Discover the Perfect Pair: Our Favorite Earbuds for Every Budget

Just Buy This (All Around Best)

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds

$299 $249 at Amazon $299 $249 at Walmart View on Verizon Wireless

TL;DR: The Bose QC Ultra Earbuds strike an impeccably clean balance between features, noise cancellation, and overall sound quality.

Why We Recommend It

While the latest AirPods Pro have solid noise cancellation and seamless Apple connectivity, the Bose QC Ultra are my favorite for all-around use, thanks to the sound quality, fit, design, and long feature list.

While their battery life (including the charging case) isn’t as long as some options, I routinely used the earbuds for almost an entire workday without having to pop them back in the case to charge them as my day progressed.

I also like Bose's sound profile, which offers just the right balance across the frequency spectrum and a bit of bass boost.

You can customize the sound profile with the Bose Music app, where you can dial in the touch controls and sensors to your liking.

Apple users may prefer instant connectivity to the AirPods line. And if you don’t like these earbuds' "hanging-stem" design, you might need to go back a generation to the original QuietComfort earbuds.

But, to my ears, the QC Ultra earbuds are about as well-rounded as you’ll find.

• Who else recommends it? Tom’s Guide, The Verge, What Hi-Fi, and countless others have all put the QC Ultra Earbuds through their paces and marked them highly in their rankings. 
• What do buyers think? More than The QC Ultra earbuds have more than 7,300 Amazon customer reviews, and 58 percent of shoppers give them 5 out of 5 stars for their well-rounded performance and excellent build quality.

Also Great

Apple AirPods (3rd Generation)

$169 $138 at Amazon $99 at Walmart $170 at Best Buy

TL;DR: The third-generation AirPods cut out some premium features like noise cancellation, but leave plenty to love for a pretty solid price.

Why We Recommend These

While the third-generation AirPods don’t feature all the bells and whistles of the Pro version, they also don’t feature the premium price tag either.

This distinction is what makes them an excellent choice for the average Apple user who wants a great pair of earbuds at an affordable price.

While you’re missing the pro model's active noise cancellation, Apple has still packed in some flagship features.

The spatial audio and automatic adaptive equalization alone make the AirPods 3 an absolute joy to listen to. And the battery life is also impressive, routinely carrying me through a week of casual use.

I found them particularly capable when watching video content because the spatial audio allowed me to set the sound stage.

The sound always appeared to "come from" the direction of the source video. It’s a nifty little trick you honestly must experience in person to believe. 

Then there’s the simple Apple connectivity point.

Using the now-ubiquitous H1 chip, Apple makes pairing and switching your AirPods to new devices about as painless as you could expect, which is great for someone with a lot of Apple gadgets.

While you can pair AirPods via traditional Bluetooth on non-Apple devices, you’re losing out on many sensors and software features.

The all-white design is well-loved by some, though it’s getting a little tired for my tastes. It’s also tough to keep all-white earbuds clean.

But, if you’ve already bought into Apple and you want something capable of a reasonable price, then listen to these.

• Who else recommends it? As with most AirPods, you’ll find favorable reviews on all the major sites, including CNET, the Verge, and more.
• What do buyers think? The third-generation AirPods have earned nearly 5,000 Amazon reviews, resulting in an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Easiest on the Budget

Soundcore by Anker Liberty 4 NC

$100 at Amazon View on Soundcore.com View on Target

TL;DR: The king of budget earbuds strikes again with a full-featured pair of earphones that sound great and last for days at a time.

Why We Recommend It

When Soundcore launched their Liberty Air series a few years back, they immediately made waves in the true wireless earbud space—delivering impressively nuanced sound from well-rounded drivers and software-based sound shaping.

The latest iteration, the Liberty 4 NC, focuses heavily on two key areas: noise cancellation and battery life.

First, the ANC has been upgraded from the last gen with Soundcore’s ANC 2.0 protocol.

Soundcore advertises that you can remove up to 98.5 percent of background noise, and thanks to the adaptive qualities in the 2.0 experience, it’s supposed to evolve with your environment.

I think the premium ANC earphones from Bose and Apple tend to do better in this category overall, but the performance is excellent for the price point here.

The 11-millimeter drivers in each earbud, when paired with Soundcore’s EQ customization in the app, make for a nuanced, powerful audio experience. The pop-heavy mixes and heavily compressed audio came through with richness and detail.

One thing that sets the Air 4s apart is their inclusion of high-end Bluetooth codecs. The compatibility with LDAC files means that more of the audio that comes from your device is intact, and I can say that it came through nicely in my listening experience.

The rest of the offering here is also quite compelling.

At 10 hours of life on the earbuds themselves with a whopping 50 hours of use when you factor in the charging case, the battery life advertised is among the most I’ve ever seen for a pair of earbuds in this category.

In practice, I can’t say I felt like 50 hours was all that realistic, especially when using the adaptive noise cancellation available.

But I will say that you’ll quickly get through several full work days without having to plug the case in. I also like the dark blue color available–though the light blue version I tested was pretty eye-catching.

The build quality and design are not as premium as some higher-dollar offerings. I also found that the hanging stem's tapered shape felt tacky compared to some refined shapes I’ve seen.

These are minor considerations for an otherwise top-tier offering at a perfectly attainable price point.

• Who else recommends it? The Sound Guys, RTINGS, and PCMag give the Air 4s high marks—an impressive feat for publications that put a premium on spec sheets and lab-style testing.  
• What do buyers think? Over 16,000 shoppers on Amazon have weighed in to give these earbuds an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars.