--- title: "Apple AirPods: search popularity in the United States" description: "AirPods are Apple’s wireless earbuds and headphones. 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/us/brands/airpods" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Apple AirPods: search popularity in the United States AirPods are Apple’s wireless earbuds and headphones. 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 - **Brand**: Apple AirPods - **Owned by**: Apple - **Market**: United States - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among headphone brands**: 52.7% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Headphone brands | 1 | 52.7% | 1.5M | - [Headphone brands](/demand/us/categories/us-headphone-brands) ## 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. Apple AirPods is the fourth most recommended of the 15. 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 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Bose | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Soundcore | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Apple AirPods | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Sennheiser | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | JLab | 6th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Beats | 7th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Audio-Technica | 8th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | JBL | 9th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Skullcandy | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Shokz | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Raycon | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Jabra | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Marshall | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Bowers & Wilkins | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about headphone brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which headphones should I buy?": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. Sennheiser - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best headphone brands?": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. Sennheiser, 4. Apple AirPods, 5. Audio-Technica, 6. JBL, 7. Soundcore - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best wireless earbuds?": 1. Sony, 2. Apple AirPods, 3. Bose, 4. Soundcore - Searched Google, AI Overview "headphones": 1. Soundcore, 2. Beats, 3. Bose - Searched Google, AI Overview "wireless earbuds": 1. JLab, 2. Soundcore, 3. Apple AirPods, 4. Bose, 5. Sony Not named in any answer: Skullcandy, Shokz, Raycon, Jabra, Marshall and Bowers & Wilkins. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 26, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Apple AirPods changed in the United States over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Apple AirPods in the United States held steady at 1.5M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple AirPods’ share of searches among headphone brands in the United States increased from 51.6% to 52.7%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple AirPods’ share of searches among headphone brands in the United States peaked at 54.1% in December 2025 and was lowest at 45.8% in May 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States headphone brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Beats overtook Bose to rank 2nd among headphone brands in the United States, with 10.6% of the searches. - In September 2026, Apple AirPods gained share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 50.7% to 52.7%. - In September 2026, Bose gained share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 8.7% to 10.5%. - In September 2026, Shokz lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 4.6% to 3.2%. - In September 2026, Skullcandy lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 6.9% to 5.8%. - In September 2026, Sony lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 5.7% to 4.8%. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Headphone brands | 1.5M | 51.6% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Headphone brands | 2.2M | 50.2% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Headphone brands | 2.7M | 54.1% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Headphone brands | 1.2M | 45.9% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Headphone brands | 1.2M | 50.1% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Headphone brands | 1.2M | 49.5% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Headphone brands | 1M | 45.8% | 1 | | May 2026 | Headphone brands | 1M | 45.8% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Headphone brands | 1M | 46.7% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Headphone brands | 1M | 46.6% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Headphone brands | 1.2M | 50.7% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Headphone brands | 1.5M | 52.7% | 1 | ## How are Apple AirPods’ branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apple AirPods’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “airpods” ## Which headphone brands compete with Apple AirPods? - [Beats](/demand/us/brands/beats): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/airpods-vs-beats - [Bose](/demand/us/brands/bose): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/airpods-vs-bose - [JBL](/demand/us/brands/jbl): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/airpods-vs-jbl - [Skullcandy](/demand/us/brands/skullcandy): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/airpods-vs-skullcandy - [Sony](/demand/us/brands/sony): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/airpods-vs-sony - [Shokz](/demand/us/brands/shokz) - [JLab](/demand/us/brands/jlab) - [Raycon](/demand/us/brands/raycon) - [Soundcore](/demand/us/brands/soundcore) - [Sennheiser](/demand/us/brands/sennheiser) - [Jabra](/demand/us/brands/jabra) - [Marshall](/demand/us/brands/marshall-audio) - [Audio-Technica](/demand/us/brands/audio-technica) - [Bowers & Wilkins](/demand/us/brands/bowers-wilkins) ## Who owns Apple AirPods? Apple AirPods is owned by Apple. Brandwave also tracks Apple iPad, Apple iPhone, Apple MacBook and Apple Watch, owned by the same company, in the United States. - [Apple](/demand/us/companies/apple): Owns 35 tracked 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 ### Who owns Apple AirPods? Apple AirPods is owned by Apple. Brandwave also tracks Apple iPad, Apple iPhone, Apple MacBook and Apple Watch, owned by the same company, in the United States. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Apple AirPods: search popularity in the United States". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/airpods This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/airpods. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.