Category AI Visibility Report
Earbuds AI Visibility Report 2026: Top Brands & Buyer Topics in AI Search
Data updated 2026-08-27 · 30-day window · ChatGPT · Google AI Mode · Google AI Overviews
≈112,874
Est. AI queries / month
31
Buyer topics monitored
10
Brands on the AI shelf
Key insights
- Over the last 30 days, GEOly monitored 31 buyer topics in Earbuds across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews — an estimated 112,874 AI queries per month.
- Sony leads the AI shelf with 17.7% of brand mentions, followed by soundcore (14.5%) and Apple (13.3%). The top three hold 45.5% combined — a concentrated shelf where challengers need a differentiated topic wedge.
- The highest-demand topic is “Wired Earbuds” (top keyword “wired earbuds”, ~40,500 searches/mo).
- AI answers lean on youtube.com most (18.3% of citations) — earning presence on these sources is the shortest path to being recommended.
Brands AI recommends most
Share of brand mentions across AI answers in the last 30 days (Share of Model).
| # | Brand | AI mentions | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sony | 6,356 | 17.7% |
| 2 | soundcore | 5,201 | 14.5% |
| 3 | Apple | 4,793 | 13.3% |
| 4 | Bose | 3,256 | 9.1% |
| 5 | 2,231 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Samsung | 1,991 | 5.5% |
| 7 | Timekettle | 995 | 2.8% |
| 8 | Technics | 903 | 2.5% |
| 9 | Sennheiser | 884 | 2.5% |
| 10 | Shokz | 858 | 2.4% |
What shoppers ask AI
Buyer topics monitored in this category, with estimated monthly AI queries and the top Google keyword behind each topic.
| Topic | Est. AI queries / mo | Top keyword | Search volume / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wired Earbuds | ≈21,744 | wired earbuds | 40,500 |
| Budget earbuds | ≈21,119 | budget friendly wireless earbuds | 18,100 |
| Soundcore earbuds | ≈19,780 | soundcore earbuds | 22,200 |
| Sleep earbuds | ≈17,597 | sleep in earbuds | 14,800 |
| Sleeping Earbuds | ≈16,412 | sleep in earbuds | 14,800 |
| Gaming earbuds | ≈14,138 | gaming earbuds | 12,100 |
| écouteurs sans fil waterproof | ≈1,062 | écouteurs waterproof | 880 |
| écouteurs sans fil gaming | ≈1,022 | écouteur gaming sans fil | 590 |
| écouteurs sans fil sport | — | écouteurs sans fil sport | 5,400 |
| Wireless Earbuds | — | wireless earbuds | 201,000 |
| Airpods | — | airpods | 1,500,000 |
| JLab earbuds | — | jlab earbuds | 49,500 |
| Open-Ear Earbuds | — | open ear earbuds | 22,200 |
| Jabra earbuds | — | jabra earbuds | 14,800 |
| budget-friendly wireless earbuds | — | budget friendly wireless earbuds | 18,100 |
| Skullcandy earbuds | — | skullcandy earbuds | 40,500 |
Sources AI cites in this category
Root domains AI engines cited most when answering category queries in the last 30 days.
| Domain | Citations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| youtube.com | 1,782 | 18.3% |
| google.com | 1,634 | 16.8% |
| reddit.com | 1,372 | 14.1% |
| rtings.com | 1,366 | 14.1% |
| soundguys.com | 1,076 | 11.1% |
| soundcore.com | 369 | 3.8% |
| techradar.com | 284 | 2.9% |
| cnet.com | 231 | 2.4% |
FAQ
Which brands do AI assistants recommend most for earbuds?
Over the last 30 days the top brands by AI mention share are: Sony (17.7%), soundcore (14.5%), Apple (13.3%), Bose (9.1%), Google (6.2%). Data from GEOly's continuous monitoring across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews.
How many people ask AI about earbuds?
GEOly estimates ~112,874 AI queries per month in this category across 31 buyer topics, led by “Wired Earbuds”.
Which sources do AI engines cite for earbuds?
The most-cited domains are: youtube.com, google.com, reddit.com, rtings.com, soundguys.com. Building brand presence on these sources is the most direct way to win AI recommendations.
Methodology
GEOly continuously runs category buyer prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews and records which brands are mentioned and which sources are cited. Figures aggregate a 30-day window; AI query volumes are modeled estimates from keyword demand and AI-adoption share. Data: GEOly MCP Server, updated 2026-08-27.
See your brand inside this category
GEOly tracks how ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews mention, rank and cite your brand against every competitor above — and what to fix to win the AI shelf.