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Like Donna Summer, we work hard for our money! So the last thing we want is to drop cash on cheapy earbuds that fizzle out faster than a one-hit wonder.
In this review, we're bringing you the ultimate showdown of under $100 wireless earbuds. After countless hours of testing sound, comfort, and call quality, we found which ones are truly worth your money.
The EarFun Air Pro 4 wire-free buds blew us away with a pleasantly punchy sound, loads of features, and rare-for-the-price ANC — though it's not total silence, and phone calls could be crisper, we were satisfied. For less than $30, the JLab Go Air Pop+ impressed us with their listening experience and call quality. They're not top-shelf, but they certainly don't sound like $30 earbuds.
To see how these buds stack up against the premium bracket, check out our earbuds review. Wired options, while not as convenient, perform well above their price tier when it comes to sound quality. If listening experience is your top priority, and you're okay with sacrificing some freedom of movement, a pair of wired earbuds are a good way to satisfy both a tight budget and picky ears.
Editor's Note: This review was refreshed on June 13, 2025, to edit our lineup to ensure we are comparing the most compelling products in the category.
For the best mix of quality sound, features, and noise blocking, look no further than the affordable EarFun Air Pro 4. These lightweight, secure buds are incredibly powerful. “I was pleasantly surprised with their rich sound that complements any musical genre,” praised in-house audiophile, Gena. Moreover, with a plethora of audio presets, customizable sound settings, the new LE audio support, and auto-pause, I was genuinely impressed by how many thoughtful features these budget earbuds packed in to suit each of our team member's personal preferences, something that's often lacking in more affordable models.
The EarFun boasts active noise cancellation (ANC), a perk no other budget bud here has — but it's not perfect. My fellow tester, Rachael Lamore, commented, “I can still faintly hear babies crying, dogs barking, and myself typing.” Moreover, I noticed phone calls sound a bit grainy, especially in noisy public settings.
You won't find better ANC at this price point, but for clearer phone calls, consider the Google Pixel Buds A-Series. They're more comfortable, but the sound quality and battery life fall short of the EarFun's 7.8-hour playback time.
The EarFun performed well in all our tests, though we still see room for improvement in call quality.
The JLab Go Air Pop+ buds are dirt cheap, but still have a decent sound. I usually don't have high expectations for earbuds at this price, but the audio is not overly harsh or tinny. The Pop+ has admirable scores across all our test metrics, but what impressed us most was the bonus app. “Look at these little cheapy's go! I think the safe hearing feature, environmental awareness mode, and fun colorways are great selling points for teens,” noted one reviewer. They have a classic design, which I found very unoffensive and pretty comfortable, a big gain compared to other bulky budget earbuds.
The audio is pleasant but not pristine, and the bass sometimes felt too amped up for fans of a neutral sound. “Occasionally, I think the bass of guitars and drums takes the lead, causing some distortion and disagreement with lead vocals,” noted music expert Gena Bradshaw. Additionally, I found the manual pairing process cumbersome when switching between devices.
If you prefer an extra turnt bass, ultra waterproof design, and super stable fit for gym excursions, consider the TOZO T10, though the JLab is better for sound, comfort, and features.
The JLab Go Air Pop+ offers decent sound, comfy fit, great battery life, and a handy app—all for under $30. There's no ANC, but they’re top-tier at blocking noise passively.
The Google Pixel Buds A-Series combines a comfortable, secure fit with a tough, trail-ready design for active adventures. “I love how lightweight and unobtrusive they feel,” praised one of our team members — making extended listening sessions or phone calls more enjoyable. Plus, the IP67 rating means they can handle dust, sweat, and even full water submersion without a problem.
They are comfy enough to wear all day, but I was disappointed by the short 4.5-hour battery life. Moreover, the app is Android-only, so iPhone users will miss out on sound customization and Adaptive Sound, which auto-adjusts the volume to your surroundings. Lastly, the music sometimes cuts out, and they're not great at muffling ambient sounds.
The Earfun Air Pro 4 isn't quite as rugged or cozy as the Pixel, but it's close, and it is a good alternative to consider; it has a longer battery life, full iPhone compatibility, and a richer sound that includes ANC. As one expert put it: “I think the Pixel is a perfectly enjoyable listening experience, but it doesn't knock my socks off,” making it best for listeners whose main priorities aren't necessarily audiophile-level sound.
