When you've only got a few bucks to spend on a soundbar, there are a couple of things you're going to have to forgo. But those are all things you don't need. Surround sound, a separate bass-making subwoofer; all nice-to-haves.
That's not to say that cheap soundbars don't sound good, though. Our top pick is the Sony HT-S100F, a sub-$100 bar that offers great sound and good compatibility with loads of different TVs.
There are other options at different price points, although all are budget-friendly. Here are our favorite cheap soundbars.
About the Author
I maintain the site's buying guides for headphones, wireless earbuds, Bluetooth speakers, soundbars, and more. I have spent more than 20 years testing audio equipment for my own enjoyment, and was previously the audio editor for iMore. There's nothing more I love than jamming out to my favorite tunes on audio equipment of different prices and sizes.
The best cheap soundbars you can buy right now
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Best cheap soundbar overall
Despite its wonderfully low price, the HT-S100F provides a whole host of excellent features, making it a great low-cost option to improve your TV sound. It's an attractive soundbar for one, belying its price with great build quality and a simple, black grille. That houses a 2-channel surround setup, with a pair of internal drivers.
Its main audio strength is how it increases the clarity of the dialogue. That means voices in your favorite news bulletins or soap operas become a whole lot easier to understand than if you're watching on your standard TV speakers. It's good for movies, too, making sure that you don't have to break the bank to get excellent sound.
The bass is a little anemic, and there's no optical port for older TVs. But it's a very cheap, very well-made soundbar that's great for anyone who wants to improve the sound of their TV.
- Read our full Sony HT-S100F review
Best value cheap soundbar
If you're after as much bass as humanly possible in a soundbar, then the Viziom V-Series 2.1 V21-H8 is the way to go. Despite its tongue twister of a name, this soundbar, with the help of its included sub, pumps out some seriously deep tones, potentially shaking the floor or the sofa on which you're sat. It's not just your TV that can benefit from the bass either — you can plug in Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri smart speakers as well.
Overall sound is good, but all that bass does get slightly in the way of vocal performances. You'll find that voices are often overlayed by the bass tones sometimes, so you won't get a perfect sonic performance out of the Vizio. You will get excellent soundstage, however, with some solid stereo imaging, letting you place characters in a movie or instruments in a song with some precision.
Style-wise you've got a slick-looking soundbar that will fit into most different decor styles — although you should remember that it's a little longer than some of the competition so you'll need to make sure you've got the space. The sub is slightly bigger than some of those you might find elsewhere as well, so make sure you account for the extra space it'll take up.
- Read our full Vizio V-Series 2.1 Home Theater Soundbar V21-H8 review
Best cheap soundbar under $100
Sometimes, you don't even have the $100 for something 'cheap' — which is where the Majority Naga 60 comes in clutch. It's the cheapest soundbar on the list by far, but still packs in some great features that make it well worth putting under your TV.
It might not have the same kind of performance as something more expensive or some of the larger options on the list, but it's a meaningful upgrade for movies over your existing TV speakers.
There's more bass to the bar, greater soundstage, and clearer dialogue so that you can hear what the characters are saying in films and what the newscaster is saying in daily bulletins. Is it the most impressive thing in the world? No, but for something so cheap, it's far more impressive than we were expecting.
It looks handsome as well, with a nice black finish and a fine mesh grill covering the front and top of the device. There's even a helpful remote in the box to make it easier to control.
- Read our full Majority Naga 60 review
Best cheap soundbar with streaming
One of Roku’s earliest audio products, the Streambar Pro is an impressive device that stuffs a 4K Roku streaming player into a tiny soundbar. Virtual surround sound is available right out of the box to fill up your living room.
Bass is decent considering there’s no subwoofer bundled with the package. It also comes with one of the most user-friendly remotes available, which features a button for voice search and headphone jack for private listening.
Lack of Dolby Atmos support will disappoint those seeking a more immersive listening experience. So will the sluggish performance when going through the menus and app. Nonetheless, to get quality sound and Roku functionality from a speaker makes this a sweet deal.
- Read our full Roku Streambar Pro review
How to choose the best cheap soundbar for you
The best cheap soundbar for you depends on the features, connections and size that will help you most enjoy watching movies and TV. Some of these soundbars come with a subwoofer — a speaker dedicated to producing the tactile rumble that's evident when watching action movies. Think about whether you need a remote as some designs are better than others.
Soundbar size: There are a number of factors that play into deciding which soundbar you should buy. Size will likely be prohibitive for most customers; you obviously need a soundbar that will suit your TV and space constraints within your entertainment console. And, because a soundbar is one of the centerpieces of your home theater setup, it has to look good and fit stylistically.
Then you have to factor in the size of the room you're dealing with, and the distance viewers would typically be sitting from the TV. If you're dealing with a larger space, it's probably best to target soundbars that come with a subwoofer — you'll surely appreciate the extra bass.
Connectivity: Connectivity is crucial too, both in terms of wired and wireless access. Not every soundbar comes with an HDMI port; some force you to make do with optical audio. That's perfectly fine if you want to use your TV as a pass-through, but those who are in dire need of more HDMI ports — because their capacity is limited between game consoles, streaming boxes and so on — will need to prioritize options that offer those additional connections.
You’ll also want to pay attention to the audio outputs on your TV or monitor. Although the majority of the soundbars now come with an HDMI port for audio output from your TV, but the LG SK1 offers optical digital only.
Pricing considerations: Obviously, price is a big consideration when looking for the best soundbars. Although there are always exceptions, big-name brands will typically command a bit extra, but generally speaking, the less you spend on a soundbar the greater the chance that sound and features will be compromised. Going for a budget option isn't always the best choice, as any money you save on your purchase won't do you much good if the sound quality is poor.
As the saying goes: timing is everything; and right now many of our favorite models are being discounted at online retailers, meaning you can bag a bargain for even less. Remember to bookmark our best tech deals page for all the latest savings.
How we test the best cheap soundbars
We test soundbars for vocal clarity and low-end effects by watching a variety of movies and TV shows, including video in action and drama genres. We also listen to various songs ranging from rock to hip hop to acoustic to evaluate music performance. We benchmark volume using an app that measures decibels.
Ease of use depends on how quickly and simply we can connect the soundbar to the TV and how easily we can make adjustments to the sound quality. We'll let you know if this process is particularly easy or difficult, though cheap soundbars pretty much never require specialist audio knowledge to set up.
Once testing is completed, we rate the best soundbars based on our five-point system (1 = worst, 5 = best). Products that hit nearly every mark are awarded an Editor's Choice badge.
Find out how we test for more information on our reviewing procedures
