The best budget wireless earbuds are fantastic value for money. Many of these top earbuds boast great features, good sound and stylish designs that can even rival some of the highest-performing earbuds you can buy today.
We'll speak plain: the best budget earbuds need to sacrifice something for the low price. Maybe it's a lack of active noise cancellation, no multipoint connectivity, a sound that isn't as rich or detailed as the devices in our best earbuds and best wireless earbuds guides, or a battery life that could be better. However, if you’re on a strict budget, there are many wireless earbuds you can buy that deliver all of the essentials in a cheap and cheerful package.
Our budget wireless earbud selections are under $100 / £100 / AU$130 in our book, and we've reviewed hundreds of earbuds, so we know how to separate the audio wheat from the cheap chaff – in this case, the high-performing but low-priced gems from the ones you shouldn't waste your time with, including from big names such as Sony as well as some smaller brands.
The quick list
Keen to cut straight to the best bit – ie. which budget earbuds are the best? We get you. Below, you’ll find a roundup of our choices. You can also jump to a more detailed review of every top pick, plus our price comparison tool to help you find the best deals.
The best budget wireless earbuds overall
Sony has taken hit features from its higher-end buds and shrunk them into this smaller, cheaper package. At this price, the sonic performance can't be beaten.
The best super cheap wireless earbuds
An incredibly small and incredibly cheap pair of earbuds packed with useful features and a customizable sound with strong noise isolation. Excellent value for their price.
The best mid-range cheap wireless earbuds
They may look a tad commonplace, but these EarFun buds are packed with high-end features, including ANC and multipoint pairing. Battery life is excellent, and the sound is very good.
The best top-end budget earbuds
Right at the top of our price range, but their value can't be beaten. They're comfortable, stylish, sound great and ANC is excellent. A no-brainer if your budget can stretch a little.
The best budget wireless earbuds for design
A quirky pair of buds that come in a range of colors. We can't get enough of this refreshing design from Audio-Technica. They also sound great, but there's no ANC here.
The best budget earbuds for battery life
Although these are equally fantastic all-rounders, the battery life here is the true highlight at a whopping 80 hours from the charging case. We also highly rate the sound quality.
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The best neckband cheap earbuds
If you don't want to go truly wireless, SoundMAGIC's E11BT is our top budget semi-wired pick thanks to a comfortable design that fits around your neck and fantastic audio quality.
I've reviewed over 150 audio products since becoming a tech journalist, ranging from super-budget earbuds to high-end Hi-Res Audio music players. Before joining TechRadar, I spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing everything the world of audio had to offer; before that, I was a professional dancer. My love of music ties it all together.
Recent updates
July 18, 2024
Added the JLab JBuds Mini as favorite cheapest option, replacing the JLab Go Air Pop.
The best budget wireless earbuds of 2024
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The best budget wireless earbuds overall
✅ You have a smaller ear: They're some of the most secure and comfortable we've tested in this category for the bijou-eared.
✅ You want the best in budget sound-per-pound value: you're getting effective ANC alongside the most zealous and fun audio at this level.
❌ You want the track to switch off when you remove them: It isn't a feature of the WF-C700N. Small gripe for some, potential game-changer for others.
❌ Your ears are on the large side: There's a chance these lovely little driver housings might even be too small for you.
Simply put, the Sony WF-C700N earbuds are our go-to if you're looking for budget buds that tick all of the boxes. You'll find better noise-cancelling earbuds out there, but none will be as affordable as these.
Before we get too excited, the audio here doesn't approach class-leading territory, but what the Sony WF-C700N can offer above the competition is effective ANC alongside the most energetic and fun audio at the level. Sony's proprietary 360 Reality Audio is also on the spec sheet, so those with a Tidal account are basically sorted, and you also get Sony's standard DSEE audio 'upscaling' engine (note: not the top-tier upscaler but still a neat inclusion), so your even your lowly Spotify tracks are going to get a bit of help too. Other notable features not always seen at the level include handy multi-point connectivity and adaptive sound control.
As if that wasn't enough, these are some of the most secure and comfortable buds we've tested (especially for smaller ears) with an unmistakably Sony classy build and finish – plus they're 38% smaller and 37% lighter than Sony's WF-1000XM4 buds.
