Looking for the best cheap wireless earbuds? You've come to the right place. While you can certainly pay big bucks for wireless audio, you don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy sweet sounds. We've tested several truly wireless earphones that promise to deliver the freedom you desire for much less than some of the pricier earbuds — looking at you, Apple AirPods Pro — that dominate the market. This includes models from popular brands such as JLAB, Plantronics, Anker, and Sol Republic, along with standout newcomers like Mobvoi and Amazon darlings like TaoTronics.
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With so many models available to buy right now, we’ve decided to base this list on the top-sellers from around the web, as well as recent releases you might be shocked to see in the bargain bin section. Tom’s Guide has evaluated each set of wireless earbuds based on their design, ease of use and pairing, sound quality, controls and battery life. Let’s get right to it, as we rank the best cheap wireless earbuds you can buy right now.
What are the best cheap wireless earbuds?
Given the criteria (e.g. price, sound quality, ease of use), we recommend the JLab JBuds Air as the best cheap wireless earbuds. These buds boast the kind of features you'd typically expect to see in much more expensive buds. We're impressed by the bass-forward sound and portable-friendly charging case with charging cable built into it.
A great alternative to JLab's wireless earbuds is the Tribit FlyBuds 3, should you want great-sounding wireless earbuds with up to 100 hours of playtime (via charging case). If, on the other hand, you're shopping for the lowest price without sacrificing too much in the way of quality, the TaoTronics Liberty 79 impressed us by still managing to provide solid sound without costing big bucks. Fitness buffs looking for the best cheap wireless running headphones under $60 need look no further than the Plantronics BackBeat Fit 3100, which offers great sound and stability in a waterproof design.
Other entries on this list running down options of the best cheap wireless earbuds come with compromises — usually in the area of sound quality, but some of these buds may not fit as well as they could, or they're plagued by middling battery life. Still, some of these models carry a few specialized features that make them worth looking at.
The best cheap wireless earbuds you can buy today
The best cheap wireless earbuds right now are the JLab JBuds. JLab’s fitness earbuds have bass-forward sound and modern features that should warrant a higher price tag. The JBuds Air comes programmed with three EQ settings (Balanced, Bass Boost, and Signature) that customize the audio output. Bass Boost is most ideal for workouts and packs punchy lows, while Signature makes minor adjustments to frequency response for better midrange.
Battery life is rated at 4 hours, which is slightly below standard, but the accompanying charging case gets you an extra 10 hours of use. An IPX55 certification means these earbuds are built to withstand sweat and splashing as well.
The design is a bit bulky and can create some discomfort when worn for long stretches, but it’s sufficient for workouts. You’re only able to take calls on one earpiece as well.
If you’re someone who values color variety, then you have plenty to choose from, including Black, White, Green, and awesome-looking Navy Blue.
Those who want great-sounding buds and extended playtime for at least a month’s worth of use before recharging will want to put the FlyBuds 3 on their radar. Audio is clean and impactful, keeping bass levels energetic and balanced for vocals to shine. They also serve as sport headphones with IPX7 waterproof coating and multiple fins and tips to accommodate different ear shapes. The charging case can even be used as a portable charger, allowing you to juice up any USB-C devices on the go, something Android fans will appreciate.
Our only complaint is that the touch controls are not the most reliable; you’ll have to perform tap gestures multiple times for commands to register. The charging case is a hefty sucker too, but that’s a small compromise you can live with, especially since it holds up to 100 hours of playtime.
Note: If you’re thinking of using these for exercise, feel comforted knowing that Tribit offers an 18-month replacement warranty for the product.
For their price, these true wireless earbuds from TaoTronics offer better sound and battery life than you might expect. Mids are crisp and bass reproduction is more impactful than the AirPods Pro. TaoTronics claims to offer 8 hours of playtime on a single charge, although, in reality, it’s closer to 7 hours. That’s still more generous than other models on this list of best cheap wireless earbuds, not including the 32 hours provided by the charging case. Bluetooth holds up strong too, and grants users close to 100 feet of wireless listening.
The biggest knock we have against these buds is the setup, which is frustrating right out of the box. TaoTronics’ instructions aren’t very clear, so you’ll have to apply your troubleshooting skills to connect them to an audio source. Once established, the SoundLiberty 79 overachieves, solidifying its place on our best cheap wireless earbuds list.
The Aukey EP-N5 is the closest thing you can get to the AirPods Pro for under $50. To call these buds impressive would be an understatement. They deliver punchy bass and separate vocals to produce full, vibrant sound. The low end is amplified when enabling active noise cancellation, which is great for hip-hop and rock songs, but what’s most surprising is how well the feature works. You’ll be able to drown out proximate sounds like chatty neighbors, keyboard clatter, and the humming noise from your AC. The technology won’t silence high-frequency noises like crying babies or police sirens, but for the price, it minimizes a sufficient amount of ambient sound. We’re also pleased with the charging case, which is lighter and holds more power (35 hours) than the AirPods Pro case (24 hours).
The one issue we encountered during testing was the weak wireless performance. Bluetooth range was shorter than advertised, with dropout occurring 25 feet away from our paired device.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro may have popularized around-the-ear true wireless earbuds, but the Plantronics BackBeat Fit 3100 sparked the trend. Fitness buffs looking for the best cheap wireless running headphones under $60 need look no further. Plantronics designed these buds to be waterproof and sweat-resistant, meaning they’ll survive excessive sweat and heavy splashes. Mids and highs don’t exactly shine here, but bass does and provides playlists extra oomph. Functionality is extended through the BackBeat app, which lets users personalize the controls for convenience; you can enable Google Assistant, Spotify, or even start a timer with a simple tap.
