Best cheap wireless earbuds under $100 in 2024

Earbud prices can run all over the place — and unfortunately, the ones you typically hear about most often are super expensive. 

Still, there are some great budget options out there, such as the OnePlus Buds 3, which offer superb sound quality, exceptional comfort, and solid app support that drives personalization.

But besides the Buds 3, we've done the research and gathered some of the best cheap wireless earbuds for any style and budget. You've got an excellent array of products to choose from, all of which cost less than $100.

Ted Kritsonis

For 20+ years, Ted Kritsonis has been spending a lot of time testing out gadgets to help others make the best decision with their hard-earned money. When it comes down to audio devices, Ted's picks come from countless hours of listening for all the nuances that matter.

At a glance

Best overall

Got to hand it to OnePlus — it delivered a seriously good pair of wireless earbuds that surprise as much as they please. We certainly felt that way when reviewing the OnePlus Buds 3, mainly because they punch above their cost in ways that matter, serving themselves up as among the most viable affordable options.

A big reason why is the personalization involved, starting with the Golden Sound test in the HeyMelody app that tailors audio playback based on how your ears actually hear. If you still want to make other tweaks, you can just go through the app's equalizer or BassWave slider to tinker and save your own presets to adjust the sound however you please. There's even hi-res audio support via the LHDC Bluetooth codec. A comfortable fit and solid ANC performance add to the overall value proposition, and while spatial audio isn't stellar yet, it's available in these buds, too.

Game mode helps knock down latency when playing games, while multipoint keeps you connected to two devices simultaneously. Unfortunately, there are no wear sensors to automatically pause playback once you remove either earbud, and the stem controls are a little finicky, but there's plenty to like about the Buds 3.

Battery life will last about seven hours with ANC turned on — and without hi-res playback — though you may find these earbuds louder than most default volumes, ensuring you get every minute of juice you can listen to them. The case gives you an extra three charges, plus a quick 10-minute charge gives you seven hours of playback. Too bad you have to give up wireless charging to get that. 

Best value

There's no doubt that the OnePlus Buds 3 are some of the very best wireless earbuds you can buy. Still, if you're looking for something different, we felt Anker's Soundcore Life P3 stood out as effective alternatives in our review. They have ANC and a comfortable design that should work for most ears. The IPX5 rating doesn't make them all that rugged, so you will have to be careful, but there's a lot to like about how these earbuds perform.

They have larger drivers that kick out really good audio quality, with deep bass and lively highs that are an impressive package at this price. Creative holds an edge in overall sound quality, but these are more than capable of serenading your ears and are better at nullifying background sounds. Unlike Creative's pair, these have ANC, and it's surprisingly good for budget buds.

It's also nice to have the Soundcore app to alter the sound through the equalizer, or make other adjustments. A sturdy Bluetooth connection and effective mics also keep phone calls going when you need them to.

Rounding out the experience is decent battery life, at up to six hours of playback with ANC on (seven with it off) and another 28 hours in the case, keeping the audio going for a reasonable amount of time. Those numbers are also relative to volume levels, so keep pumping it up and you're not going to crack those higher battery numbers.

Best upgrade

Our next pick are the Jabra Elite 4, and for all the reasons we pointed out in our review. The beauty of these is that Jabra took much from its more mid-range and premium earbuds and found ways to integrate them here. For a higher-end earbud experience without the outrageous price tag, these could be an excellent fit.

To start, the Elite 4 are molded similarly to those other pairs, ensuring the fit is sturdy and comfortable. The tighter seal does wonders for passive isolation, which only serves to elevate the effectiveness of the onboard ANC. Go through the personalized test in the Sound+ app and you can tailor the noise cancelation to your preferences. All told, these buds perform well in blocking out ambience considering what they cost.

They also sound good, where you can also use the app's EQ to customize the tuning to your liking. It's great for switching things up based on genre, and you get the benefit of support for the aptX codec. Interestingly, though, AAC isn't supported — basically the only Jabra earbuds that don't. On top of all that, phone calls come in clearer.

