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Best for Most
Google Pixel Buds A-Series
Runner-Up Earbuds
1More ColorBuds
Great Over-Ears
Audio-Technica ATH-M20xBT
Best Noise-Canceling Headphones
Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless
The Best headphones under $100 are harder to find than you might think. Here at WIRED, it’s part of our job to listen to music all day, often on exceedingly fancy and bonkers-expensive models. We have playlists for testing bass, for assessing detail, for dance parties—we get way into it. But believe it or not, we like testing the cheap stuff just as much. It’s like a treasure hunt to find the ones that pack in the most tech for the money. And they’re getting better and better every year.
That doesn’t mean our work is done; etailers are still overflowing with cheap headphones that sound cheap, so we’ll keep listening and updating our picks every few months. While you’re looking for the next great pair, be sure to check out our many other buying guides, including the Best Wireless Headphones, Best Wireless Workout Headphones, and Best Phones With a Headphone Jack.
Updated October 2023: We’ve added the Anker Soundcore Space A40, Anker Liberty 4 NC, JLab JBuds Mini, Logitech G Pro X, and Logitech G333 In-Ear Gaming Monitors.
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Photograph: Google
Best for Most
Google Pixel Buds A-Series
The Pixel Buds A-Series (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are amazingly comfortable, sound great, and have decent microphones for calls. They come with an IPX4 rating to protect them against sweat and ear fins to keep them lodged in your ears, so they’re great for workouts. The design is slim enough to fit even in small ears. Full integration with Google Assistant makes them some of the most helpful buds around, and if you use an Android phone, they pair instantly. On iOS, they pair just like a normal Bluetooth device. That minor inconvenience of having to manually pair them to an iPhone is worth it, in my opinion—these are essentially better versions of AirPods at two-thirds the price.
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Photograph: 1More
Runner-Up Earbuds
1More ColorBuds
The ColorBuds (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are the third-generation wirefree earbuds from the small audio brand 1More. They boast an AirPod-beating six hours of battery life, support for the AptX Bluetooth codec for higher-quality wireless audio, and an assortment of comfortable ear tips that all but guarantee a good fit. The IPX5 rating makes them capable of withstanding rainy walks and sweaty runs too. The best part, though, is their fit. They are some of the most comfortable wirefree earbuds, even for people with smaller ears. Bonus: As the name suggests, they come in an assortment of cool colors.
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Photograph: Audio-Technica
Great Over-Ears
Audio-Technica ATH-M20xBT
I’ve been a big fan of Audio-Technica’s workhorse studio headphones for my entire listening life, and so I was stoked to see a new, affordable pair from the brand. The ATH-M20xBT (9/10, WIRED Recommends) have 60 hours (!) of battery life, comfortable earpads, and excellent sound for the money. They also come with a cable for easy wired listening, making them great for plugging in on planes or into portable consoles.
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Photograph: Amazon
Best Noise-Canceling Headphones
Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless
Anker makes everything from phone chargers to headphones, and we generally like most of its gear. The Q30 are a standout, thanks to the decent hybrid active noise-canceling tech and class-leading 40-hour playtime. These are a great cheap model to buck the noise of planes, trains, and automobiles. A pair of 40-mm silk diaphragm drivers even produce pretty good sound quality for the money. Just be careful with them because they’re a bit fragile; the plastic headband can crack if you sit on it.
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Photograph: Anker
Best Noise-Canceling Buds
Anker Soundcore Space A40
If you want some earbuds that can silence the world and also connect to three devices at once, this other affordable pair from Anker (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great choice. They can connect to your phone, tablet, and laptop simultaneously, and they feature a comfortable, lightweight design that is easy to wear all day. The battery will last 10 hours between charges, which makes these a solid pair for traveling.
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Photograph: Beats
Best for Apple Lovers
Beats Flex
The Beats Flex have all of the same conveniences of more expensive Apple earbuds: quick pairing, easy access to Siri, and seamless Apple Music integration. This is all thanks to Apple’s W1 chip powering it, which helps the headphones establish and maintain a rock-solid wireless connection to iOS devices and also has added power-management smarts to boost battery life. WIRED reviewer Adrienne So found the band between the two earbuds to be a bit long for her, but she liked the crisp sound and wide soundstage, all without the muddy bass that Beats was notorious for in its early days. She likes the 12-hour-plus battery life, which is good enough for a few workdays of tunes between trips to the wall charger. (They charge via USB-C, which is a bonus.)
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Photograph: Anker
AirPods Pro Alternatives
Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC
These trunked earbuds from Anker (8/10, WIRED Recommends) have many of the same features of AirPods Pro for less. They have great sound, seriously impressive noise canceling, and fully programmable touch controls. They have adaptive noise canceling, with a transparency mode that allows you to hear the outside world. You can even hear in a breeze, thanks to a wind buffering mode that keeps them from whistling like crazy. Plus, they come in multiple colors, which is a nice departure from Apple’s design.
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Photograph: Sony
Best for Content Creators
Sony MDR7506
If you’re a music producer, podcaster, or streamer, you need a good pair of over-ear headphones for monitoring your creative output. The classic Sony MDR-7506 are just what you need. They’ve got great-sounding 40-mm dynamic drivers, and the cozy earpads help eliminate bleed into any nearby mics. Pros everywhere trust these cans; you’ll find 7506s in media studios and radio stations around the world.
★ Sleeker options: There are also great headphones from several other audio brands, like these from AKG and Sennheiser. As a general rule, you can trust any company that makes studio microphones (Shure, AKG, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica) to know what it’s doing with studio-style headphones.
