4.00 3.80 3.60 3.60
30 HobonichiTurn buyers into a tribe Media, Publishing & Entertainment Turn buyers into a tribe 4.00 4.33 4.14 3.50 3.59
31 Back MarketMake the mission the product Consumer Electronics & Hardware Make the mission the product 4.00 4.00 4.33 3.50 3.58
32 Butternut BoxPut a personality where the category has none Pets Put a personality where the category has none 4.33 4.00 3.99 3.50 3.58
33 PolymarketOpen the books Financial Services & Fintech Open the books 4.00 4.00 4.32 3.50 3.58
34 Loop EarplugsImport an alien aesthetic into the category Consumer Electronics & Hardware Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.67 4.00 4.08 3.40 3.56
35 New Balance2025: #12Say the thing nobody says out loud Fashion & Apparel Say the thing nobody says out loud 4.00 4.00 4.14 3.50 3.56 2025: #12
36 INEOS GrenadierMine heritage and make it new Mobility & Automotive Mine heritage and make it new 4.67 4.00 3.84 3.40 3.54
37 JarritosMine heritage and make it new Food & Drink Mine heritage and make it new 4.00 4.00 4.41 3.40 3.54
38 Numero GroupMine heritage and make it new Media, Publishing & Entertainment Mine heritage and make it new 5.00 4.00 3.45 3.40 3.54
39 CotopaxiImport an alien aesthetic into the category Sports, Fitness & Outdoor Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.00 4.00 4.38 3.40 3.53
40 Super73Import an alien aesthetic into the category Mobility & Automotive Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.33 4.00 4.02 3.40 3.53
41 StasherImport an alien aesthetic into the category Home, Furniture & Garden Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.33 4.00 3.98 3.40 3.52
42 FairphoneMake the mission the product Consumer Electronics & Hardware Make the mission the product 4.00 4.00 4.32 3.40 3.52
43 DazedImport an alien aesthetic into the category Media, Publishing & Entertainment Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.67 4.33 3.74 3.30 3.51
44 The Farmer's DogMine heritage and make it new Pets Mine heritage and make it new 4.00 4.00 4.22 3.40 3.51
45 Salomon2025: #18Import an alien aesthetic into the category Sports, Fitness & Outdoor Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.00 4.00 4.15 3.40 3.51 2025: #18
46 Buc-ee'sImport an alien aesthetic into the category Retail & Marketplaces Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.00 4.00 4.58 3.30 3.50
47 MullvadMake the mission the product Telecoms & Connectivity Make the mission the product 4.33 4.00 4.27 3.30 3.50
48 Ninja CreamiTurn buyers into a tribe Consumer Electronics & Hardware Turn buyers into a tribe 4.00 4.00 4.56 3.30 3.50
49 Dr. SquatchImport an alien aesthetic into the category Beauty & Personal Care Import an alien aesthetic into the category 4.33 4.00 3.78 3.40 3.50
50 MSCHFSay the thing nobody says out loud Other Say the thing nobody says out loud 5.00 4.33 3.15 3.30 3.49
Download the Rival 50 report now

Meet the top 20

1. HOKA

In 2009, the running industry stripped shoes back to almost nothing. HOKA built the biggest midsole anyone had ever seen. It won the argument so completely that everyone now makes shoes that look like HOKA’s, and that’s the problem.

Read the deep diveon HOKA

2. Owala

Last year, Owala showed that a water bottle could become something people collect. This year it climbed to #2, and its strategy has barely changed, which is the point.

Read the deep diveon Owala

3. Liquid Death

Liquid Death’s original bet was that water didn’t have a hydration problem; it had a personality problem.

Read the deep diveon Liquid Death

4. Dr. Bronner's

Dr. Bronner’s walked away from the badge its category hides behind. The question is whether a standard it wrote itself can mean more than the certification it left.

Read the deep diveon Dr. Bronner's

5. Who Gives A Crap

Who Gives A Crap made toilet paper worth talking about by delivering it to the door. In the supermarket, where nobody unboxes anything, the joke has to work on the front of a pack.

Read the deep diveon Who Gives A Crap

6. Fenty Beauty

Fenty Beauty launched in 2017 with a direct challenge to an industry that treated inclusive shade ranges as a specialty offering rather than a basic requirement. Its 40 foundation shades, with the deepest shades front and center, changed what customers expected from every beauty brand.

Read the deep diveon Fenty Beauty

7. Sidemen

Seven friends built a media business from their YouTube channel. In 2026, the best known of them stepped back, and the business now has to prove it can thrive without its full original cast.

Read the deep diveon Sidemen

8. Slate Auto

Every carmaker is racing to add a bigger screen. Slate is betting its whole business on a truck that doesn’t have one.

Read the deep diveon Slate Auto

9. Tony's Chocolonely

Tony’s takes on the chocolate industry with its marketing while helping to fix it through its sourcing program. Doing both at once is its biggest balancing act.

Read the deep diveon Tony's Chocolonely

10. Crocs

Crocs turned a shoe many people once considered impossible to love into a recognition engine.

Read the deep diveon Crocs
MINISO logo

11. MINISO

MINISO became a global retailer by renting the world’s favorite characters. Its future depends on whether shoppers will fall for characters it creates itself.

Read the deep diveon MINISO

12. Vacation

Vacation sells sunscreen as a summer you never had. The test for a brand built on the past is whether it can create something worth remembering.

Read the deep diveon Vacation

16. Graza

Graza put olive oil in a squeeze bottle and made a precious category laugh. In mayonnaise, the squeeze bottle is everyone’s default, so the joke has to work harder.

Read the deep diveon Graza

18. Bandit Running

There isn’t a single picture of a runner on Bandit’s mood board. Its next race is against its own success: taking a community built street by street in New York to cities that didn’t build it.

Read the deep diveon Bandit Running

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Rival Presents the Top 50 Challenger Brands of 2026

Download the Rival 50 report now