Headphone brands in the United States:Which are most popular?

Name: Headphone brands in the United States: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, Apple AirPods was the most searched headphone brand in the United States, accounting for 52.7% of all searches among the 15 brands we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Bose showed up in every answer. Sony was recommended most often, coming first in three out of five responses.

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Top headphone brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Bose appeared every time. Sony was recommended most often, coming first in three out of five answers. Bose was second, and Soundcore was third. Skullcandy, which ranked fifth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

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

Mentioned by AI

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

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Bose	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
Sony	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Soundcore	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Apple AirPods	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
Sennheiser	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Beats	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
JBL	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
JLab	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Audio-Technica	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Skullcandy	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Shokz	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Raycon	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Jabra	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Marshall	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Bowers & Wilkins	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

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
Shokz0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Raycon0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Jabra0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Marshall0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Bowers & Wilkins0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about headphone brands

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“Which headphones should I buy?”
1. 1Sony
2. 2Bose
3. 3Sennheiser
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best headphone brands?”
1. 1Sony
2. 2Bose
3. 3Sennheiser
4. 4Apple AirPods
5. 5Audio-Technica
6. 6JBL
7. 7Soundcore
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best wireless earbuds?”
1. 1Sony
2. 2Apple AirPods
3. 3Bose
4. 4Soundcore
Searched Google, AI Overview
“headphones”
1. 1Soundcore
2. 2Beats
3. 3Bose
Searched Google, AI Overview
“wireless earbuds”
1. 1JLab
2. 2Soundcore
3. 3Apple AirPods
4. 4Bose
5. 5Sony

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 do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each headphone brand by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 headphone brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, by month

Month	Apple AirPods	Beats	Bose	JBL	Skullcandy	Sony	Shokz	JLab	Raycon	Soundcore	Sennheiser	Jabra	Marshall	Audio-Technica	Bowers & Wilkins
Oct 2025	51.6%	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 2025	50.2%	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 2025	54.1%	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 2026	45.9%	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 2026	50.1%	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 2026	49.5%	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 2026	45.8%	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 2026	45.8%	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 2026	46.7%	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 2026	46.6%	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 2026	50.7%	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 2026	52.7%	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%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Apple AirPods Apple	52.7%	1.5M	+23%	+2 points
2, moved from 3rd to 2nd	Beats	10.6%	301K	+49.8%	+2.2 pointsmoved from 3rd to 2nd
3, moved from 2nd to 3rd	Bose	10.5%	300K	+43.5%	+1.9 pointsmoved from 2nd to 3rd
4, moved from 5th to 4th	JBL	6%	171K	+6.9%	-0.6 pointsmoved from 5th to 4th
5, moved from 4th to 5th	Skullcandy	5.8%	165K	0%	-1.1 pointsmoved from 4th to 5th
6, held 6th	Sony	4.8%	137K	0%	-0.9 points
7, held 7th	Shokz	3.2%	90.5K	-17.7%	-1.4 points
8, moved from 9th to 8th	JLab	1.7%	49.5K	0%	-0.3 pointsmoved from 9th to 8th
9, moved from 8th to 9th	Raycon	1.7%	49.5K	-18.2%	-0.8 pointsmoved from 8th to 9th
10, held 10th	Soundcore Anker	0.95%	27.1K	0%	-0.2 points
11, moved from 12th to 11th	Sennheiser	0.52%	14.8K	-18.2%	-0.2 pointsmoved from 12th to 11th
12, moved from 13th to 12th	Jabra	0.43%	12.1K	0%	-0.1 pointsmoved from 13th to 12th
13, moved from 14th to 13th	Marshall	0.43%	12.1K	0%	-0.1 pointsmoved from 14th to 13th
14, moved from 11th to 14th	Audio-Technica	0.35%	9.9K	-45.3%	-0.4 pointsmoved from 11th to 14th
15, held 15th	Bowers & Wilkins	0.23%	6.6K	-18.5%	-0.1 points

