The Best Budget Headphones Of 2025: Top 5 Picks For Under $100

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The best budget headphones include affordable over-ear and earbud-style models.

Ryan Waniata/Business Insider

Choosing an affordable pair of headphones doesn't have to mean settling for poor sound quality or sacrificing key features. The best budget headphones come close to matching the capabilities of pricier options without weighing too heavily on your wallet.

To help you find the right model for your needs, our audio experts have selected the five best budget headphones for $100 or less. People who want wireless earbuds on the cheap should check out the Jlab Go Air Pop, which deliver incredible value at just $25. For those who want over-ear headphones, we recommend the Soundcore Life Q30, which have the most impressive noise-canceling performance we've tested in this price range.

Below are all of our picks for the best cheap headphones, including a couple of wired options for gamers and listeners who want studio-style headphones with a neutral sound.

Our top picks for the best budget headphones

Best entry-level earbuds: Jlab Go Air Pop - See at Amazon

Best midrange buds: Soundcore Liberty 4 NC - See at Amazon

Best over-ear model: Soundcore Life Q30 - See at Amazon

Best wired option: Audio-Technica ATH-M20X - See at Amazon

Best for gaming: Turtle Beach Recon 70 - See at Amazon

Best entry-level earbuds

The JLab Go Air Pop are the best budget headphones to buy if you want reliable wireless earbuds for under $25. Simply put, headphones this affordable should not be this good. Some concessions are made to get the price so low, but the JLab Go Air Pop provide unmatched value for the money.

The earbuds are a bit bare-bones when it comes to extra perks. You don't get features like active noise cancellation (ANC), auto pausing, or a mobile app. But the Pop still offer all the essentials we look for, like solid battery life, adjustable EQ modes, and convenient touch controls.

Again, these are $25 wireless earbuds we're talking about, so expectations should be kept in check. However, within that context, it's quite impressive how the JLab Go Air Pop manage to sound as good as they do. They offer balanced performance free from the shrill or muddy quality most cheap headphones suffer from.

The earbuds come in a few colors, so you can choose a style that works for your tastes. They're also fairly comfy when worn for typical listening sessions. We could nitpick flaws here and there, but for budget headphones, there's just little to complain about. These are perfect as starter wireless earbuds or as a cheap secondary pair to keep around in case you misplace others.

Visit our guide to all the best headphones.

Best midrange buds

The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC are excellent headphones for anyone who wants an affordable pair of midrange earbuds. They're not as cheap as the entry-level JLab Go Air Pop, but they offer a big jump in performance while coming in at just under $100.

While we typically expect wireless earbuds in this price range to omit certain features found on pricier options, the Liberty 4 NC completely buck that trend. From noise cancellation and multipoint pairing to a handy volume limiter, nearly every feature you could want is here.

The Liberty 4 NC earbuds offer excellent performance for a budget-friendly price.

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Noise-canceling performance is a real standout, with impressive ANC that's on par with many pricier earbuds. Premium options that are triple the cost, like the Sony WF-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, are still better at blocking out noise, but the Liberty 4 NC hold their own surprisingly well. Overall sound quality is also solid, though the default audio profile can be a bit thin. However, once you adjust the EQ, you can get crisp and deep playback.

Of course, there are some downsides, including finicky touch controls. In our tests, we also got seven hours of battery life with ANC rather than the 10 hours the brand advertises, but that's still a good amount of playback time.

All things considered, the Liberty 4 NC earbuds are one of the few options in their price range that don't feel like they're cutting corners or sacrificing key features to get so cheap. Their stem-like design is also reminiscent of Apple's earbuds, making them an excellent AirPods alternative for people who want to spend less money.

Visit our guide to all the best wireless earbuds.

Best over-ear model

The Soundcore Life Q30 are the best budget headphones with an over-ear design. They deliver great sound quality and solid ANC for under $80, besting every competitor we've tested in this class.

Audio performance can't quite match that of premium headphones, but the Life Q30 provide clear and warm sound with balanced frequencies and steady bass. They also offer good noise cancellation, which impressed us during a cross-country flight. More expensive models from Sony and Bose do have superior ANC, but the Life Q30 are proof that you can still get worthwhile noise canceling on a budget.

Soundcore's affordable Life Q30 headphones impressed us with their sound quality and long battery life.

