9 Best Wireless Earbuds Under $100, According to Testing

Jabra earbuds have performed well in previous Media & Tech Lab tests and the Elite 4 are no exception. From a sleek design available in four colors to super comfortable silicone tips and an instantaneous Bluetooth connection to your smartphone, this pair has everything most people are looking for in earbuds. On top of crystal-clear sound quality, we love that these feature active noise cancellation (ANC) for times when you’re commuting or traveling and want to block out noise. “The noise canceling features helped enhance my listening experience – I felt like the sound quality was much better than other earbuds I’ve used because of this,” says one tester.

Each earbud is equipped with an on-ear button that’s extremely easy to press when you want to stop a song or switch to transparency mode; our pros found the on-ears buttons much easier to use than some on-ear touch controls we’ve tried. We also like that they feature 22 hours of playtime with the boost of the charging case and you can extend that up to 28 when ANC is off, according to Jabra. An IP55 rating means that though we wouldn’t recommend dropping these in a lake, they should be completely fine at the gym or in a light rain shower.

Several reviewers also pointed out that they also liked the appearance of the earbuds (especially the lavender color) as well as the case’s slim, lightweight design and matte finish, though some do mention that the earbuds weren’t a perfect fit for their ears.

Who knew you could find wireless earbuds under $50? Our pros like this pair from Skullcandy if you’re looking for fantastic value and easy set up. While these earbuds don’t offer the same sound quality or rich features as more premium sets, our pros were still impressed by how comfortable they felt while wearing them and love that they’re sweat-resistant, according to the brand. The case could feel sturdier but we appreciate how it’s super lightweight and compact enough to slide into your pocket.

An on-ear button on both earbuds lets you pause or play music with a quick press. Even though we’re bummed that these can only be charged via micro-USB, they’re fortunately packed with 12 hours of battery life to get you through the entire day. Just keep in mind that the case doesn’t store any battery power so what you see is what you get.

Take these noise-canceling Anker earbuds with you to the office or on vacation to block out chit chat and distractions. With 50 hours of listening and 10 hours on a single charge, you won’t even need your charging cable. On top of impressive battery life, we found that this model was comfy and secure when inside the ear. On-ear controls were fairly intuitive (though could be more responsive) and the sound quality was excellent for the price. Plus, we love the sturdy, attractive case that’s super compact and unlike many other budget earbuds it supports wireless charging.

These wireless earbuds from JBL were made for running, hiking and even surfing. An IP68 rating means that they’ve been tested to withstand water submersion for 30 minutes up to three feet. While we haven’t taken these for a swim yet, the earbuds felt extremely secure when shaking our heads around thanks to a tight fit and hooks that go around your ears. Though the design might feel a bit tight at first and the carrying case is larger than we’d like, we found on-ear controls to be some of the most responsive of all budget earbuds.

Switching from “Ambient Aware” mode, which helps you stay aware of your surroundings, to “Talk Thru” mode, which functions a bit like active noise cancellation, was intuitive. We also found it easy to start and stop music from the earbuds, and love that you get up to 50 hours of play time, according to JBL. If, however, you want true noise cancellation and even better sound quality, our pros suggest upgrading to the JBL Live Pro 2 for an extra $50.

These earbuds were some of the most impressive on this list for their noise-canceling capabilities. Just touch the stem of the earbuds to alternative between three modes: ambient sound (great for having conversations and being aware of surroundings), normal and ANC. With the active noise cancellation on, the earbuds did a great job of blocking out external noise. Not only were touch controls responsive, but our pros found the sound quality to be solid. We also like that you get a total of 45 hours of playtime and that wireless charging is supported, though we wish the earbuds' design felt slightly more comfortable.

These earbuds are bulkier in design than other models featured on this list, but they surprised us with their great sound quality and rich bass. On-ear controls were fairly responsive and an IPX4 rating makes these a good choice for workouts that may get a bit sweaty. Unfortunately, these don’t support active noise canceling but we found that they isolated against noise fairly well thanks to their larger design. Available in a variety of colors, these wireless earbuds feature up to 20 hours of battery life and their price is hard to beat.

The Apple AirPods (Gen 2) may not be the latest AirPods, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Not only are these earbuds significantly cheaper than other AirPods, but they connect almost instantly to Apple devices like your iPhone, making them super easy to use. Some users even prefer the Gen 2’s longer stems to some newer AirPods, finding them more comfortable and easier to secure inside ears. “They feel very comfortable and I like that they don’t have squishy silicone, which I find uncomfortable,” says GH Senior Product Analyst Emma Seymour.

Keep in mind that this pair isn’t water-resistant and doesn’t feature active noise cancellation so you’ll still be able to hear office banter in the background, but our pros find the audio quality excellent. We also like how you get up to 24 hours of listening with the charging case so you won’t have to worry about running out of power anytime soon, and the case itself is sleek, lightweight and compact. “I like that they charge quickly and pair across devices seamlessly so I can swap them on for a phone call with minimal disruption,” says Deputy Editor Sarah Wharton.

If you use Alexa as your preferred voice assistant on your phone, look no further than the Echo Buds. Once the earbuds are in, you can ask Alexa to play a song, call home or set reminders without ever having to pull out your phone. Our pros found these to be extremely comfortable and secure, and we appreciate that you can easily switch between active noise cancellation and transparency mode depending on whether you want to hear background noise or not. On-ear controls were fairly responsive, though we do think battery life could be a bit better. While the case is compact and lightweight, it could be sturdier.

Pop the super sleek PistonBuds Pro into your ears and start listening to your favorite playlist. In our tests Bluetooth pairing was instant and we found the earbuds' compact size more comfortable than other earbuds. We love the design of the small, lightweight case and that the earbuds are IPX5 rated so you don’t have to panic if it starts raining.

Though the sound quality leaves something to be desired and the bass isn’t as rich as other budget earbuds, we like that these feature an auto-stop feature that pauses your music automatically when you take a bud out of your ear (and restarts it when you put it back). You can also use on-ear tap controls to make adjustments, though these could be a bit more responsive.