Best cheap headphones under £50, including over-ear and in-ear options

Active noise-cancelling (ANC) is one of those features that tend to add extra expense when you’re comparing different headphone models, so it’s impressive to find it in these Soundcore cans that don’t cost more than £50. These often go on offer, going for as little as £37.99 when on sale.

On test for our Soundcore Q20i review, we liked the capable ANC for silencing background noises during our commute or at the office and the sound quality is excellent for the cost. Its battery life is solid, too, and we’re also happy to report that they’re comfortable to wear for a long time. In fact, they’re more comfortable than the Beats Studio Pro model, which costs six times as much.

By default, they’re quite a bass-boosted pair of headphones, but it’s possible to tweak this using Soundcore’s companion app, which gives you many different equaliser options to get the best sound out of the cans. The bass boost makes the thumping overpowering, so we’d switch to “Soundcore Signature” and this sounds great for all our music and podcasts. Of course, it’s not audiophile-level, but it’s excellent for the price.

For a noticeable upgrade, we’d suggest you go with the Final UX2000 – you can pick them up for just under £50 at the moment. On this pair, the comfort, sound and ANC impressed us.

JLab reliably makes some of the best cheap earbuds on the market that aren’t from unknown brands. We like how this no-fuss option comes with a built-in USB-C charging cable, so they’re perfect for anyone who tends to leave their cable at home. This does mean that they don’t have a USB-C port, though, which is a shame.

On test, we’ve been impressed by the slight but noticeable upgrades over the JLab Go Air Pop, which used a built-in USB-A cable for charging. For the same £24.99 price, these ones now connect to JLab’s companion app for extra customisation, include an awareness mode to amplify outside sounds, and a "safe hearing" volume limit. They also have multipoint to stay connected to two devices at once and come in a massive range of 13 different vibrant colours.

Unlike their predecessor, they also now have better battery life and faster charging (you’ll get an hour of playtime from a 10-minute charge), plus better connectivity and customisation. We’ve found the ergonomic design relatively comfortable to wear, and the ear tips deliver a secure fit too. The only thing we found is that they could start to “pinch” after a long listening session.

Even though they don’t have noise-cancellation, we find the tips block out lots of ambient noise as well. Overall, they deliver a decent sound quality, compact size and lots of useful features, making them some of our favourite buds under £25.

If you’re after a set of reliable headphones that have a long battery life, we think the Soundcore H30i on-ears are a good value buy. They’re only £39.99 (RRP) too — and usually drop significantly during sales periods — so they’re also an affordable option.

The headphones weigh just 183g and stay stable during a gym session. The cushions don’t cover your entire ear either, meaning they’re comfortable to wear for a long time — although more padding would be appreciated. Some included features are typically only found in more expensive models, including the huge battery life (up to 70 hours) and a quick five-minute charge can provide about four hours of playback.

The H30i also delivers solid sound quality from its 40mm dynamic drivers, producing a strong bass and a clear mid-range that was decent for most of the test tracks and podcasts we played. The bass, however, can sound a bit muddy, and we didn’t find that the equaliser presets could remedy this.

For the basics though, they’re a good pick. But it’s worth noting that you’ll hear more ambient noise with an on-ear design and those around you may also be able to hear the music you’re playing, depending on the volume level. These also don’t have any noise-cancellation features, but they do deliver a stable Bluetooth connection and handy multipoint to stay connected to two devices simultaneously.

If you’re after cheap noise-cancelling earbuds, you’ll struggle to find better options at a low price!

The Go Pop ANC are compact buds that come in a tiny charging case for pocketability, while still delivering a high-quality 7-hour battery life with noise cancelling on. There’s extra life in the case, of course, extending the total battery to over 24 hours.

We’re fans of the IP55 dust and water resistance rating, the comfortable fit, the great value price and the range of colours. The extra personalisation available within the app (where you can customise touch controls, sound options, and the levels of the noise cancelling and “Be Aware” modes). They’re more versatile than most that we see in this price range, and the actual noise cancelling itself is powerful – it impressed us both in the office and on our commuter train.

The sound quality isn’t going to wow audiophiles, but it’s surprisingly good for the price and not just overly bass-boosted like many rivals.

You’re getting a reasonably balanced performance, good for vocals and some decent thumpy low-end notes. It’s also quite customisable, once you’ve set up the companion app. Overall, any downsides to these buds (they look cheap, may not fit everyone and don’t have a wide soundstage) are easily outweighed by how well they perform, given the low cost.

For the super-low price, this is a seriously well-rounded pair of earphones and the first buds we’d recommend to most people on a tight budget.

There’s no ANC, but they’re small and convenient, with a USB-C connection for fast charging and a solid and fun bass-filled sound. However, you’re not stuck with the sound that you get initially. You can tweak the equaliser via the companion app – that’s where you can also turn on a low-lag mode to help with gaming and video calls. They’re comfortable to wear for a long amount of time and, even without noise-cancelling, they block out more than enough external sounds in our testing.

The P20i is an impressive and affordable little package, and as they also stay in our ears well and come with a good range of ear tips so that you’ll get the right fit, we think they are a decent option for the gym too.

