--- title: "Apple AirPods vs JBL: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Apple AirPods or JBL more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Earphones brands set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/earphones-brands/compare/airpods-vs-jbl" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Apple AirPods vs JBL: Which is searched more? Is Apple AirPods or JBL more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Earphones brands set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Apple AirPods and JBL - **Competitive set**: Earphones brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Apple AirPods Share of Search**: 64.8% - **JBL Share of Search**: 16.1% ## Is Apple AirPods or JBL more popular in search? - In September 2026, Apple AirPods had more branded searches than JBL among earphones brands worldwide. Apple AirPods had about 14.9 million branded searches, while JBL had 3.7 million. Apple AirPods made up 64.8% of all earphones brand searches we track, and JBL accounted for 16.1%. - Apple AirPods was ahead of JBL in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple AirPods’ share of searches among earphones brands worldwide moved from 70.3% to 64.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 16.6M to 14.9M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, JBL’s share of searches among earphones brands worldwide moved from 14.3% to 16.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.4M to 3.7M. ## Top earphones brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Apple AirPods was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. JBL was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Apple AirPods and JBL were each listed first in two of the four answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sony | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Samsung | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Apple AirPods | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Bose | 4th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Soundcore | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | JBL | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | AKG | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Marshall | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about earphones brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which earphones brand should I buy?": 1. Sony, 2. Samsung, 3. JBL, 4. Apple AirPods - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best earphones brands?": 1. Sony, 2. Samsung, 3. Bose, 4. JBL, 5. Soundcore, 6. Apple AirPods - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best earphones brand for everyday listening?": 1. Sony, 2. Samsung, 3. Soundcore, 4. Apple AirPods - Searched Google, AI Overview "best earphones": 1. Samsung, 2. Sony, 3. Apple AirPods, 4. Bose, 5. Soundcore - Searched Google, AI Overview "wired earphones": 1. Bose Not named in any answer: AKG and Marshall. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 19, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for earphones brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Apple AirPods gained share of searches among earphones brands worldwide, from 59.8% to 64.8%. - In September 2026, JBL lost share of searches among earphones brands worldwide, from 19% to 16.1%. ## Month by month | Month | Apple AirPods estimated searches | Apple AirPods Share of Search | Apple AirPods rank | JBL estimated searches | JBL Share of Search | JBL rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 16.6M | 70.3% | 1 | 3.4M | 14.3% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 21M | 68.8% | 1 | 4.9M | 16.1% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 21M | 68.2% | 1 | 5.1M | 16.6% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 14.4M | 63.6% | 1 | 4M | 17.7% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 11.1M | 63% | 1 | 2.9M | 16.4% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 12.9M | 65.8% | 1 | 3M | 15.4% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 11.1M | 58.7% | 1 | 4.2M | 22.2% | 2 | | May 2026 | 11.1M | 59.4% | 1 | 3.8M | 20.3% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 11.5M | 60.3% | 1 | 3.8M | 19.9% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 11.5M | 59% | 1 | 3.8M | 19.5% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 12.6M | 59.8% | 1 | 4M | 19% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 14.9M | 64.8% | 1 | 3.7M | 16.1% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apple AirPods’ and JBL’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. - **Apple AirPods**: Measured on the search terms “airpods”, “airpods 4”, “airpods pro” and “airpods pro 3”, summed into one figure. - **JBL**: Measured on the search terms “jbl”, “jbl charge 6” and “jbl speaker”, summed into one figure. - [Apple AirPods profile](/demand/global-en/brands/airpods) - [JBL profile](/demand/global-en/brands/jbl) - [All earphones brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/earphones-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Apple AirPods or JBL more popular in search? In September 2026, Apple AirPods had more branded searches than JBL among earphones brands worldwide. Apple AirPods had about 14.9 million branded searches, while JBL had 3.7 million. Apple AirPods made up 64.8% of all earphones brand searches we track, and JBL accounted for 16.1%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Apple AirPods vs JBL: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/earphones-brands/compare/airpods-vs-jbl This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/earphones-brands/compare/airpods-vs-jbl. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.