The Best Headphones for $100 or Less
The Best headphones under $100 are harder to find than you might think. Here at WIRED Gear, it's part of our job to listen to music all day, often on exceedingly fancy and bonkers-expensive models. We have playlists for testing bass, for assessing detail, for dance parties—we get way into it. But believe it or not, we like testing the cheap stuff just as much. It's like a treasure hunt to find the ones that pack in the most tech for the money. And it seems like they're getting better and better every year.
That doesn't mean our work is done; etailers are still overflowing with cheap headphones that sound cheap, so we'll keep listening and updating our picks every few months. While you're looking for the next great pair, be sure to check out our many other buying guides, including the Best Wireless Headphones and Best Wireless Workout Headphones.
Updated September 2021: We've added the Google Pixel Buds A-Series and Koss Porta Pro.
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- Photograph: Google
The Best for Most
Google Pixel Buds A-SeriesThe Pixel Buds A-Series are amazingly comfortable, sound great, and have decent microphones for calls. These are the less expensive version of the more capable Pixel Buds, but that premium model is likely to get an update this fall and is currently not for sale. These cheaper buds are still excellent—and still being sold by Google—so you can feel confident buying them today. They come with an IPX4 rating to protect them against sweat and ear fins to keep them lodged in your ears, so they're great for workouts. The design is also slim enough to fit even in small ears. Full integration with Google Assistant makes them some of the most helpful buds around, and if you use an Android phone, they pair instantly. On iOS, they pair just like a normal Bluetooth device. That minor inconvenience of having to manually pair them to an iPhone is worth it, in my opinion; these are essentially better-spec'd AirPods at two-thirds the price.
- Photograph: 1More
Also Great Earbuds
1More ColorBudsThe ColorBuds (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are the third-generation wirefree earbuds from the small audio brand 1More. They boast an AirPod-beating six hours of battery life, support for the AptX Bluetooth codec for higher-quality wireless audio, and an assortment of comfortable ear tips that all but guarantee a good fit. The IPX5 rating makes them capable of withstanding rainy walks and sweaty runs too. The best part, though, is their fit. They are some of the most comfortable wirefree earbuds, even for people with smaller ears. Bonus: As the name suggests, they come in an assortment of cool colors.
- Photograph: Jabra
Best Wireless Headphones
Jabra Elite 45HThe Jabra Elite 45H aren't just great on-ear headphones with clean lines and comfortable, form-fitting earpads, they also have enough battery life to last a week or longer between charges, even if you listen for many hours every day. You'll get up to 50 hours of medium-level playback from these stylish headphones, which makes them an awesome pick for those who like to escape the power grid (or hate searching for charging cables every two days).
- Photograph: Amazon
Best Noise-Canceling Headphones
Anker Soundcore Life Q30 WirelessAnker makes everything from phone chargers to headphones, and its products are typically pretty good. The Q30 are a standout, thanks to their quality hybrid active noise-canceling tech and class-leading 40-hour playtime. These are a great cheap model to buck the noise of planes, trains, and automobiles. A pair of 40-mm silk diaphragm drivers even produce pretty good sound quality for the price. Just be careful with them, because they're a bit fragile; the plastic headband can crack if you sit on it.
- Photograph: Beats
Best for Apple Lovers
Beats FlexThe Beats Flex have all of the same conveniences of more expensive Apple earbuds: quick pairing, easy access to Siri, and seamless Apple Music integration. This is all thanks to the inclusion here of Apple's W1 chip, which helps the headphones establish and maintain a rock-solid wireless connection to iOS devices and also has added power-management smarts to boost their battery life. WIRED reviewer Adrienne So found the band between the two earbuds to be a bit long for her, but she liked the crisp sound and wide soundstage, all without the muddy bass Beats was so notorious for in its early days. She likes the 12-hour-plus battery life, which is good enough for a few workdays of tunes between trips to the wall charger. (They charge via USB-C, which is a plus.)
- Photograph: Sony
Best for Content Creators
Sony MDR7506If you're a music producer, podcaster, or streamer, you need a good pair of over-ear headphones for monitoring your creative output. The classic Sony MDR-7506 are just what you need. They've got great-sounding 40-mm dynamic drivers, and the cozy earpads help eliminate bleed into any nearby mics. Pros everywhere trust these cans; You'll find 7506s in use in media studios and radio stations around the world.
★ Sleeker Options: There are also great headphones from several other audio brands like these from AKG and Sennheiser. As a general rule, you can trust any company that also makes studio microphones (Shure, AKG, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica) to know what it's doing with studio-style headphones.
- Photograph: Fiio
Best In-Ear Monitors
Fiio FH1sWith a sleek design and a braided cable that runs around your ears instead of below them, Fiio’s FH1s make you look and feel like your favorite pop star on stage. Their around-the-ear cable takes a bit longer to put on than more traditional earbuds, but you’re rewarded with some of the most balanced, detailed sound we’ve ever heard for under a single Benjamin.