It's hard to fault them at this level – their sub-$100/£100 price tag makes it nigh on impossible. They're smaller, they're cheaper, but they still boast many of the features that made their flagship siblings class-leaders. Highly recommended.
Read our full Sony WF-C700N review
The best super cheap budget wireless earbuds
✅ Portability is a priority: Not only are the buds themselves tiny, so is their charging case.
✅ You want to keep the price as low as possible: These buds are super cheap while doing all of the basics very well.
❌ You want strong bass: Sound here is great for the price, but there's no boomy, powerful bass.
❌ You want ANC: Noise isolation does a surprisingly good job, but there's no ANC on board here.
All of the buds in this guide are budget, but if you're looking for a super affordable option then the JLab JBuds Mini are cheap at $39.99 / £39.99 full price (and can often be found for about 30% off) without compromising too much on sound and features.
The first thing you'll notice about the JLab JBuds Mini is they're incredibly small. This is why, as well as being a top option for those on a budget, we recommend them some of the best earbuds for small ears, and are a comfortable and light choice. At just 3.3g per earbud, they're incredibly light, 30% smaller than the Go Air Pop before them. Their case is tiny too, at least compared to rivals. But don't worry, JLab has added a keyring to the side in an effort to stop you losing them. They also have an IP55 rating, which is useful if you get stuck in a light rain shower or want to wear them at the gym during a sweaty workout.
We'd never expect a pair of cheap buds to be packed with features, but you have all of the essentials here, and then some. There's Bluetooth multipoint connectivity to easily switch between two devices without reconnecting, and the JLab app will help you tweak some settings. Battery life is decent for the price: you'll get 5.5 hours from the buds themselves and 20 hours if you've got your case with you.
Despite the fact there's no ANC, they do a good job at keeping out some noises. In our review we wrote: "Passive noise isolation is better than you'd think for earbuds of this size and price." The sound here is just fine, which we're not complaining about considering these buds are so affordable. In our review we noticed a clear and crisp quality to most tracks. They only disappoint when it comes to bass, which isn't particularly bold or meaty.
All in all, this is a top pair of buds that packs a lot into a teeny tiny package with an equally small price tag. If you're looking for the best super cheap buds, you can't go wrong here.
Read our full JLab JBuds Mini review
The best mid-range budget wireless earbuds
✅ You need solid all-rounder buds for less: Few buds tick all the boxes in terms of comortf, good ANC, solid sound and top battery life for under $100/£100.
✅ You won’t want to have to charge them all the time:
There are several great features here, but practically speaking, battery life is arguably the best.
❌ You need ANC that puts you in a cocoon of silence:
ANC is good here, but it doesn’t deliver that almost eerie bubble of silence you get from higher end buds.
❌ You want class-leading sound: We enjoyed listening to music with the EarFun Air Pro 3, but they're not at the top of the pile for neutrality, expanse or dynamic clarity.
The EarFun Air Pro 3 buds don't look particularly special, but they're a really great pair of all-rounder earbuds. As well as bringing you an excellent nine hours of battery life (with an additional 36 from the case), there's also multipoint pairing and some next-gen features that may soon make these buds even more special, including support for the hotly-anticipated Bluetooth LE Audio – and Auracast.
The ANC from the EarFun Air Pro 3 aren't on a par with the best noise-cancelling earbuds you can buy today, but they cost less than half the price of many of those rivals and the level of noise-nixing is good enough for focusing at work and diminishing most extraneous low-level sounds while travelling.
Audio-wise, the EarFun Air Pro 3 buds are powerful and punchy from the get-go. During our testing, we listened to Stevie Nicks' Edge of Seventeen and the signature sound was bang on, with big, booming vocals and oodles of energy. Through the lower registers, things can get a little muddied and cluttered, particularly through heavier tracks, but it's a relatively minor issue at this level.
At 52g they're lovely and light and although the units do feel a bit plasticky, they're incredibly comfortable.
The EarFun Air Pro 3 earbuds deliver a generous dollop of everything most people will need from a pair of true wireless earbuds today, and they do it all for well under $100/£100.
