Brandwave

Beats vs Bose:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Bose had more branded searches than Beats among headphone brands in the United Kingdom. Bose had about 58,600 branded searches, while Beats had 49,500. Bose made up 8.9% of all headphone brand searches we track, and Beats accounted for 7.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about headphone brands, Bose appeared in all three answers and Beats in none.

Among headphone brands in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Bose, about 18% more searches than Beats

Bose 58.6K searchesBeats 49.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Bose, mentioned in every answer we collected

Bose in 3 of 3Beats in 0 of 3

Who does AI recommend more?

Bose, the only one of the two named

Bose first in 3Beats never named

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Top headphone brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, Bose appeared in all three answers. Beats did not appear in any of the three answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Sony1st
  2. Bose2nd
  3. Sennheiser3rd
  4. Apple AirPods4th
  5. JBL5th
  6. Soundcore6th
  7. Beats–
  8. Shokz–
  9. Skullcandy–
  10. Marshall–
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Sony3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Bose3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Apple AirPods2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Sennheiser2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • JBL1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Soundcore1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Beats0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Shokz0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Skullcandy0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Marshall0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers

+2 more

See every answer about headphone brands

3 answers
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “Which headphones should I buy in the UK?”

    1. 1Sony
    2. 2Sennheiser
    3. 3Bose
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What are the best headphone brands?”

    1. 1Sony
    2. 2Bose
    3. 3Sennheiser
    4. 4Apple AirPods
    5. 5JBL
    6. 6Soundcore
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What are the best wireless earbuds?”

    1. 1Sony
    2. 2Apple AirPods
    3. 3Bose
  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “headphones”

    Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “wireless earbuds”

    Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 26, 2026.

Is Beats or Bose more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Beats and Bose by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 headphone brands we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

Beats and Bose among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, by month

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthApple AirPodsSonyBoseBeatsJBLShokzSkullcandyMarshallSoundcoreSennheiserBowers & WilkinsJabra
Oct 202551.9%10.2%10.1%7%8.7%3.1%3.1%2.6%0.76%1.4%0.62%0.51%
Nov 202557.7%9%10.1%6.3%6.5%2.8%2.8%2.3%0.57%1%0.46%0.31%
Dec 202554.1%10.4%9.9%7.3%7.4%2.7%2.7%2.7%0.8%1.2%0.53%0.35%
Jan 202652.4%10.3%9.6%7%7.5%3.9%3.2%2.6%0.94%1.4%0.63%0.51%
Feb 202654.1%11.1%8.6%5.9%7.4%4%2.7%2.7%0.97%1.5%0.65%0.52%
Mar 202652.3%10.7%8.3%7%7.5%4.7%3.1%2.6%1.1%1.4%0.63%0.5%
Apr 202648.2%11.6%9.4%6.5%8.4%5.3%4.3%2.9%1.1%1.3%0.57%0.47%
May 202650.8%10.4%9.9%5.6%7.6%4.6%3.7%3.1%1.7%1.4%0.74%0.5%
Jun 202652.1%10.7%8.3%5.7%7.5%5.7%3.1%2.6%1.7%1.4%0.61%0.51%
Jul 202653.1%10.5%8.5%5.9%7.6%3.9%3.9%2.6%1.4%1.4%0.63%0.52%
Aug 202654.6%9.1%8.7%6%7.8%4%4%2.2%1.2%1.2%0.65%0.44%
Sep 202655.7%9.3%8.9%7.5%6.5%3.4%3.4%2.2%1.2%1%0.54%0.36%

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

3 findings
  • Bose was ahead of Beats in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Beats’ share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom moved from 7% to 7.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 49.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bose’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom moved from 10.1% to 8.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 71.7K to 58.6K.

How did search popularity change for United Kingdom headphone brands in September 2026?

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Beats overtook JBL to rank 4th among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, with 7.5% of the searches.

  2. Bose’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 8.3% to 8.9% in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

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

Beats

1 branded search term

  • beats headphones

Bose

2 branded search terms

  • bose earbuds
  • bose headphones

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among headphone brands

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