Beats vs Skullcandy:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Beats had more branded searches than Skullcandy among headphone brands in the United States. Beats had about 301,000 branded searches, while Skullcandy had 165,000. Beats made up 10.6% of all headphone brand searches we track, and Skullcandy accounted for 5.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about headphone brands, Beats appeared in one of the five answers and Skullcandy in none.
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Top headphone brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Beats was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Skullcandy did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Sony1st
Bose2nd
Soundcore3rd
Apple AirPods4th
Sennheiser5th
JLab6th
Beats7th
Audio-Technica8th
JBL9th
Skullcandy–- +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
See every answer about headphone brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which headphones should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best headphone brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best wireless earbuds?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“headphones”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“wireless earbuds”
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.
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 15 headphone brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for Beats, Skullcandy. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| 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% |
How has the Beats and Skullcandy comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Beats was ahead of Skullcandy 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 States moved from 10.4% to 10.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 301K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Skullcandy’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United States moved from 5.7% to 5.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 165K.
How did search popularity change for United States headphone brands in September 2026?
2 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, Skullcandy lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United States, from 6.9% to 5.8%.
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
Other head-to-heads among headphone brands
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