Read our full Earfun Air Pro 3 review
The best top-end budget wireless earbuds
✅ You want affordable ANC: These buds deliver some of the best inexpensive noise-cancellation we've tested.
✅ You care about style: We got so many compliments when we were trialling these – it's easy to see why.
❌ You want spatial audio: You won't find it here. Look at the Sony WF-C700N or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds.
❌ You have very small ears: The design worked well during testing and there are small tips to choose from, but they won't suit the smallest of ears.
The Nothing Ear (a) are our top high-end budget pick. They cost $99 / £99 / around AU$192, which means we can still call them budget at a pinch. And they're well worth including if you want affordable buds that are impeccably good value.
They're packed with features, including in-ear detection, multipoint to two devices, an ear tip fit test and a Find My Earbuds feature. You can also toggle on low lag for gaming and there's Bluetooth v5.3 here, as well as LDAC support for hi-res audio.
Both call quality and ANC have been massively improved over Nothing buds that came before them. During our testing, we were blown away by the noise-cancelling power on offer here, although did comment that we can see why battery life takes such a hit when it's on – it's really that good.
How do they sound? Great, especially for the price. In our review, we said the sound is fun and energetic. We wrote: "There's so much here to celebrate sonically that I cannot pick fault."
Design-wise, expect the cool, transparent and minimal aesthetic Nothing has become known for. And not only do they look fantastic, but the case has been upgraded and is now small and more pocketable and the fit is extremely comfort for all-day listening.
We know it's tempting to go for the cheapest buds you can find. But if you want a reliable pair that represent excellent value in terms of design, comfort, sound and features, the Nothing Ear (a) are a very impressive set of buds and a choice that won't disappoint.
Read our full Nothing Ear (a) review
The best budget wireless earbuds for design
✅ You want the best-sounding true wireless buds for $79: This incredibly affordable proposition boasts sonic chops no other solution has managed at this level.
✅ You like to look good (and a little bit alternative): Are these the coolest little earbuds on the planet? Hard to say.
❌ ANC is top of your list: There's no active noise cancellation here, sadly, although the hear-through feature works beautifully to stay aware.
❌ You really want app support: These buds do well without a companion app, but if you prefer a visual cue you won't find it here.
The Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW earbuds are one of our favorite pairs of budget buds because they're packed with more features than you'd expect for the price, including on-ear controls that work well (including volume) plus a low-latency mode and a hear-through function. You're also getting Bluetooth 5.0 and an impressive 20 hours of battery. They lack a companion app and there's no active noise cancellation here, but during our testing we were wiling to let these specs slide for everything else you get here.
These aren't the best-sounding buds you can buy, but for the price we were impressed. Stream Perfume Genius' On the Floor on Tidal and the complex intro comes through with such detail that we're noting treble elements in our right ear we never picked up before. A female backing vocal is easily perceptible and impactful – delivered with the kind of insight that lesser earbuds at this money cannot begin to dish up.
These buds sound good, but it's the design that we really want to shout about. They have a cubist and cool aesthetic that's refreshingly different in a sea of similar-looking buds. They're also available in six delicious-sounding colorways (Caramel, Popsicle, Cupcake, Blueberry, Liquorice and Popcorn). Not only do they look good, they feel good too and fit comfortably for hours.
These inexpensive earbuds should be on your list – and not on looks alone. These buds sound more expansive and are generally better than anything else you can buy for this money.
Read our full Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW review
The best budget wireless earbuds for battery life
✅ You value audio quality: These buds sound superb out of the box, especially at this price point. The LDX Audio mode gives them an optionally-beefier sound too.
✅ You don’t want to keep reaching for a charger: Battery life from the PurePlay Z3 2.0 is so good you’ll find yourself surprised when you eventually need to recharge its capacious power case.
❌ You need noise cancellation: It’s the one area where the budget nature of the earbuds becomes clear – premium noise cancelling features are absent.
❌ Hear-through and ambient modes are crucial: Though the PurePlay Z3 2.0 claims to have listening modes that give you a better feel for your surroundings, they didn’t prove very useful in our testing.