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Battery life is also noteworthy at 40 hours with ANC on or a fantastic 60 hours without ANC. Those are excellent numbers for any pair of over-ear wireless headphones, budget or high-end. That said, the headphones have limitations in other areas, most notably in their build quality.

Though comfy enough, the plastic headband and ear cups have a cheaper feel than pricier models and are susceptible to scratches. It's also too easy to accidentally trigger the right ear cup's tap command, which switches between noise canceling and transparency functions.

But those are relatively minor shortcomings. In the areas where it counts most, the Soundcore Life Q30 perform great. We've yet to encounter a better pair of over-ear wireless headphones this affordable.

Visit our guide to all the best over-ear headphones.

Best wired option

The Audio-Technica ATH-M20X lack the convenience of wireless connectivity, but they deliver great audio quality for people who favor a neutral sound.

The ATH-M20X are the brand's entry-level over-ear headphones. They use a 3.5mm connection and feature 40mm drivers, large leatherette ear cups, and a cushioned headband. Though not compact, this design is comfortable and offers decent noise isolation. However, like most wired headphones, this model does not support any kind of active noise cancellation feature.

Considering their $50 price tag, the headphones' audio performance is excellent. They have a measured sound signature that favors studio accuracy instead of thumping bass or bright treble. These headphones are geared toward people who want to listen to music in a quiet environment at home or monitor recordings for a podcast or song.

The ATH-M20X are still not what we'd consider audiophile caliber — no headphones under $100 are. If you're willing to spend more for a wired model that offers higher-quality playback, we recommend the Sennheiser/Drop HD 6XX. That model is often sold for around $200, offering a fantastic entry point into the world of audiophile-level headphones.

But if you want to stay within a tighter budget, the Audio-Technica ATH-M20X headphones deliver rare performance from such inexpensive studio-style cans.

Best for gaming

Gamers who want a solid wired headset for use with an Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, or computer should check out the Turtle Beach Recon 70. This straightforward model is inexpensive yet reliable.

The Beach Recon 70 uses a 3.5mm connection and feature 40mm drivers. The audio profile is a bit bass-forward, but this sound signature suits most games. The headphones include an integrated boom mic that you can flip up to mute. The mic quality is good and works well for in-game chat during online multiplayer matches.

You can choose between a variety of colors, including blue or green camo patterns. The ear cups are comfy, and the plastic build is lightweight, so they're great for both short and long gaming sessions. However, the headphones' overall construction feels a bit flimsy. The headband, in particular, is less sturdy than we've encountered on pricier models.

But as far as entry-level gaming headphones go, the Turtle Beach Recon 70 check every box we look for.

Visit our guide to all the best gaming headsets.

How we test budget headphones

We tested budget headphones in different environments, both outside and indoors.

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To choose the best budget headphones, our experts relied on a combination of hands-on testing and research. We focused on evaluating key criteria, including audio performance, build quality, value, and extra features when available, like noise cancellation.

When testing sound quality, we listen to a mix of music from various sources, including streaming services, across a wide range of genres. We also sample tracks in various qualities, from low-bit-rate compressed files to lossless high-resolution files. When supported, both wireless and wired playback are also evaluated.

If a pair of headphones supports noise cancellation, we test ANC performance out in the real world in various environments during commutes, workouts, flights, and other noisy activities.

For the best budget headphones will also place a special emphasis on overall value, comparing the performance of our picks to pricier models in an effort to select affordable headphones that come closest to competing with more expensive options on the market.

Budget headphones FAQs

Soundcore's Life Q30 headphones deliver excellent noise-canceling quality on a budget.

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How much should you spend on budget headphones?

Generally speaking, you should expect to pay around $25 to $100 for a pair of reliable headphones on a budget. All of our picks for the best budget headphones fall under that price range. If you want to step up to premium headphones, you can expect to pay at least $200 for high-end wireless earbuds or at least $300 for top wireless over-ear headphones.

Can you get noise-canceling headphones on a budget?

Though the best noise-canceling performance is reserved for pricier models, some budget-friendly headphones still deliver solid ANC. Most notably, we recommend the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC if you want affordable noise-canceling earbuds and the Soundcore Life Q30 if you want affordable noise-canceling over-ear headphones. These models can't match the ANC performance of pricier options from Bose and Sony, but they get remarkably close considering their low price.