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Photograph: Fiio
Best In-Ear Monitors
Fiio FH1s
With a sleek design and a braided cable that runs around your ears instead of below them, Fiio’s FH1s make you look and feel like your favorite pop star on stage. Their around-the-ear cable takes a bit longer to put on than more traditional earbuds, but you’re rewarded with some of the most balanced, detailed sound we’ve ever heard for under a single Benjamin.
Fiio is best known for making expensive, audiophile-grade headphones and digital music players, and much of what we love about the FH1 borrows from the model’s more expensive siblings. The ergonomic outer section of the headphones hides 13.6-mm balanced armature drivers, which provide clear highs (treble) and controlled bass. Built-in MMCX terminations on each earbud mean you can quickly and easily replace the cable if it ever wears out. They even come with a hardshell carrying case—a rarity at this price.
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Photograph: Audio Technica
Best Corded Headphones Under $50
Audio-Technica ATH-M20X Monitor Headphones
They’re plasticky and don’t feel all that durable, but if you’re not super hard on your headphones, the wired M20X easily compete with the larger, more robust M50X when it comes to sound quality. The M50X litter music and podcasting studios the world over, making this cheaper variant a good option for home creators on a budget, or anyone who wants a pair of over-ear headphones that faithfully recreate their favorite tunes.
They’re also lighter in the bass department than many headphones in this price range, since manufacturers often boost the lows in cheaper headphones to impress untrained ears. This lack of strong bass is a good thing though. You’ll be able to hear more of the detail in your favorite shreddy guitar solos, without that extra low-end stomping all over them.
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Photograph: Shure
Best Corded Earbuds Under $50
Shure SE-112GR
OK, yes. They look like the same ugly earbuds that came with your first portable MP3 player, but what the Shure SE-112GR lacks in looks, they make up for in sound quality. We’ve recommended various iterations of the SE-112 to friends and family since the iPod era. They’re small, comfy, and have surprisingly robust bass for headphones this small and cheap. They even come with foam ear tips that can block out up to 37 decibels of outside noise, making them great for folks who want to tune out the 15th play-through of “Baby Shark.”
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Photograph: JLab
Best Wireless Earbuds Under $50
JLab Audio Go Air Pop
These super cheap earbuds sound pretty decent, and they get an AirPod-beating 8 hours of charge between trips to the included charging case. I like that they have a built-in USB cable, which means you’ll never forget one when you’re out and need to recharge the case. They even come in a ton of fun colors, so you’ll be able to tell yours apart from all the AirPods.
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Photograph: JLab
Best for Small Ears
JLab Audio JBuds Mini
These teeny tiny earbuds from JLab are designed to fit on a keychain, and they’re small enough to take with you anywhere. They’ve also become my go-to recommendation when folks tell me they can’t find earbuds they like because they have smaller ears. They come with an IP55 dust- and water-resistance rating, which makes them great for workouts, and they have five and a half hours of power when you’re listening. It’s not the longest battery life, but certainly enough for buds this small. They also have a built-in mic for calls, but it’s not the best I’ve ever tried.
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Photograph: Koss
Best for Style Points
Koss Porta Pro
Koss’ iconic Porta Pros have a cult following in audiophile communities for their comfortable, lightweight design and oddly fantastic sound. They look like they’re fresh out of a 1980s workout ad, but they’re actually solidly built, and there are a ton of aftermarket earpads and other accessories to increase their comfort or help them fit your style. They also fold up, which makes them easy to take with you in a backpack or laptop bag.
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Photograph: JBL
Best Buds Under $25
JBL Tune 215
Do you just need something cheap? We hear you. We read great things about JBL’s low-priced plug-in earbuds, so we gave these a shot. They sound decent, and the flat cable rarely gets tangled and mitigates those distracting sounds when the cord rubs against your shirt. Our friends at the Wirecutter selected these as their top budget pick, and we agree. They’re great for the price!
★ Other cheap buds: These Panasonic ErgoFit earbuds sound better (and come in more colors!) than standard Apple earbuds, but cost half as much.
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Photograph: Logitech
Best Gaming Headset
Logitech G Pro X
The Logitech G Pro X (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of our favorite gaming headsets for many reasons. It has an expansive 7.1-channel soundstage, and the software also gives you tons of control over the quality of your voice. The mics were designed with help from Logitech-owned Blue Mics, and we really love the way they represent the human voice on streams, podcasts, and Zoom calls. When you’re not gaming, we like that they look more normal than flashier headsets from other gaming brands, without flashing lights to attract attention.
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Photograph: Logitech
Best Gaming Earbuds
Logitech G333 In-Ear Gaming Monitors
These little earbuds from Logitech are colorful, and they work excellently with portable game systems like the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or Laptop. Reviewer Eric Ravenscraft likes their good detail and solid bass, which helps you hear what’s going on around you in competitive environments. He also likes the tangle-free cable, an included dongle, and support for USB-C right out of the box.
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Photograph: JLab Audio
Best for Kids
JLab Audio JBuddies Studio Bluetooth
If you need an affordable pair of headphones to save your ears from another of your kids’ Frozen marathons, we love the JLab JBuddies. The colorful headphones are designed to limit sound to a doctor-approved 85 decibels, so you won’t have to worry about ear damage. It also comes in many colors, so you always know whose are whose.
We’ve squeezed them over our adult-sized heads to test sound quality, and we are happy to note that they offer balanced sound with well-defined bass. As far as we’re concerned, these are the best pick for tiny audiophiles in the making. (Check out our guide to the Best Kid Headphones for more recommendations.)
Parker Hall is a senior editor of product reviews at WIRED. He focuses on audiovisual and entertainment products. Hall is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied jazz percussion. After hours, he remains a professional musician in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.
Michael Calore oversees WIRED’s consumer products coverage in print and on the web, and is one of the hosts of WIRED’s weekly podcast, Gadget Lab. As a writer, he covers a range of topics including music, film, art, software, social media, and underground culture.