The LyperTek PurePlay Z3 2.0 are the successors to the original Lypertek PurePlay Z3, which we loved. They're a little older now but still hold their own in the game, boasting great features for the price, including wireless charging, a powerful LDX Audio mode and an improved companion app. Perhaps the best feature here is battery life though, which is a massive 80 hours with the charging case and 10 hours from the buds on their own. Know many other buds that can do that? Neither do we…
Sound quality is also good – it's a detailed, integrated, balanced, agile hi-fi sound. They boast a novel LDX Audio mode, which during our testing was "like hitting an overdrive button – raising the volume of less-present frequencies (particularly bass tones), widening the soundstage." The result is a more energetic, dynamic delivery, and whether you love it forever or use it sporadically at best, it certainly adds value in this budget realm.
They're not the nicest-looking proposition, but they're gloriously light and comfortable even for long listening sessions and we are big fans of the physical buttons. They come with small, medium or large silicone ear tips, and even a Flexifit foam tip that expands slightly in the ear for a tighter seal and better passive noise cancellation – yes, for this money!
These budget buds are a few years old now, but that means they're often around at even lower prices – and that killer battery life alone makes them a great buy if you can find them. At the time of writing, the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 earbuds are sold out in the UK. As a result, we recommend considering the Soundpeats Air4 Pro as an alternative – although it only offers up to 26 hours of battery life.
Read our full Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 review
The best budget wireless neckbuds
✅ You want a neckband: If you don't want to go fully wireless, these are a top alternative, keeping each bud anchored without the annoying wire to your source device.
✅ You want cheap gym earbuds: These are some of our top picks for budget workout buds; the neckband keeps them in place, plus there's a splash-proof IPX4 rating.
❌ You want truly wireless earbuds: If you want a little case where your two learpieces go to roost, you'll feel short-changed here
❌ You want ANC: Passive noise isolation is good here, but you won't have total immersion.
The SoundMagic E11BT buds aren't packed with features (there's no ANC whatsoever), but they remain our top pick for budget 'buds if you prefer a neckband-style design. They boast good connectivity, control via an inline remote and continuous playback for up to 20 hours, provided you don't max out the volume during your workout.
Largely speaking, the audio quality provided by the E11BTs is very good indeed, with an impressive amount of oomph and drive for such small earbuds. Vocals are clear and smooth thanks to their custom-tuned drivers and there's good bass depth and clout too.
Overall, the E11BTs are comfortable to wear thanks to ergonomically-designed eartips and a flat neckband that shouldn’t irritate you while running or working out. With an IPX4 rating, they'll also withstand even super-sweaty training sessions.
The SoundMagic E11BTs are an extremely capable pair of wireless in-ear earphones and given their low price they're fantastic value. Aside from an occasionally overstated treble (but we're really nitpicking here) we found it difficult to fault them. This particular model is seeing limited stock in the UK at the moment, so we recommend checking out the 1More Penta Driver P50 wired earbuds as an optional alternative.
Read our full SoundMAGIC E11BT review
Other wireless earbuds to consider
We've recently been testing lots of new earbuds. The 1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 are a solid pair of feature-packed earbuds and a strong competitor to the Earfun Air Pro 3 in our list above. However, they don't quite knock the Earfuns off this list because they've got a weak battery and iffy touch controls in comparison. The design is arguably funkier, though – here's our full 1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 review.
We also reviewed the Motorola Moto Buds Plus. They've got great sound and noise cancellation for the price, so why don't they make this list? Well, they're too expensive – but they're only a little above our price ceiling, so we mention them here because during price drops they may fall into the budget category. It's worth reading our Motorola Moto Buds Plus review if ANC is your priority, but we'd generally recommend people stick to the options above from Nothing or Sony.
You'll see the Nothing Ear (a) now feature in this guide because, well, they're excellent. With their fun, engaging sound, achingly cool looks and improved design, they're very deserving of a place here as our best top-end budget pick.
What of CMF by Nothing – the cheaper offering within Carl Pei's growing empire? Well, they're good, not great. In our CMF by Nothing Buds review, we enjoyed their stylish design for the price, and when combined with the low price, they're very tempting. But with middling sound quality and features, they're not quite a knockout, and so haven't pushed their way onto this list.
