Brandwave

How popular isBose?

In September 2026, people searched for Bose by name about 300,000 times in the United States, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 10.5% of all United States headphone brand searches, placing Bose third out of 15 brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about headphone brands, Bose appeared in all answers and was the second most recommended of the 15.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Bose is the third most searched of 15 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Apple AirPodsShare of searches 52.7%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  2. BeatsShare of searches 10.6%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th
  3. BoseShare of searches 10.5%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  4. JBLShare of searches 6%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 9th
  5. SkullcandyShare of searches 5.8%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

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Top headphone brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Bose appeared in all five answers. Bose is the second most recommended of the 15.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Sony1st
  2. Bose2nd
  3. Soundcore3rd
  4. Apple AirPods4th
  5. Sennheiser5th
  6. JLab6th
  7. Beats7th
  8. Audio-Technica8th
  9. JBL9th
  10. Skullcandy–
  11. +5 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Bose5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sony4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Soundcore4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Apple AirPods3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Sennheiser2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Beats1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • JBL1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • JLab1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Audio-Technica1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Skullcandy0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about headphone brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

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

Which headphone brands compete with Bose?

Bose against headphone brands in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Apple AirPods, Beats, Bose, JBL, Skullcandy, Sony, Shokz. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthApple AirPodsBeatsBoseJBLSkullcandySonyShokzJLabRayconSoundcoreSennheiserJabraMarshallAudio-TechnicaBowers & Wilkins
Oct 202551.6%10.4%10%5.9%5.7%5.8%2.5%1.7%3.1%0.76%0.76%0.51%0.51%0.62%0.19%
Nov 202550.2%12.3%11.3%5.4%5.5%5.4%2.5%1.4%3%0.61%0.74%0.41%0.5%0.61%0.15%
Dec 202554.1%10.9%10.5%7%4.9%4.6%2.2%1.5%2.2%0.53%0.53%0.29%0.44%0.36%0.13%
Jan 202645.9%11.3%11%7.4%6.2%6.1%3.4%1.9%2.8%1%1%0.46%0.56%0.84%0.2%
Feb 202650.1%10.1%8.6%6.5%6.8%5.6%3%2%3%0.91%0.74%0.5%0.5%1.4%0.22%
Mar 202649.5%10%8.5%6.9%6.7%5.6%3.7%2%3%1.1%0.9%0.49%0.6%0.9%0.22%
Apr 202645.8%9.2%9.6%7.3%7.6%6.3%4.1%2.3%4.1%1%0.83%0.55%0.55%0.45%0.25%
May 202645.8%9.2%9.6%7.8%7.6%6.3%4.1%2.3%3.4%1.2%0.83%0.55%0.55%0.55%0.3%
Jun 202646.7%9.4%9.8%6.5%6.3%6.4%5.1%2.3%2.8%1.5%0.69%0.57%0.57%0.85%0.38%
Jul 202646.6%9.4%9.7%6.5%7.7%6.4%4.2%2.3%2.8%1.3%0.69%0.46%0.56%0.84%0.46%
Aug 202650.7%8.3%8.7%6.6%6.9%5.7%4.6%2.1%2.5%1.1%0.75%0.5%0.5%0.75%0.34%
Sep 202652.7%10.6%10.5%6%5.8%4.8%3.2%1.7%1.7%0.95%0.52%0.43%0.43%0.35%0.23%

  1. 1.Apple AirPods

    52.7%

    Held 1st. 1.5M estimated branded searches, +23% vs prior month. Share +2 points.

  2. 2.Beats

    10.6%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 301K estimated branded searches, +49.8% vs prior month. Share +2.2 points.

  3. 3.Bose

    10.5%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 300K estimated branded searches, +43.5% vs prior month. Share +1.9 points.

  4. 4.JBL

    6%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 171K estimated branded searches, +6.9% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  5. 5.Skullcandy

    5.8%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 165K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.

  6. 6.Sony

    4.8%

    Held 6th. 137K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.9 points.

  7. 7.Shokz

    3.2%

    Held 7th. 90.5K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -1.4 points.

  8. 8.JLab

    1.7%

    Moved from 9th to 8th. 49.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  9. 9.Raycon

    1.7%

    Moved from 8th to 9th. 49.5K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.

  10. 10.Soundcore

    0.95%

    Held 10th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  11. 11.Sennheiser

    0.52%

    Moved from 12th to 11th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  12. 12.Jabra

    0.43%

    Moved from 13th to 12th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  13. 13.Marshall

    0.43%

    Moved from 14th to 13th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  14. 14.Audio-Technica

    0.35%

    Moved from 11th to 14th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, -45.3% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  15. 15.Bowers & Wilkins

    0.23%

    Held 15th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Bose and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Bose

14 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Bose changed in the United States over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Bose in the United States held steady, from 292K to 300K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bose’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States increased from 10% to 10.5%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bose’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States peaked at 11.3% in November 2025 and was lowest at 8.5% in March 2026.

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

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Beats overtook Bose to rank 2nd among headphone brands in the United States, with 10.6% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Apple AirPods gained share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 50.7% to 52.7%.

  3. In September 2026, Bose gained share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 8.7% to 10.5%.

  4. In September 2026, Shokz lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 4.6% to 3.2%.

  5. In September 2026, Skullcandy lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 6.9% to 5.8%.

  6. In September 2026, Sony lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 5.7% to 4.8%.

How are Bose’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Bose’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • bose earbuds
  • bose headphones

Do you work for Bose? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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