11 Best AirPods Alternatives for Every Budget

For a truly wireless headphone experience that checks off all of the boxes including effective noise cancellation, impressive battery life and easy pairing, these buds are it. Sleeker and more compact than the previous model and now boasting an IPX4 water-resistance rating, the higher price tag is worth every penny. The silicone ear-tips provide a great fit, with tips ranging from extra small to large, making these wireless earbuds suitable for any activity level.

Our tech experts touted the fantastic sound quality and battery life. In our tests, they lasted a whole workday on a single charge. And they loved the cool quick charge feature that can give up to an hour of playback with just five minutes of charging. There is a built-in mic for hands-free calls and smart features like wearing detection, adaptive sound control that adjusts to your environment and a speak-to-chat feature that automatically reduces your music's volume during a conversation. Though the touch controls take a bit of getting used to, these earbuds come enabled with Alexa voice control and there's robust functionality within the app itself.

It doesn't get more affordable than these true wireless earbuds from Skullcandy which pack a lot of features for the price like a noise-isolating fit, water resistance and control buttons on each earbud. While we haven’t evaluated this model in the Lab yet, we can’t wait to test the earbud’s built-in Tile finding technology that should help you locate your earbuds if they slip out of your ears. Though we wish the single-charge battery life was longer than 3.5 hours, we like that you’ll get up to 12 hours with the case. Also included with the small, compact case are three earbud tips so you can ensure you’re getting the right fit.

If you're looking for a great pair of true wireless earbuds at a budget-friendly price, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better set. These combine impressive audio quality and noise isolation capabilities with good battery life. If you want true noise-canceling capabilities and have a few extra pennies to spare, we also recommend the EarFun Air Pro 2 model. Just know that whichever pair you choose, you won't suffer from other common limitations of inexpensive sets like poor connectivity.

In our tests, we were able to get the claimed 7 hours of battery life plus a full day extra with the charging case at mid-level volume. We liked that you could charge via USB-C or wirelessly, something often reserved for more expensive headphones. You can effortlessly control the volume, music or answer calls with intuitive taps for complete autonomy. Bonus: These are rated IPX7 indicating that they are quite water- and sweat-resistant, so go ahead and get your workout on.

Apple's AirPods are not the only buds that work seamlessly with iPhones. These totally wireless earphones by Beats are powered by the Apple H1 headphone chip, adding some of the best technology out there. Enjoy hands-free voice assistance from our friend, Siri, and intuitive touch controls with just a tap.

These earbuds come with four sizes of ear tips to get your perfect fit and hook around the ear, so you won't lose them easily. But best of all, they come with a fantastic battery life (9 hours of playback time and more than 24 hours with the charging case). The IPX4 rating means these are great for tough workouts and even though we categorized these Beats for iPhone users, rest assured that these are also compatible with Android. Win-win. Unfortunately, these don't feature noise-cancellation so if that's a must, consider the Beats Fit Pro Earbuds instead, a Good Housekeeping 2023 Fitness Awards winner.

Bose claims these earbuds are home to the "world's best noise cancellation," and we may have to agree. In our testing of Bose's first-generation QuietComfort earbuds, all external noise was blocked out due to the impressive active noise-canceling tech, and that was coupled with the expected impressive Bose sound quality. This latest generation continues to feature powerful noise-canceling tech, but it takes it one step further by customizing sound performance to your ear canal. Though the single-charge battery life could be a little better than 6 hours, Bose did improve the total battery life when coupled with the charging case (increasing it from 18 to 24 hours). There's also a handy 20-minute quick charge feature when running low.

Our pros love that these second-gen buds have an improved, compact design over their predecessor (they're 30 percent smaller!), and we expect these to be just as comfy and lightweight when we test them in our Lab. The pair comes with three sizes of silicone buds to choose from so you can get a good fit. They also have an IPX4 rating, which means they've been tested to be sweat and weather-resistant. Touch controls are relatively simple: just tap or double-tap for different functions.

These quality true wireless earbuds sound great, feel great and last all day. Although they come with a hefty price tag, you do get what you pay for. Based on tests of the previous generation, the sound is truly amazing, and this latest model comes with adaptive noise canceling that's meant to effectively adjust the level of noise canceling based on your environment. Sennheiser claims that battery life is 7 hours (+21 with the charging case), and our tests proved that to be true.

