Best budget headphones of 2026

Buying a pair of budget headphones doesn't mean you have to put up with bad sound or stripped-down features. These days, the best budget headphones can get surprisingly close to what you'd hear from pricier models without draining your wallet. To help you find the right fit, our audio experts tested a wide range of options and narrowed things down to the four best cheap headphones you can get for under $100.

If you're after over-ear headphones, the Soundcore Life Q30 are our top pick. They cost around $80 and offer the most impressive active noise canceling (ANC) we've seen at that price. Prefer earbuds? The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC are a great alternative, with a stem-style design similar to AirPods and standout ANC for their class.

Below, you'll find all of our picks for the best budget headphones. Our team has been reviewing audio products for over a decade, and we've used that expertise to inform all of our recommendations.

Our top picks for the best budget headphones

Best overall Soundcore Life Q30 - See at Amazon

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

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

Best entry-level earbuds: JLab Go Air Pop - Seeat Amazon

Best over-ear model

The Soundcore Life Q30 are the best budget headphones overall. They feature an over-ear design, Bluetooth support, 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 offer superior ANC, but the Life Q30 prove you can get worthwhile noise canceling on a budget.

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 tap command on the right ear cup, which switches between noise-canceling and transparency modes.

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 at this price.

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 active noise cancellation.

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

Best entry-level earbuds

If you want reliable wireless earbuds for under $25, the JLab Go Air Pop are the best budget option around. 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, including 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 during typical listening sessions. We could nitpick flaws here and there, but for budget headphones, there's 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.

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 achieve crisp, 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 headphones 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 also resembles Apple's earbuds, making them anexcellent AirPods alternativefor people who want to spend less.

Visit our guide to all the best earbuds.

How we test budget headphones

To find 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, when available, extra features such as noise cancellation. We've been reviewing audio gear for over a decade and used that experience to inform our testing parameters.

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 its performance in real-world environments during commutes, workouts, flights, and other noisy activities.

For the best budget headphones, we will also emphasize overall value, comparing the performance of our picks to pricier models to select affordable headphones that come closest to competing with more expensive options on the market.

Meet the expert behind this guide:

Steven Cohen, senior tech editor: I oversee tech coverage for Business Insider's Reviews team, and I've been writing about home entertainment gear for over a decade — including headphones at every price point. My team and I are always reviewing new headphones and checking back in on older favorites to keep our recommendations current. The focus here is pretty straightforward: find budget-friendly over-ear headphones and earbuds that actually sound good, feel comfortable, and are worth the money.

Learn more about the Reviews team at Business Insider.

Budget headphones FAQs

How much should you spend on budget headphones?

Generally speaking, you should expect to pay between $25 and $100 for a pair of reliable budget headphones. 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.

What should you expect from budget headphones?

You can get surprisingly good performance from budget headphones, but there are tradeoffs. Most cheap models today offer solid sound quality for casual listening, along with decent comfort and battery life if they're wireless. That said, you'll usually miss out on premium features like top-tier noise cancellation and high-end materials. Likewise, features geared toward audiophiles, such as an open-back design and high-end planar magnetic or electrostatic drivers, are typically reserved for more expensive models.

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 for affordable noise-canceling earbuds, and the Soundcore Life Q30 for 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. For those interested in stepping up to a higher-end model from one of those other brands, check out our guides to the best Sony headphones and best Bose headphones.

The post Best budget headphones of 2026 appeared first on Business Insider