--- title: "Apple AirPods vs Audio-Technica: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Apple AirPods or Audio-Technica more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Headphone 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/compare/airpods-vs-audio-technica" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Apple AirPods vs Audio-Technica: Which is searched more? Is Apple AirPods or Audio-Technica more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Headphone 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 Audio-Technica - **Competitive set**: Headphone brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Apple AirPods Share of Search**: 68.9% - **Audio-Technica Share of Search**: 0.04% ## Is Apple AirPods or Audio-Technica more popular in search? - In September 2026, Apple AirPods had more branded searches than Audio-Technica among headphone brands worldwide. Apple AirPods had about 14.9 million branded searches, while Audio-Technica had 9,100. Apple AirPods made up 68.9% of all headphone brand searches we track, and Audio-Technica accounted for 0.04%. - Apple AirPods was ahead of Audio-Technica in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple AirPods’ share of searches among headphone brands worldwide moved from 71.1% to 68.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 16.6M to 14.9M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Audio-Technica’s share of searches among headphone brands worldwide held steady at 0.04%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 9.3K to 9.1K. ## Top headphone 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 two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Audio-Technica 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 Audio-Technica in every answer 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 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Soundcore | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Bowers & Wilkins | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Apple AirPods | 6th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Audio-Technica | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | JBL | 8th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Beats | 9th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Beyerdynamic | 10th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Skullcandy | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Samsung | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Marshall | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Jabra | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | BuddyPhones | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about headphone brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which headphone brand should I buy?": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. Sennheiser, 4. Soundcore - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best headphone brands?": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. Sennheiser, 4. Apple AirPods, 5. Audio-Technica, 6. Bowers & Wilkins, 7. Soundcore, 8. JBL, 9. Beats, 10. Beyerdynamic - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best headphone brand for everyday listening?": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. Sennheiser, 4. Soundcore, 5. Apple AirPods - Searched Google, AI Overview "best headphones": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. Bowers & Wilkins, 4. Sennheiser - Searched Google, AI Overview "best earbuds": 1. Bose, 2. Sony, 3. Apple AirPods, 4. Soundcore Not named in any answer: Skullcandy, Samsung, Marshall, Jabra and BuddyPhones. 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 headphone brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Apple AirPods gained share of searches among headphone brands worldwide, from 66.3% to 68.9%. ## Month by month | Month | Apple AirPods estimated searches | Apple AirPods Share of Search | Apple AirPods rank | Audio-Technica estimated searches | Audio-Technica Share of Search | Audio-Technica rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 16.6M | 71.1% | 1 | 9.3K | 0.04% | 14 | | Nov 2025 | 21M | 69.6% | 1 | 10.8K | 0.04% | 14 | | Dec 2025 | 21M | 69.1% | 1 | 9.6K | 0.03% | 14 | | Jan 2026 | 14.4M | 68% | 1 | 9.6K | 0.05% | 14 | | Feb 2026 | 11.1M | 65.5% | 1 | 9.3K | 0.06% | 14 | | Mar 2026 | 12.9M | 67.7% | 1 | 8.8K | 0.05% | 14 | | Apr 2026 | 11.1M | 66.9% | 1 | 8.8K | 0.05% | 14 | | May 2026 | 11.1M | 65.6% | 1 | 8.8K | 0.05% | 14 | | Jun 2026 | 11.5M | 66.8% | 1 | 8.8K | 0.05% | 14 | | Jul 2026 | 11.5M | 66.7% | 1 | 8.8K | 0.05% | 14 | | Aug 2026 | 12.6M | 66.3% | 1 | 9.1K | 0.05% | 14 | | Sep 2026 | 14.9M | 68.9% | 1 | 9.1K | 0.04% | 14 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apple AirPods’ and Audio-Technica’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. - **Audio-Technica**: Measured on the search terms “audio technica earbuds”, “audio technica headphones” and “audio technica headset”, summed into one figure. - [Apple AirPods profile](/demand/global-en/brands/airpods) - [Audio-Technica profile](/demand/global-en/brands/audio-technica) - [All headphone brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/headphone-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 15 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 Audio-Technica more popular in search? In September 2026, Apple AirPods had more branded searches than Audio-Technica among headphone brands worldwide. Apple AirPods had about 14.9 million branded searches, while Audio-Technica had 9,100. Apple AirPods made up 68.9% of all headphone brand searches we track, and Audio-Technica accounted for 0.04%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Apple AirPods vs Audio-Technica: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/airpods-vs-audio-technica This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/airpods-vs-audio-technica. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.