We unanimously agreed that these buds feel excellent in the ear. Plus, a small, unobtrusive wing helps hold them in place.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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Fit, ease of use, and sound quality are all pretty subjective measures - but don't worry, we obsess over every detail to make sure all ears are happy.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
How We Test
To save you the time and energy of potentially wasting your money on the wrong product, we independently purchased and extensively analyzed the top-rated budget buds. Based on the ideology of renown Listen Inc. CEO, Steve Temme, we built a $200,000 cutting-edge audio studio equipped with a Brüel & Kjaer Type 5128 head simulator to objectively measure everything from sound quality to noise canceling and call quality. We also spent countless hours evaluating these metrics firsthand, ensuring the low-cost buds we recommend are durable enough to withstand the harsh treatment of an active lifestyle, reliable enough to provide a satisfying user experience, and cozy enough to pleasantly fit ears of all shapes and sizes. See how we test earbuds to get the full rundown.
Our results are divided into five test metrics:
Sound Quality - how detailed, immersive, and balanced is the audio? (40% weighting)
User Experience - includes comfort, stability, and customizability (20% weighting)
Noise Cancellation - can you still hear external sounds? (15% weighting)
Battery Life - how frequently do you need to plug in? (15% weighting)
Call Quality - are voices clear in noisy environments? (10% weighting)
Our head simulator, Darwin, along with SoundCheck software, provides unbiased scientific analyses that are paramount to our testing process.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Why Trust GearLab
Spearheading this project are Senior Review Analysts, Graham Faulknor and Rachael Lamore. Graham has worked as an engineer and professional product tester for over 15 years, understanding the nitty-gritty of what makes the ideal consumer product. Rachael is a scientist and former pianist and clarinetist, bringing musical expertise and an analytical mindset to the review. In their free time, Graham and Rachael are active outdoor enthusiasts, valuing a rugged design that lasts (because who has the time and money for constant replacements?).
Review Editor Lissette Velasquez translates our extensive research findings into plain language. She's worked in the scientific research field for over 10 years and is the author of several academic publications. When she's not out chasing her kids around at the crag, she spends countless hours meticulously reading reviews and spec sheets to inform her next purchasing decision, ensuring she always gets the best bang for her buck.
Numerous sound engineers, music experts, and product testers make this highly technical review possible.
Analysis and Test Results
Below, we break down each earbud's performance across each of our test metrics to help you decide which option is best for you. We highlight the models that stand out, good or bad, in each section.
Worse Value
Better Value
How To Get The Best Performance For Your Dollar
Any of the earbuds in this review are going to give you a pretty decent bang for your buck; that's why we picked them. But the JLab Go Air Pop+ and TOZO T10 are particularly great values. You'll pay less than a third of the price for either of these models compared to other top options, just don't expect top-tier sound. For the best audio, the Earfun Air Pro 4 delivers rich sound and ANC, but you'll have to pay more for the upgrades.
Most users prefer to go cord-free, and the lineup here includes only wireless options, but the results are resoundingly clear: wired earbuds offer the best bargain. In fact, the $20ish old-school style UliX Rider and Linsoul KZ ZSN Pro X outrank every wireless budget bud in our lineup and even top the sound quality of the premium $300 Sony WF-1000XM5 and Bose Ultra Open. So if you are on the hunt for a true bargain, I'd point you in that direction.
Wires aren't winning any style awards, but they're glitch-free with zero battery drama.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Sound Quality
Not all budget shoppers need a top-of-the-line listening experience, but you don't have to totally compromise audio quality for a low price tag. To ensure you get the best listening experience for your dollar, we spent countless hours with each bud, listening to our carefully curated playlist, covering all genres, styles, and decades of music.
Soundstage Ratings
Product
Soundstage Rating
EarFun Air Pro 4
7.5
Amazon Echo Buds 2023
4.0
Bmani Sport with LED
4.0
Beats Solo Buds
3.0
The EarFun Air Pro 4 had the best soundstage ratings in this selection. The sound feels more dimensional, coming at you from multiple directions, feeling rich and layered. On the other hand, the Beats Solo Buds had a boxed-in, closed-off sound that left us unimpressed. Most other buds had an average soundstage, which may be all some casual listeners need. It's like the icing on the cake: you can go without it, but it's much sweeter with it.
