Brandwave

Bose vs Sonos:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Bose had more branded searches than Sonos among soundbar brands in New Zealand. Bose had about 11,200 branded searches, while Sonos had 5,970. Bose made up 19.6% of all soundbar brand searches we track, and Sonos accounted for 10.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about soundbar brands, Sonos appeared in four of the five answers and Bose in three. Sonos was mentioned before Bose in every answer that named either.

Among soundbar brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Bose, about 88% more searches than Sonos

Bose 11.2K searchesSonos 6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Sonos, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Bose in 3

Sonos in 4 of 5Bose in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Sonos, named ahead of Bose in 4 of 4 answers

Sonos first in 4Bose never first

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Top soundbar brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Sonos was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Bose was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Sonos was listed before Bose in every answer that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Samsung1st
  2. Sonos2nd
  3. JBL3rd
  4. LG4th
  5. Bose5th
  6. Yamaha6th
  7. Panasonic7th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • JBL5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Samsung5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sonos4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • LG4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Bose3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Yamaha2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Panasonic1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about soundbar brands

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is Bose or Sonos more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Bose and Sonos by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven soundbar brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Bose and Sonos among soundbar brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Bose, Sonos. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthJBLBoseSonosSamsungLGPanasonicYamaha
Oct 202564.1%24%10%0.79%0.56%0.42%0.14%
Nov 202564.6%22.6%11.2%0.68%0.51%0.37%0.07%
Dec 202572.4%17.8%8.5%0.53%0.32%0.36%0.06%
Jan 202667.8%20.1%10.2%0.76%0.55%0.51%0.1%
Feb 202666.8%20.9%10.4%0.82%0.61%0.36%0.08%
Mar 202664.2%21.7%12.2%0.91%0.68%0.26%0.05%
Apr 202667.2%19.7%11.2%0.79%0.75%0.35%0.06%
May 202665.2%22%11%0.65%0.61%0.43%0.08%
Jun 202665.3%22.5%10.4%0.64%0.74%0.34%0.06%
Jul 202666%21.6%10.5%0.78%0.66%0.42%0.08%
Aug 202665.8%21.8%10.7%0.88%0.6%0.26%0.07%
Sep 202668.5%19.6%10.4%0.68%0.49%0.24%0.09%

How has the Bose and Sonos comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Bose was ahead of Sonos in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bose’s share of searches among soundbar brands in New Zealand moved from 24% to 19.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 11.9K to 11.2K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sonos’ share of searches among soundbar brands in New Zealand moved from 10% to 10.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5K to 6K.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand soundbar brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Bose lost share of searches among soundbar brands in New Zealand, from 21.8% to 19.6%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Sonos in New Zealand rose 20.4% over 12 measured months, from 5K to 6K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

19 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Bose’s and Sonos’ 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.

Bose

7 branded search terms

  • bose
  • bose ear phones
  • bose qc
  • bose soundbar
  • bose soundlink
  • bose soundlink flex
  • bose speakers

Sonos

12 branded search terms

  • sonos
  • sonos amp
  • sonos arc
  • sonos five
  • sonos move
  • sonos one
  • sonos play
  • sonos port
  • sonos ray
  • sonos roam
  • sonos sound bars
  • sonos sub

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among soundbar brands

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