Brandwave

Beats vs Skullcandy:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Beats had more branded searches than Skullcandy among headphone brands in the United Kingdom. Beats had about 49,500 branded searches, while Skullcandy had 22,200. Beats made up 7.5% of all headphone brand searches we track, and Skullcandy accounted for 3.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about headphone brands, neither Beats nor Skullcandy appeared in any of the three answers.

Among headphone brands in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Beats, about 2 searches for every 1 for Skullcandy

Beats 49.5K searchesSkullcandy 22.2K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 0 of 3 answers.

Beats in 0 of 3Skullcandy in 0 of 3

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Top headphone brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, neither Beats nor Skullcandy showed up 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 Skullcandy more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Beats and Skullcandy 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 Skullcandy among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for Beats, Skullcandy. 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 Skullcandy comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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. In September 2026, Skullcandy lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, from 4% to 3.4%.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

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

Skullcandy

1 branded search term

  • skullcandy

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among headphone brands

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