Expert Panel Sound Quality Ratings
Product
Bass
Mid-Range
Treble
EarFun Air Pro 4
8.0
8.0
8.0
JLab Go Air Pop+
7.0
8.0
7.0
Amazon Echo Buds 2023
5.0
5.5
4.0
JBL Vibe Beam
2.0
3.5
3.0
We also considered how well each bud reproduces sound across the lower, mid, and upper-frequency ranges - the foundational layers of our sound quality cake. Here, the EarFun also excels, and the JLab Go Air Pop+ is not far behind, delivering a satisfying rumble across hip-hop, EDM, and rock tracks, warm, textured mids across pop, R&B, and country genres, and crisp, bright highs in folk and instrumentals - all with good clarity. Meanwhile, the Amazon and Bmani muddied the bass and treble and had an underwhelming low-end thump better suited for mellow jazz than hard-hitting pop, rock, or hip-hop beats. The JBL Vibe Beam was even worse, stacking on a sharp and piercing quality to instrumentals.
This graph helps to visualize the sound signature. The EarFun has a pleasantly balanced blend, while the JLab and TOZO add more low-end rumble.
Lastly, we measured each earbud's frequency response. While it doesn't reveal how immersive or clean the sound is, it helps objectively pinpoint which genres shine. The JLab Pop+, TOZO, and EarFun followed our target response curve best, with the and EarFun's lightly sculpted blend sounding swell across any musical genre. The JLab brings some extra bass, while the TOZO cranks it up even more, perfect for soul, hip-hop, and dance. The Beats Solo was way off track — synths and electronic instruments just sounded off across a variety of genres.
The Vibe Beam received the lowest overall sound score of any earbud we've tested, with one reviewer noting, “They fall short in every measure - I'm shocked JBL would put their name on these.”
Credit: Abriah Wofford
User Experience
Sound quality is important, but it's hard to appreciate if your buds are constantly dropping out of your ears, are uncomfortably large, or randomly stop playing your favorite tunes. Unfortunately, cheap earbuds are notorious for their poor user experience. That said, any model you choose should at least provide adequate comfort, stability, customizations, and connectivity.
User Experience Ratings
Product
Comfort
Stability
Customization
EarFun Air Pro 4
6.5
8.5
8.0
Google Pixel Buds A-Series
8.0
8.0
6.0
JLab Go Air Pop+
6.5
7.0
7.0
TOZO T10
5.0
8.0
5.5
Bmani Sport with LED
6.0
7.0
0.0
Comfort
If it's pure comfort you're after, the Google A-Series set the bar, feeling light and unobtrusive to users of all ear shapes and sizes. The TOZO T10, Bmani Sport, and Amazon Buds had a more jarring fit that caused sensitive pressure points over time, ultimately limiting our wear time to less than one hour. “The buds feel light, but they're big ol' honkers! Plus, I don't like how deep they sit in my ear canal,” noted one TOZO tester.
Google Pixel Buds A-SeriesTOZO T10
Here's a comparison of one of the comfiest premium buds we've tested, the Google Pixel A-Series (left), and the rather large TOZO T10 (right). You can select more options below with the “Compare Other Products” button.
The A-Series and TOZO T10 felt incredibly stable, though the Earfun Air Pro 4 impressed us the most. “There wasn't much I could do to convince these buds to wiggle out of my ears,” praised one EarFun reviewer, making them an excellent workout companion. The Vibe Beam, on the other hand, felt notably insecure. They easily fell out of our ears with headbanging, skiing, or simply doing household chores.
One of the many stability tests we put each earbud through - the cartwheel test. Here, the TOZO passes with flying colors.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Customizations
The EarFun and JLab Go Air Pop+ both feature excellent, user-friendly apps for customizing sound and more. Our favorite bonus features include EarFun's lost earbud chime for tracking down a missing bud and JLab's maximum volume limiter for kid-friendly listening.
Most budget buds skip location tracking, but EarFun lets you ping them with a sound to help you hunt them down.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Noise Cancellation
In an ideal world, you'd be able to enjoy your playlist or podcast without interruption from nearby conversations or roadway sounds. However, in the budget world, ditching active noise cancellation is one of the easiest ways for manufacturers to cut costs.
The EarFun is the only bud in our budget lineup to include ANC, but many other options offer great passive-only sound blocking.