Fiio is best known for making expensive, audiophile-grade headphones and digital music players, and much of what we love about the FH1 borrows from the model's more expensive siblings. The ergonomic outer section of the headphones hides 13.6-mm balanced armature drivers, which provide clear highs (treble) and controlled bass. Built-in MMCX terminations on each earbud mean you can quickly and easily replace the cable if it ever wears out. They even come with a hardshell carrying case—a rarity at this price.
- Photograph: Jaybird
Best Neckband Earbuds
Jaybird TarahBoth of Jaybird's sub-$100 headphones, the Tarah and the X4, are excellent, durable, long-lived workout buds with fantastic sound quality. But if you don't need the X4's special, squishy Comply foam ear tips, the Tarah has everything you need at a sweet price.
Soft earpieces (with wings!) fit securely right out of the box, and the soft nubs stayed put while our reviewers went trail running, rock climbing, and weight lifting. The whole headset weighs less than a half ounce. You can also tinker with EQ presets in the Jaybird app or create your own custom sound. We’ve worn them absolutely everywhere, from the bus to the beach, and enjoy their impressive 8 hours of battery life to the fullest.
- Photograph: Audio Technica
Best Corded Headphones Under $50
Audio-Technica ATH-M20X Monitor HeadphonesThey’re plasticky and don't feel all that durable, but if you’re not super hard on your headphones, the M20X easily compete with the larger, more robust M50X when it comes to sound quality. The M50X litter music and podcasting studios the world over, making this cheaper variant the a good option for home creators on a budget, or anyone who wants a pair of over-ear headphones that faithfully recreate their favorite tunes.
They’re also lighter in the bass department than many headphones in this price range, since manufacturers often boost the lows in their cheaper headphones to impress untrained ears. This lack of strong bass is a good thing though. You’ll be able to hear more of the detail in your favorite shreddy guitar solos, without that extra low end stomping all over them.
- Photograph: Shure
Best Corded Earbuds Under $50
Shure SE-112GROK, yes. They look like the same ugly earbuds that came with your first portable MP3 player, but what the Shure SE-112GR lacks in looks, they make up for in sound quality. We’ve recommended various iterations of the SE-112 to friends and family since the iPod era. They’re small, comfy, and have surprisingly robust bass for headphones this small and cheap. They even come with foam ear tips that can block out up to 37 decibels of outside noise, making them great for folks who want to tune out the 15th play-through of “Baby Shark.”
- Photograph: JLab Audio
Best Wirefree Buds Under $50
JLab Audio Go AirThe JLab Go Air (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are legitimately good wireless earbuds, and not just for the price. They come with AirPod-matching 5 hours of battery life, AirPod-beating sweatproofing, a tiny charging case with a built-in charging cable, and a very comfortable fit.
It's not surprising that JLab makes our favorite cheap earbuds—it's made some of the best affordable audio products on the market for years. Still, the Go Air feel like a triumph of performance for the money. The only downside? The open-topped charging case can collect gunk in your pockets. The best part? At $30, compared to the nearly $150 you'll pay for AirPods, you don't have to worry too much about losing one.
- Photograph: Koss
Best for Style Points
Koss Porta ProKoss' iconic Porta Pros have a cult following in audiophile communities for their comfortable, lightweight design and oddly fantastic sound. They look like they're fresh out of a 1980s workout ad, but they're actually pretty solidly built, and there are a ton of aftermarket earpads and other accessories to increase their comfort or help them fit your style. They also fold up, which makes them easy to take with you in a backpack or laptop bag.
- Photograph: JBL
Best Buds Under $25
JBL Tune 210Do you just need something cheap? We hear you. We read great things about JBL's low-priced plug-in earbuds, so we gave these a shot. They sound decent, and the flat cable rarely gets tangled and mitigates those distracting sounds when the cord rubs against your shirt. Our friends at the Wirecutter selected these as their top budget pick, and we agree. They're great for the price!
★ Other Cheap Buds: These Panasonic ErgoFit earbuds sound better (and come in more colors!) than standard Apple earbuds, but cost half the price.
- Photograph: Steelseries
Best for Gamers
SteelSeries Arctis 1 WiredWe like the sleek designs and comfortable fits of most SteelSeries Arctis headsets we've tried, but for less than 100 smackeroos, the Arctis 1 are the best you'll find. They work well with PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC, and other game systems, and they have a detachable mic for when you're not screaming at an opponent in Rocket League.
Read our Best Gaming Headsets and Best Wireless Gaming Headsets guides for more.
- Photograph: JLab Audio
Best for Kids
JLab Audio JBuddies Studio BluetoothIf you need an affordable pair of headphones to save your ears from another of your kids’ Frozen marathons, the JLab Jbuddies are the best we’ve found. The colorful headphones are designed to limit sound to a doctor-approved 85 decibels, so you won’t have to worry about ear damage. It also comes in many colors, so you always know whose are whose.
We’ve squeezed them over our adult-sized heads to test sound quality, and we are happy to note that they offer balanced sound with well-defined bass. As far as we’re concerned, these are the best pick for tiny audiophiles in the making.
(Check out our guide to kids travel tech for more recommendations.)
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