Physical button controls prove to be very reliable, as is battery life, which actually outperforms Jabra's own estimates. You won't get wireless charging from the case, but USB-C charging is quick enough to get you back up and running.

Best budget

1More makes higher-end earbuds but there are some in the lineup that fall perfectly in line with what this list is about, and the PistonBuds Pro Q30 are easy to pick out after listening to them. The name of the game here is to offer more — arguably much more — for less.

To do that, 1More tunes these earbuds with excellent audio quality right out of the box, though you can make them sound even better once you dig into the 1More Music app and use the equalizer. ANC is superb for what these cost, and may surprise you in its depth and effectiveness in that regard. If you like a stem design that kind of resembles the AirPods, the PistonBuds Pro Q30 buds are excellent.

You may not feel the same effect with the onboard spatial audio, but if you're a gamer, you can appreciate a game mode that actually works when playing on your mobile devices. You can expect a mixed bag with battery life, mainly because ANC can knock it down to just five hours (or less) per charge, only hitting the stated 7.5-hour mark if you leave it off and volume at default levels. The case gives you an extra three charges, except you lose out on wireless charging.

Best for Samsung

If the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro or Galaxy Buds 2 are too much for your budget, yet you still want to stay in the company's ecosystem, the Galaxy Buds FE may be what you're looking for. These earbuds largely follow the blueprint set by Samsung's pricier alternatives, albeit pared-down to make them more affordable. Comfortable to wear, and with various ear tips and wings to choose from, these lightweight buds shouldn't make your ears itch. Just keep them away from water because there's barely anything resembling water resistance here.

The sound has a noticeable bump in bass response relative to the others, though you can choose a different EQ preset in the Galaxy Wearable app if you want something else. There's just no way to create your own to set the kind of tune and tone you prefer. ANC is pretty good for a pair in this price range, drowning a pretty broad set of background noises. 

The Buds FE also play really nice with Samsung devices, including Auto Switch, which can switch from one Samsung device to another based on what you're using. Watch a show on a Samsung tablet, and then take a call from your phone — all using the earbuds. 

Through all this, battery life holds up reasonably well at up to six hours per charge with ANC on and at default volume levels. Not exceptional, but not terrible when you have at least three full charges in the case. Just keep a USB-C cable handy because there's wireless charging here.

Best comfort

The EarFun Air Pro 3 earbuds follow right in the comfortable footsteps of their predecessors, starting with four sizes of ear tips to get the right match for your ears. You end up with a nice combination of form, function, and feature set that feels expansive and efficient.

At this price, you can't go wrong. Earfun addressed a gaping hole in previous pairs by making these accessible through its own mobile app to customize certain features. That includes an EQ to adjust tuning how you want, even if the default sound may not come off like it's anything exceptional. Tinker with it and see what happens.

Improved ANC and ambient modes help the cause, effectively blocking outside noises or letting them in to help you hear your surroundings. They aren't on par with more expensive earbuds, but the results are easy to appreciate for what you pay. That also matters for phone calls, where the six-mic array does a good job of keeping voices clear and audible throughout. Plus, the Air Pro 3 buds have multipoint connectivity support, letting you connect to two devices simultaneously.

Battery life is solid at up to seven hours with ANC turned on. Keep it off, and that goes up to nine hours. The case gives you an impressive four extra charges, including USB-C and wireless charging.

Best for small ears

If you're reading this and have no idea what Soundpeats is, don't fret. It's a relatively small and obscure company creating top-notch audio gear since 2010. When it comes to cheap true wireless earbuds, one of the best options comes from Soundpeats.

Looking at the Mini Pro, we liked a lot of things about them off the bat in our review. These earbuds sound better than their price would indicate, for starters, thanks to 10mm drivers that really do turn out good audio playback. Turn on ANC, and performance improves, helping round out a solid package. Comfort is pretty good, though their size isn't as sleek as others are, so you may find them sticking out a bit more.

Battery life isn't bad at up to seven hours per charge, and up to five if you leave ANC on. The case includes an extra two charges, and its size is small enough to take with you just about anywhere. USB-C charging gets you back to fully charged in 90 minutes, though you won't get any wireless charging.