Active noise cancellation uses a series of microphones and algorithms to block sounds as they are sensed in your surroundings, instant by instant. It's most effective in the low to mid-frequency range, where most common sounds like air conditioner hums, plane engines, and chatter reside. The EarFun isn't top-tier, but for the price, it's solid, muffling the low-range sounds of dogs barking and me clacking on my keyboard by about 20 decibels. In comparison, this is almost double the next best budget option, JLab Go Air. For better ANC, you'd need to shell out around $200 for something like the Bose QuietComfort, which still has room for improvement.
In a noisy cafe, simply putting the EarFun in ear muffles ambient sounds. With ANC on, loud low-pitch hums nearly vanish, though some voices and high-pitch clanky dishes are still subtly audible.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Passive noise blocking is solely created by a snug seal and the acoustic properties of the materials, rather than any active noise-cancelling technology. Though every other budget bud in our lineup lacks ANC, many provide impressive passive-only sound blocking. The Beats Solo Buds and JLab Go top the charts, muffling up to 10 decibels in the bass range, with the TOZO T10 trailing closely behind. While they handle high frequencies well (like alarms or a crying baby), we found ourselves more aware of lower bass sounds, such as office chatter, which made it harder to stay focused.
Despite lacking ANC, the JLab still manages to greatly diminish ambient sounds.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The worst noise-blocking buds were the Amazon Echo Buds. With the semi-in-ear design of the Echo, these results come as no surprise. These buds are best enjoyed in quiet spaces or when you want to stay more in touch with your surroundings.
There's not much difference in external sounds with the Echo Buds earbuds on or off.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Battery Life
We measured each bud's battery life so you know exactly how often you need to recharge to keep them powered on, because nothing's more annoying than being completely enthralled in your latest true-crime podcast and having the audio cut out at the height of the story.
Estimated Total Battery Life
Measured
Claimed
Charges/Case
Estimated Total
JBL Vibe Beam
9.2 hr
8.0 hr
3
27.6 hr
Bmani Sport with LED
8.3 hr
8.0 hr
5
41.5 hr
EarFun Air Pro 4
7.8 hr
11.0 hr
4
31.2 hr
JLab Go Air Pop+
7.8 hr
9.0 hr
4
31.2 hr
TOZO T10
7.7 hr
10.0 hr
4.5
34.7 hr
Amazon Echo Buds 2023
5.9 hr
5.0 hr
3
17.7 hr
Google Pixel Buds A-Series
4.5 hr
5.0 hr
4
18.0 hr
Most of the wireless earbuds in our lineup offer an 8-hour battery life, which is enough to get through your workday. The Beats are a standout, and this time in a good way. They boast an outstanding 18-hour playback time—the longest battery life of any bud we've ever tested, and can carry you through long-haul flights, or multiple days of listening. The Google's battery life is notably short, measuring in at a scant 4.5 hours.
Tiny case, giant stamina - Beats keeps the music going longer than you'd expect.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The Beats Solo comes with a caveat, though. The small case has no built-in battery, meaning no quick top-offs. So, while 18 hours is a long time to go in between plug-ins, it falls short of the 30+ hours you'll get when you factor in the charging capability included with the cases of the Bmani, EarFun, JLab, and TOZO.
Storing your buds in the case will help power them up in between listening sessions. Just make sure to keep the case adequately juiced up.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Call Quality
Our final metric is call quality. If you plan to make phone calls with your earbuds, you will want to ensure that the person on the other end can hear you loud and clear, whether calling from a quiet, private space (baseline) or a noisy public setting (office, subway).
Call Quality Ratings
Product
Subway
Office
Baseline
Google Pixel Buds A-Series
6.0
8.0
9.0
Amazon Echo Buds 2023
6.0
8.0
6.5
JLab Go Air Pop+
6.0
6.0
7.5
EarFun Air Pro 4
4.0
5.0
6.5
In our standardized tests, the Google Pixel Buds A-Series reigns as the clear winner. While not able to outperform premium buds in the noisiest conditions (like on the subway), the A-Series does quite well in quiet to moderate environments. Voices sound crisp and clear, you might just want to avoid calling in a rowdy public space.
The Pixel Buds eliminated nearly all distracting clicks, beeps, and chatter while maintaining excellent voice clarity for our male and female callers.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
In our simulated subway test conditions, the Google Pixel struggled to deliver clear audio, especially with a female voice.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
In the comparison, you'll notice that most background sounds were kept at a minimum, but the Pixel Buds had issues isolating our caller's voice from the background clutter and occasionally cut off words. Still, many models struggle to pass this stringent test.