Battery life is subpar at 5 hours, the same amount of playtime as the AirPods. However, the accompanying charging case increases it to 15 hours total and has enough interior space to stash several small EDC items such as cash, credit cards, and gym membership key fobs.
Read our full Plantronics BackBeat Fit 3100 review.
Anker’s wireless earbuds catalog is massive, and you really can’t go wrong with any of its affordable options. However, we find the Soundcore Life P2 to be the brand’s top choice under $60. Even without the Anker Soundcore app, these buds deliver well-balanced sound. Support of multiple codecs (e.g. aptX, AAC, and SBC) enhances the listening experience, especially on Android devices. Playtime is on point with a full charge getting you around 6.5 to 7 hours of use. It’s cool to see these buds come IPX7-certified, granting the user water-resistant protection.
I would avoid making calls on the Life P2, mainly because the 4-mic system doesn’t provide the best voice clarity; those on the other end will have difficulty hearing you clearly. In addition, the control scheme is problematic for those with sensitive ears, as pressing the buttons means pushing the buds deeper into your ears and applying unwanted pressure.
We’re seeing more budget brands take on active noise cancellation, but, in all honesty, the results haven’t been noteworthy. The SoundLiberty 94 is the most convincing of the batch, keeping ambient noise to a minimum the best it can. I was able to block out all the chatter in the family dining room, along with other distractions like cat meows and loud TVs, which is good enough for the price. Sound is more impressive and gives you a bit of everything to enjoy well-balanced frequency range. It’s also great to see the SoundLiberty 94 carry more battery life than the AirPods Pro, and that’s with ANC on.
If only the controls weren’t so frustrating to operate, especially the hold gestures to enable ANC mode and the digital assistant. It will require several tries before the touch panel recognizes these commands, and even then, the digital assistant might have issues working; Siri on macOS would activate, but not register voice commands. The minimalist design is also too bland for fashion-forward types.
As should be clear by now, great sound doesn't always come at a steep price. Sol Republic has proven this time after time, and the Amps Air 2.0 is the latest example of wireless buds that deliver good audio without a corresponding hike in price. Despite bass dominating the sound profile, the Amps Air 2.0 drivers are tuned to produce clearer mids and highs for well-balanced audio. The earbuds do retain the rubberized matte finish of the original, but also lack navigation controls.
Those looking to enjoy long listening sessions won't be thrilled with the 3-hour playtime, but the bundled charging case supports up to 15 extra charges, which definitely comes in handy when commuting to work. The case also doubles as an external battery to charge some of your portable devices (e.g. iPhone, iPad).
A sleek all-black design and powerful specs for a budget-friendly price, EarFun has clearly taken cues from other sub-$100 competitors like Anker. The Air is a solid effort that’s well engineered on the audio end, giving high-pitched vocals prominence on recordings, while producing rich bass depth to balance out sound. We attribute the Air’s resonant output to the buds’ fit, as the tips create a tight seal around the ear to keep music from leaking out and noise from seeping in. You’re also getting much more playtime out of these than the regular AirPods or AirPods Pro; we appreciate the buds coming fully charged right out of the box.
The charging case is wireless charging compatible, but it’s also larger and heavier than most other models. However, the Air’s biggest problem is the touch controls, which fail to work most of the time.
Note: EarFun is another company offering an 18-month replacement warranty, so be sure to keep everything in the packaging.
The Enacfire E18 Plus is an attractive option for cheap earbuds, thanks to reliable sound and even better wireless features. Mids and highs are bright, whereas lows are a mixed bag depending on the music genre. The earbuds come digital assistant-ready with the built-in microphone picking up vocals clearly to execute basic Google Assistant and Siri commands. We're also a fan of the stylish, super-light charging case that provides up to 15 extra hours of music time, greatly supplementing the E18's 8 hours of charge.
Call quality isn’t the greatest; voices sounded muffled and volume is terribly low. It’s also a bummer you can only hear in mono through one earbud when taking calls. Still, the pros and cons balance out performance overall to make this one of the best cheap wireless earbuds around right now.
How to choose the best cheap wireless earbuds for you
Obviously, price is a big consideration when looking for the best cheap wireless earbuds. Many cheap models have listed prices of less than $100, but with sales and discounts at online retailers, you can find even lower prices. You should be able to find a decent pair of wireless earbuds for around $50 to $65, some even as low as $29.
Any money you save on your earbuds purchase won't do you much good if you're constantly needing to recharge your audio gear. So pay attention to rated battery life and whether any carrying case comes with the earbuds to provide additional power. You'll also want to see what reviews from both professional testers and people who bought the earbuds have to say about sound quality. That goes for both listening to music via the earbuds as well as fielding phone calls.
How well wireless earbuds fit your ears can vary from person to person. But some models come with additional tips and fins to offer something approaching a customized fit.
How we test wireless earbuds
When rating the best cheap wireless earbuds, we look not only at price but also design, sound quality and battery life. We also consider how easy it is to pair earbuds with a smartphone and what kind of controls are accessible through the device.
In terms of audio, we listen to many sample tracks that span a number of genres, including hip-hop, rock, jazz, classical and R&B, while evaluating volume, clarity and fullness. We also make phone calls to assess both call quality and microphone performance.
During the testing phase, our reviewers wear each pair of headphones for hours at a time throughout the course of a week. Reviewers will make note of battery life and how well it matches the rated battery life provided by earbud makers.
As with the best wireless headphones, we evaluate earbuds based on our five-point system (1 = worst, 5 = best). If a product hits nearly every mark, it’s awarded an Editors' Choice badge.
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