--- title: "Apple AirPods vs Beats: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Apple AirPods or Beats more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Wireless headphones 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/wireless-headphones-brands/compare/airpods-vs-beats" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Apple AirPods vs Beats: Which is searched more? Is Apple AirPods or Beats more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Wireless headphones 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 Beats - **Competitive set**: Wireless headphones brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Apple AirPods Share of Search**: 59.8% - **Beats Share of Search**: 6% ## Is Apple AirPods or Beats more popular in search? - In September 2026, Apple AirPods had more branded searches than Beats among wireless headphones brands worldwide. Apple AirPods had about 14.9 million branded searches, while Beats had 1.5 million. Apple AirPods made up 59.8% of all wireless headphones brand searches we track, and Beats accounted for 6%. - Apple AirPods was ahead of Beats in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple AirPods’ share of searches among wireless headphones brands worldwide moved from 64.9% to 59.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 16.6M to 14.9M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Beats’ share of searches among wireless headphones brands worldwide moved from 5.9% to 6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.5M. ## Top wireless headphones brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Apple AirPods was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Beats was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Apple AirPods was listed before Beats in two out of three answers that named either. 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 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Bose | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Sennheiser | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Soundcore | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Apple AirPods | 5th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | JBL | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Samsung | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Beats | 8th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Skullcandy | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Mpow | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about wireless headphones brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which wireless headphones brand should I buy?": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. Sennheiser, 4. Soundcore, 5. Samsung, 6. Apple AirPods - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best wireless headphones brands?": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. Sennheiser, 4. JBL, 5. Soundcore, 6. Beats, 7. Apple AirPods - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best wireless headphones brand for everyday listening?": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. Apple AirPods, 4. Sennheiser, 5. Soundcore - Searched Google, AI Overview "best wireless headphones": 1. Bose, 2. Sony, 3. Soundcore - Searched Google, AI Overview "noise cancelling headphones": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. Soundcore Not named in any answer: Skullcandy and Mpow. 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 wireless headphones brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Apple AirPods gained share of searches among wireless headphones brands worldwide, from 55.4% to 59.8%. - In September 2026, Beats gained share of searches among wireless headphones brands worldwide, from 5.4% to 6%. ## Month by month | Month | Apple AirPods estimated searches | Apple AirPods Share of Search | Apple AirPods rank | Beats estimated searches | Beats Share of Search | Beats rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 16.6M | 64.9% | 1 | 1.5M | 5.9% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | 21M | 63.8% | 1 | 1.8M | 5.6% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 21M | 63.3% | 1 | 1.8M | 5.5% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 14.4M | 58.6% | 1 | 1.5M | 6.1% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 11.1M | 57.9% | 1 | 1.2M | 6.4% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | 12.9M | 60.7% | 1 | 1.2M | 5.7% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | 11.1M | 54.2% | 1 | 1.2M | 6% | 4 | | May 2026 | 11.1M | 54.8% | 1 | 1.2M | 6% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 11.5M | 55.7% | 1 | 1.2M | 5.9% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | 11.5M | 54.6% | 1 | 1.2M | 5.8% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | 12.6M | 55.4% | 1 | 1.2M | 5.4% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | 14.9M | 59.8% | 1 | 1.5M | 6% | 4 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apple AirPods’ and Beats’ 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. - **Beats**: Measured on the search term “beats”. - [Apple AirPods profile](/demand/global-en/brands/airpods) - [Beats profile](/demand/global-en/brands/beats) - [All wireless headphones brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/wireless-headphones-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 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 Beats more popular in search? In September 2026, Apple AirPods had more branded searches than Beats among wireless headphones brands worldwide. Apple AirPods had about 14.9 million branded searches, while Beats had 1.5 million. Apple AirPods made up 59.8% of all wireless headphones brand searches we track, and Beats accounted for 6%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Apple AirPods vs Beats: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/wireless-headphones-brands/compare/airpods-vs-beats This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/wireless-headphones-brands/compare/airpods-vs-beats. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.