The EarFun sounded a bit grainy but still intelligible at baseline, but performed poorly in our stress tests. “I can still clearly hear all the stuff happening in the background. It's very loud and disorienting and intensified the grainy quality,” noted one reviewer. It's not the worst we've ever tested, but it's close.
Quick calls from a subway are technically possible with the EarFun, but you'll need to keep them short as the sound is choppy and headache-inducing.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The Echo's baseline call quality is decent, but the popping sound is distracting.
How To Choose A Budget Earbud
Below, we outline some additional buying considerations you may want to make before purchasing a new set of earbuds. The name of the game is helping you stretch your dollar without wasting it on a crummy product. For more information, check out our full-length article.
How Does Price Correlate To Features?
As with most tech products, the more you spend on a pair of wireless earbuds at checkout, the better performance you can expect. When you go the budget route, it's likely that you will have to forego some cool features, but not always. Most budget buds lack active noise canceling. While the EarFun Air Pro 4 has ANC, it's not perfect silence. For mind-blowing sound blocking, you'll have to spend upwards of $250 for premium Bose buds. Since not all ANCs are created equal, be sure to read performance reviews before taking the plunge on any bud not featured here. Also, be aware that using ANC will shorten the claimed battery life.
In the game of price vs performance, wired earbuds are a whole different story. They typically provide outstanding sound and call quality, all the while removing any connectivity and battery life issues. In the long run, they also don't need to be replaced as often as wireless models since they don't have battery longevity to deal with.
Most budget buds skip ANC, but a snug fit - like that on the JLab Go Air Pop+ - still helps minimize distractions to keep you in the zone.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
In addition, budget buds are typically larger in size, making them harder to wear comfortably for more than an hour, depending on your ear size. Low-cost wireless buds don't necessarily weigh more; they're just bulkier and feel cramped inside your ears. Some budget buds are also made with cheaper materials that may feel hard or scratchy in the ear. If your ears are on the small side, or if you want a bud that you can wear all day, choose a slim model like the Google Pixel A-Series. For those interested, the A-Series buds are generally more stable, so they are a decent choice for workouts. The small size also correlates to a more portable case that easily passes our skinny jean test.
An abundance of tip sizes helps achieve a better fit across a variety of ear sizes.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Despite not having great sound-blocking technology, many budget buds still have pretty good sound and call quality and even boast added features like a water-resistant design and EQ customizations - though this isn't the case with all low-cost buds. Therefore, despite the low price tag, you can still bliss out to a wonderful sound mix and make clear phone calls, although the experience may be less satisfying in the loudest environments, like a subway or plane. The EarFun is the best wireless option for sound quality.
Despite the low price tag, our music experts still found the EarFun Air Pro 4 to provide a pleasant listening experience.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
What To Avoid
It's easy to find countless other low-cost options, but be wary of unverified claims. Overly cheap or unbranded models often suffer from a poor fit, grainy sound quality, and an unreliable Bluetooth connection. They also come with fewer tip-size options, making it harder to find a proper seal, and are built with inferior materials that feel cheap with scratchy edges. They may even break easily (despite boasting a high IP rating) or just stop working entirely within a few uses, forcing you to begrudgingly spend even more money on a replacement. While we test a wide range of prices, we can't review every single option out there. Not yet, at least.
Sale, Sale, Sale
As you already know, one of the best ways to stretch your dollar is to look for clearance pricing. Holiday sales around Black Friday or Cyber Monday in November, and in July on Amazon Prime Day, offer big savings opportunities. There are also good deals to be had in August, during back-to-school season, and in the spring, around March, when manufacturers typically release new models. As new models drop into the market, older generations get a more appealing price tag. We'll keep you posted on any clearance deals we find.
There are dozens of budget earbuds out there, some with wildly optimistic performance claims. We did the gruntwork of sifting through these options and selected the most promising models to test and compare.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Conclusion
We hope you've found our review informative and helpful in making your search for the perfect-priced bud less challenging. Keep checking back with us, too, as we're constantly updating our lineup with the latest and greatest budget steals.
—Graham Faulknor, Rachael Lamore, Genaveve Bradshaw, and Lissette Velasquez