Looking for budget earbuds with serious bass? The new CMF Buds 2 are a great option at £39. CMF is a sub-brand of London-based tech company Nothing, and these earbuds are all about delivering powerful sound without costing too much.

The bass is the obvious headline here. Thanks to 11mm drivers and CMF’s "Ultra Bass 2.0", these have a lot of low-end impact. By default, they’re tuned for bass-heavy music like pop, hip-hop and electronic. If that’s what you listen to, you should like these.

You can also tweak the sound in the app if you prefer something more balanced. But even after this, they stay fairly bass-focused. The app also unlocks touch control customisation (although they lack a single tap, oddly), a spatial audio effect and ChatGPT integration.

We like the surprisingly strong active noise cancellation for the price. It’s not on the same level as pricier models, but it’s effective at muting the sounds of our commute and a noisy cafe. While the plastic build isn’t premium, it is lightweight, they're comfortable, and have a compact case, so they're easy to wear and carry throughout the day. They’re also IP55 rated for water and dust resistance – and available in orange, light green or dark grey.

Overall, if you're after cheap earbuds with big, booming bass and features that feel far above their price, the CMF Buds 2 are our pick.

It’s quite rare to find a pair of on-ear headphones at any price that feature noise-cancelling. Even our favourites, the Marshall Major V, cost much more than these and don’t have any modes to limit distracting background noise, which makes the Go Lux ANC a compelling option. They don’t necessarily have high-end construction or style, but if you’re after the basics and want some noise-cancelling too, they do a good job.

The on-ear style is lighter and more comfortable than most over-ear options as well, and these have intuitive controls, plus extra options available within JLab’s app, too. These include a customisable equaliser to change the sound profile, a “Lab Spatial Audio” mode for an immersive 360-degree experience, a volume limit, and custom touch controls.

They’re also comfortable to wear for a long time, and because they fold down and have a 40-hour battery (with noise cancelling on), they’re a decent option for travel, too.

As mentioned, they don’t feel premium. They can also slip off your head, and the noise cancellation will be reasonable, but easily beaten by the in-ear options on this list or pricier models. It’s more like noise reduction. They also don’t come with a case and probably won’t fit larger heads all that well. Even with these drawbacks, though, they’re a decent pick for all the basics.

If you prefer a semi-in-ear fit rather than the style of most wireless earbuds that use silicone or foam ear tips for a tight seal, then Soundcore’s K20i is probably the model for you. They’re affordable, fit just like the original AirPods and offer loads of battery life for uninterrupted listening for up to six hours (with six more charges in the case!).

Of course, the semi-in-ear fit is more designed for a slight awareness of your surroundings, a bit like the best open earbuds, and these don’t have any noise-cancelling and may prompt you to turn up the volume of your music to hear it over external noise. If you do, though, you’ll find that those around you might also be able to hear your playlists. That’s just a slight word of warning.

The sound quality performance is decent for the low price, even if we think it’s important to acknowledge that seated earbuds generally deliver a much more balanced sound. With that said, these have more bass than we expected and they sound good if you’re listening to most music, podcasts or audiobooks in a quieter environment like your home office.

Prepare to be shocked at just how good music can sound. If you’ve been yearning for more nuance from your favourite tracks, these wired over-ear cans are a major improvement that’ll allow you to hear the subtleties of vocalists and the small details you’ve been missing.

You’ll need to connect them to a device with a standard audio jack (like a DAB radio or CD player) or use an adapter to get them connected to your phone or iPad.

We find them comfortable to wear for a long time, they’re lightweight enough to carry in your backpack and the design is understated, even with the large logo on the headband. At this price, you won’t find a better value pair for sound quality.

Several of the best headphones for workouts that you’ll find recommended in guides across the internet come with higher price tags than many of us would want to pay for something that might get mishandled when tossed in a gym bag or hastily scrunched into a pocket after a run.

If you’re keeping the budget low, we suggest checking out this JLab pair that delivers the necessary sweat resistance, battery life and secure fit ear hooks to keep them in place during vigorous exercise.

These minuscule wired earbuds pack a serious punch and deliver far more detail and clarity than you’d expect for their tiny size. We love the wide soundstage and the level of definition you can hear from these, and it’s so impressive that this level of performance is available for under £50.

Of course, they’re not wireless, so you’ll need to make sure you’re using them with a laptop or via a dongle (either a lightning to headphone jack or USB-C to headphone jack adapter).

Not convinced by wireless earbuds that you’re worried you might lose down the drain anyway? We understand. That’s why we’ve included several wired options on this list.

One of our favourites is the E11C from Soundmagic, which fits just into our budget at £49.99, but is also available at £37.99 if you’re happy to skip the in-line remote and microphone. If you go for the model with those, though, they’re fantastic for controlling volume and playback without having to dig your phone out of your pocket, and you’ll get an in-line microphone that’s excellent for phone calls.

When it comes to sound, these are fantastic. They pump out an entertaining and rich music reproduction, with fantastic passive isolation from the outside world and loads of detail and clarity. They’re a well-balanced set, and we’d have no complaints with the sonic capabilities, premium finish and comfortable fit at this price. They’re excellent, and we prefer them when compared to several more expensive wired in-ear headphones.