How to choose the best budget wireless earbuds
Buying a pair of the best budget earbuds can be a challenge. You might uncover a real gem or land yourself with a pair or buds that barely work, let alone sound good. All of the the affordable earbuds in this list come with our recommendation.
But often you do get what you pay for in terms of connectivity, build and noise cancellation. In fact, ANC is the first thing to be omitted from the spec sheet in the budget realm. For example, you need to be looking at models such as the EarFun Air Pro 3 and Sony WF-C700N as opposed to Audio-Technica's ATH-SQ1TW or Lypertek's PurePlay Z3 2.0 if you want active noise cancellation in your budget buy. If that's not an essential feature for you, then it's even worth looking at cheaper models in a brand's lineup. For example, the Earfun Air 2 is a more stripped back version of the Air Pro 3 that offers great money for value.
Before you add the earbuds to your online shopping cart, it's also worth having an idea of what kind of earbuds you need. There are two kinds of wireless earbuds: neckbuds that have a cable connecting each earbud but connect via Bluetooth to your phone, and true wireless earbuds that have no cables at all. The former is a dying breed but still, certain active users and athletes prefer it.
If you intend to workout with your earbuds, then you'll need buds that will stay put, so look out for interchangeable eartips and fins to hold them in place. Check out our guides for the best running headphones and best workout headphones, or even the best bone conduction headphones for more inspiration.
If you're all about the sound quality, look for earbuds that support hi-res audio and low latency codecs like aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless. Or, if you want cheap earbuds that will get your through a week's worth of commuting, you'll want to look out for long battery lives – think 25 hours and above.
How we test the best budget wireless earbuds
☑️ More than 3,000 headphones reviewed
☑️ 15 years of product testing
☑️ Over 16,000 products reviewed in total
☑️ Nearly 200,000 hours testing tech
We're constantly testing the best cheap wireless earbuds to determine which can be included in this list. But to make the cut, we need them to tick a number of boxes. We have a more detailed breakdown of how we test earbuds at TechRadar but we've outlined a brief summary of the methodology below.
The biggest consideration we make when determining if a pair of earbuds makes our list is pricing. Being available for under £100/$100/AU$150 is what we determine to be relatively cheap. This is closely followed by how solid the sound quality is, which features a pair of earbuds offers (such as decent battery life or mic quality) and the level of comfort they deliver .
We always test earbuds in a number of different sound environments across a vast selection of musical genres with a wide-range of connectivities (mainly wired and Bluetooth). We listened to podcasts and albums in both quiet rooms and busy aeroplanes, to ensure we knew how they'd handle varying levels of noise too. We also wore them while walking and, often, working out, which meant we could speak to their comfort levels, ANC if available, and how secure they are in your ear.
We also put those battery claims to the test, making sure we got a sense of how quickly the juice drains from the buds and the case itself during both extensive listening sessions and shorter ones.
Of course, these earbuds aren't going to compare with the high-end buds that you'll find our best wireless earbuds guide, which are double – or even triple – the price, but our testing is independent, which means we can assure you that you're getting the best sound-per-pound experience.
Latest updates to the best budget wireless earbuds
July 18, 2024
Added the JLab JBuds Mini as our 'best super cheap' option, replacing the JLab Go Air Pop.
June 21, 2024
Added the Nothing Ear (a) in as our 'best top-end budget' choice.
Read more updates…
May 29, 2024
Added an 'Also consider' section to this buying guide, to reflect the other products we've tested – and explain why they're not here. Updated the copy throughout to refect our current top choices.
March 27, 2024
Expanded the 'how we test' section, added in a link to our Earfun Air 2 review, updated copy with recent stock availability for the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 and SoundMAGIC E11BT, and added more images to each write-up.
January 23, 2024
Removed Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus because although they're excellent, the product is no longer available. Updated copy throughout.
December 5, 2023
Checked rankings against current models available in the market. Updated the 'how to choose' section with our latest advice.
October 3, 2023
Updated rankings and swapped out products that were no longer available. Completely refreshed the format of the guide to include a new quick menu and extra information in the boxouts of each write-up.