1.Apple AirPods
52.7%
Held 1st. 1.5M estimated branded searches, +23% vs prior month. Share +2 points.
2.Beats
10.6%
Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 301K estimated branded searches, +49.8% vs prior month. Share +2.2 points.
3.Bose
10.5%
Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 300K estimated branded searches, +43.5% vs prior month. Share +1.9 points.
4.JBL
6%
Moved from 5th to 4th. 171K estimated branded searches, +6.9% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.
5.Skullcandy
5.8%
Moved from 4th to 5th. 165K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.
6.Sony
4.8%
Held 6th. 137K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.9 points.
7.Shokz
3.2%
Held 7th. 90.5K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -1.4 points.
8.JLab
1.7%
Moved from 9th to 8th. 49.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
9.Raycon
1.7%
Moved from 8th to 9th. 49.5K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.
10.Soundcore
0.95%
Held 10th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
11.Sennheiser
0.52%
Moved from 12th to 11th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
12.Jabra
0.43%
Moved from 13th to 12th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
13.Marshall
0.43%
Moved from 14th to 13th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
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.Bowers & Wilkins
0.23%
Held 15th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among headphone brands in the United States?

15 brands

In September 2026, Apple AirPods was the most searched among headphone brands in the United States, with an estimated 1.5M branded searches, 52.7% of all searches for the 15 we track. Beats is in 2nd place, 42.1 percentage points behind at 10.6%.

United States headphone brands, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Apple AirPods	51.6% → 52.7%	54.1%Dec 2025	45.8%May 2026	1st
Beats	10.4% → 10.6%	12.3%Nov 2025	8.3%Aug 2026	2nd
Bose	10% → 10.5%	11.3%Nov 2025	8.5%Mar 2026	3rd
JBL	5.9% → 6%	7.8%May 2026	5.4%Nov 2025	4th
Skullcandy	5.7% → 5.8%	7.7%Jul 2026	4.9%Dec 2025	6th → 5th
Sony	5.8% → 4.8%	6.4%Jun 2026	4.6%Dec 2025	5th → 6th
Shokz	2.5% → 3.2%	5.1%Jun 2026	2.2%Dec 2025	8th → 7th
JLab	1.7%	2.3%Jun 2026	1.4%Nov 2025	9th → 8th
Raycon	3.1% → 1.7%	4.1%Apr 2026	1.7%Sep 2026	7th → 9th
Soundcore	0.76% → 0.95%	1.5%Jun 2026	0.53%Dec 2025	11th → 10th
Sennheiser	0.76% → 0.52%	1%Jan 2026	0.52%Sep 2026	10th → 11th
Jabra	0.51% → 0.43%	0.57%Jun 2026	0.29%Dec 2025	13th → 12th
Marshall	0.51% → 0.43%	0.6%Mar 2026	0.43%Sep 2026	14th → 13th
Audio-Technica	0.62% → 0.35%	1.4%Feb 2026	0.35%Sep 2026	12th → 14th
Bowers & Wilkins	0.19% → 0.23%	0.46%Jul 2026	0.13%Dec 2025	15th

Each finding as a sentence

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, 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, Sony’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States decreased from 5.8% to 4.8%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shokz’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States increased from 2.5% to 3.2%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Raycon’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States decreased from 3.1% to 1.7%.
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.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Beats’ share of searches among headphone brands in the United States peaked at 12.3% in November 2025 and was lowest at 8.3% in August 2026.
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.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, JBL’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States peaked at 7.8% in May 2026 and was lowest at 5.4% in November 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Skullcandy’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States peaked at 7.7% in July 2026 and was lowest at 4.9% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sony’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States peaked at 6.4% in June 2026 and was lowest at 4.6% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shokz’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States peaked at 5.1% in June 2026 and was lowest at 2.2% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Raycon’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States peaked at 4.1% in April 2026 and was lowest at 1.7% in September 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Soundcore’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States peaked at 1.5% in June 2026 and was lowest at 0.53% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Audio-Technica’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States peaked at 1.4% in February 2026 and was lowest at 0.35% in September 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Skullcandy rose from 6th to 5th among headphone brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sony fell from 5th to 6th among headphone brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shokz rose from 8th to 7th among headphone brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, JLab rose from 9th to 8th among headphone brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Raycon fell from 7th to 9th among headphone brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Soundcore rose from 11th to 10th among headphone brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sennheiser fell from 10th to 11th among headphone brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Jabra rose from 13th to 12th among headphone brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Marshall rose from 14th to 13th among headphone brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Audio-Technica fell from 12th to 14th among headphone brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Beats, JBL and Bowers & Wilkins held steady: their share of searches among headphone brands in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

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

8 changes

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%.
In September 2026, Raycon lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 2.5% to 1.7%.
In September 2026, JBL lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 6.6% to 6%.

How are branded searches counted for headphone brands?

18 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among headphone brands comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.