These earbuds come with an IPX4 rating for sweat resistance, and because they are lightweight, they're quite comfy when working out. We recommend downloading the app first to help with pairing, and then you can use the touch controls on the earbuds for playback, voice assistant capabilities and phone calls. The touch controls will likely take some getting used to, but once you do, you'll be rocking out in no time. The charging case is a bit bulkier than others but stylish nonetheless.

For all of the multi-taskers out there looking for an AirPods alternative to use while heading to the office or on zooms, calls and more, the Jabra Elite 7 Pro is the pair for you. They feature multipoint technology that allows for multi-device pairing, so you can seamlessly switch between your devices (like a phone and computer). Jabra also had a good thing going with the Elite 65t, but with each iteration, the brand manages to improve by adding noise-canceling and better voice-calling performance over time.

When tested, these buds produced powerful audio for music and terrific sound quality while on calls thanks to enhanced microphones (two in each bud) plus a voice sensor. During testing, we liked the earbuds' hear-through feature, which proved useful when commuting to the office, and we found the button controls on each earbud super intuitive.

On top of fitting securely in the ear and blocking out a lot of external noise, these are easy to use right out of the box, but the accompanying app lets you personalize the sound for a perfect tune each time. And with a long battery life of 8 hours on a single charge or 30 with the charging case, you can go from work to the gym to a quick call with grandma with no issues. These have an IP57 rating, adding even more protection from both dust and water, perfect for poolside tunes.

This 2023 Good Housekeeping Fitness Award winner is perfect whether you need a pair of earbuds for running, shooting hoops or riding your Peloton, thanks to a sweat-resistant IPX4 rating. Each pair comes with three sizes of silicone tips designed to help them stay put, reduce noise and offer a more comfortable fit. In our tests, we were impressed by the sound quality which featured an even tonal sound and powerful bass.

The Media & Tech Lab and consumer testers alike found that the earbuds were lightweight and didn't budge through multiple workouts. Unlike other earbuds, the fit was comfortable and secure, though we did find it took some wiggling and getting used to the buds at first. Though we wish battery life was better than 5 hours alone or 15 hours with the charging case, we like how these have touch controls so you can quickly adjust the volume or skip to the next song.

Google has released a more affordable generation of its Pixel buds that continues to impress us like previous models. Fully wireless, the Pixel A-Series buds come with hands-free Google Assistant voice controls, real-time translation, wireless charging and an IPX4 rating so they can withstand your sweatiest workouts. In Lab tests, we noticed enhanced sound quality and seamless pairing with Android devices.

Battery life could be better; we noted that they lasted about 5 hours of playback time and 2.5 hours of talk time. But, with the case handy you can get up to 24 hours. Unlike the previous Pixel buds, Google did trade off wireless charging for a reduced price. The A-Series does, however, still come with three ear tip sizes and a stabilizer arc to help create a secure fit. If you are an Android user, love to say "Hey, Google," and need a pair of wireless buds, then these are for you. (But don't worry — they work with iOS too!)

These buds sound great and feel great with their unique bean-shaped design that pops right in your ear with a secure but non-sealed fit. Moderately priced around the same as regular AirPods, they also feature wireless charging and active noise cancelation to block out external sounds. Our pros love that they come with an intelligent conversation mode that automatically lowers the volume and turns off ANC when you start speaking to someone — like when you're ordering a coffee.

If you have a Samsung smartphone, these buds will allow optimal audio quality, voice assistance and connection stability. But they are compatible with any Android or iOS device. Samsung claims that the battery will last up to an impressive 29 hours with ANC turned off and paired with the cute, compact charging case that will fit easily into your pocket. We also love that these are super water resistant with an IPX7 rating so you can go ahead and run outside in the rain without fretting.

If you live in an Amazon-friendly smart home, these Echo Buds are affordable and integrate flawlessly with Alexa. Our testers found the fit was fairly comfortable and secure. They come with four differently sized tips as well as two wings and an ear tip fit test in the app to help ensure the earbud stays put. Though isolation and sound quality aren't quite as impressive as other earbuds, one tester noted that calls were crystal clear.

On top of an IPX4 rating, we love that tap controls are intuitive and easy to use and that you can ask Alexa to play music or make a call in the way you would ask Siri. And of course, the Amazon app is a breeze to use, and it's always nice to have all your devices organized in one spot.