Best underdog

Creative is another brand that routinely offers a good deal when it comes to its audio products. The Zen Air Plus are a nice middle-of-the-road option in that they aren't Creative's best, yet still offer features and performance worthy of being on this list.

The main feature point is the audio quality, which is excellent out of the box and only gets better when you start playing around with the equalizer in the Creative app. Bass response is solid, especially with ANC on, giving you a nice, balanced sound you can enjoy with virtually any genre you want to listen to. While Creative did throw in its excellent Super X-Fi technology again, it still doesn't work with most content that would benefit from it. For example, you can only apply it to its music and video files stored on your device, rather than something you would stream.

It helps that they're comfortable to wear and stay in place effectively. Just too bad there aren't wear sensors to automatically pause when removing either bud. Creative also omitted multipoint support, so you can't connect the Zen Air Plus with two devices at once — all the more unfortunate given six onboard mics work together to make phone calls sound clearer. 

You can expect pretty good battery life out of these buds, hitting up to eight hours per charge with ANC off and default volume, knocking down closer to six if you leave it on. Add another three charges in the case, and you've got about 32 hours  (24 with ANC) of total listening time to enjoy. 

Best workout buds

When looking for workout earbuds, one of the most important things to look for is how water-resistant they are. The current version of the Treblab X3 Pro are IPX5-rated, which isn't especially high for intense workouts, but at least the company took the unusual step of including a cleaning kit in the box.

The X3 Pro should feel lightweight and secure in terms of comfort, thanks to the ear hooks that keep them in place. It's a design that does wonders for stability, comfort, and fit, making it easier to wear them for more extended periods or when you're particularly active, like during a run, for instance. So long as you get the proper seal with at least one pair of the five sets of ear tips in the box, you will see just how good these earbuds can get.

Larger drivers, plus an obviously bass-heavy audio profile, make them sound great for the crowd looking for power. Of course, they aren't going to sound anything like balanced audiophile earbuds, but that's not really the point. You want tunes to pump you up while you break a sweat? These can manage that just fine.

That 145 hours of battery life isn't a typo, either. The case offers a ridiculous 15 extra charges, keeping the buds charged up many times before you need to refill the case. For the buds, you're looking at up to nine hours per charge at default volume. There's no wireless charging, though USB-C charging should get you back up and play in short order. Without ANC and ambient modes, battery life is only really affected by how loud the volume is.

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You don't need more than $100 for great earbuds

As we mentioned at the top, the best wireless earbuds have gotten much better over the past few years, with a resulting drop in prices to go with that. The OnePlus Buds 3 are a great example of that, proving themselves to be awesome true wireless earbuds at a great price.

The Buds 3 offer deep app support to get even more out of how they sound, not to mention the benefits of a comfortable fit and good battery life. To take it a step further, their case can charge up the earbuds another three times, netting you up to 28 hours of total audio playback. That's pretty good, especially when you get great sound and superb comfort for those long listening sessions.

How to choose

The word "cheap" doesn't have to mean giving up everything to put a pair of wireless earbuds in your ears. Even if you compare these to the best wireless earbuds overall, you'll find the value adds among cheaper options are intriguing and appealing. The biggest reason why is because so many of the features and performance from elite pairs continue to trickle down to more affordable ones. One reason is the sheer number of brands making them these days, and another is lower costs associated with applying those features, such as they are. 

With all that in mind, the same principles largely apply to finding wireless earbuds that work for you. You ideally want something that will fit and stay comfortable in your ears, with different size ear tips to help with that. They should also produce the kind of sound you're looking for — and even better, give you the option to adjust audio tuning to your liking through an equalizer in an app. Fortunately, even mid-range and affordable pairs routinely offer that kind of customization now.

You'll naturally have to measure your expectations across the board, though. Cheaper earbuds won't get you the kind of active noise cancelation more expensive pairs will. Audio tuning also won't be as refined in most cases, where you'll often see a more bass-heavy curve out of the box. Hence, the importance of an EQ in the app.

One thing is for sure: a lot of affordable earbuds out there — including those from brands you may not know — will beat the regular AirPods in both comfort and audio quality. 

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