The best cheap earbuds for 2026: Our top budget alternatives to AirPods, tested and reviewed

ANC: Adaptive | Controls: Touch | Ear detection: Yes | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C or wireless | Waterproof rating: IP55 | Max battery life: 11 hours on a charge | Ear tips included: 5 sizes

EarFun may not be a household name, but the company has cranked out a lot of rock-solid earbuds over the years — most of them surprisingly affordable.

The Air Pro 4 stands on the shoulders of our previous best budget pick, the Air Pro 3. It, too, combines first-rate audio with an even longer list of great features, all for $80 or less (it's frequently discounted).

Among them: Adaptive noise-cancelling, in-ear detection, wireless case-charging, support for both aptX and LDAC lossless audio codecs and batteries good for up to 11 hours on a charge.

Ah, but how do they sound? Better than you'd expect given the price. Everything I listened to sounded lush and well-balanced. The active noise-cancelling also punched above its weight, though it doesn't match the levels offered by Apple, Bose and Sony.

I especially appreciated EarFun's detailed print instructions, something you don't find in earbuds from, ahem, Apple, Bose and Sony.

Alas, spatial audio remains MIA; the feature has yet to make its way into any EarFun earbuds. That would make this a home-run product. As of now, it's a stand-up triple.

Worth noting: EarFun recently introduced the Air Pro 4+, which offers a slight bump in sound quality, battery life and other features. It's priced at $100 but has already been discounted numerous times, usually to around $75. I still think the original is the bargain to beat, but do watch for deals on the Air Pro 4+.

For a much deeper dive, read my full EarFun Air Pro 4 review.

ANC: Adaptive | Controls: Touch | Ear detection: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Waterproof rating: IP55 | Max battery life: 12 hours on a charge | Ear tips included: 5 sizes

What I expected from a $40 pair of earbuds: Poor fit, limited features, crummy companion app, AM-radio sound quality.

What I got from the Baseus Bass BP1 Pro: A fit as comfortable as any earbuds I've tried, nearly all the features I want, a legit-great app and delightful bass-forward sound.

To be fair, I had to do some tweaking in the Baseus app; I thought the best overall audio quality came from having ANC and bass-boost turned on and Spatial Acoustics turned off (as opposed to set to Music). There's also an 8-band equalizer for those who like even more fine-tuning.

In fact, there's a Deep Bass preset that, when paired with Bass Boost mode, produces a double-helping of resonant thump that's sure to please bass-lovers. (This might be a good time to point out that Apple AirPods Pro 3, which cost $249, don't even have an equalizer.)

The Bass BP1 Pro's adaptive ANC performed better than I expected, with several location-specific modes available and even a custom setting. It's not the strongest ANC I've tested, but definitely not the weakest, either.  

I wish the Baseus quick-start guide had larger print, but at least the app is easy to navigate, despite having so many options. 

Indeed, it's amazing how well-rounded these earbuds are considering the price. And here's the real shocker: They frequently go on sale for just $28.

ANC: No | Controls: Touch | Ear detection: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Waterproof rating: IPX7 | Max battery life: 11 hours on a charge | Ear tips included: N/A

If you're exercising outdoors, consider so-called open-ear headphones, which help you stay aware of your surroundings instead of blocking potentially dangerous noises (like oncoming traffic).

And whether that's walking, running or something else, you want a pair that won't fall out or off. Look no further than EarFun's OpenJump, an earhook-style headphone that, once properly hooked, ain't going anywhere.

The flipside is that if you wear glasses, the arms will be competing for top-of-the-ear space with the OpenJump. Thankfully, this didn't affect the fit or comfort, at least for me.

Open-ear headphones typically don't sound as good as their earbud counterparts — the design has some limitations — but these are good enough for their intended purpose. (And let's be honest, outdoor exercise doesn't demand ultra-pristine fidelity.) There's not a ton of bass, though, even if you choose Bass Boost 3 in EarFun's poorly designed equalizer-preset carousel. 

Fortunately, that's the only weak spot in an otherwise decent companion app. And, as always, I commend EarFun for providing detailed, easy-to-read print instructions.

The $80 list price puts these well below our $100 cap — and if you wait for a sale, you should be able to snag them for $60 or less.

ANC: No | Controls: Buttons | Ear detection: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Waterproof rating: IP55 | Max battery life: 7.5 hours on a charge | Ear tips included: N/A

Another impressive effort from Baseus, the Bass BC1 is one of the most affordable open-ear headphones we've tested. It's also one of the most comfortable, clipping onto your outer-ear cartilage, earring-style. They're a good pick not only for those with small ears, but also anyone who wants to wear earbuds all day. I've walked around with these for hours and often forgot they were there.

It does take a bit of fiddling to position the earbuds just so, and if you don't angle them just right, you won't get the best sound. Once you do, however, you're in for nicely balanced audio with a decent amount of bass (after you toggle the bass-boost mode in the Baseus app).

As with Baseus' Bass BP1 Pro earbuds (see above), you can customize the sound to your liking courtesy of both custom and preset equalizers.

The Bass BC1 employs a mechanical button on each earbud instead of the usual touch controls. As a general rule I prefer that, because you're less likely to endure accidental touches, but the button is a bit small, hard to find by touch and hard to press.

That quibble aside, let's remember the price tag: just $40, and often discounted as low as $28. That's an insanely good deal on a genuinely good pair of open-ear headphones.

ANC: Adaptive | Controls: Touch | Ear detection: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Waterproof rating: IP55 | Max battery life: 12 hours on a charge | Ear tips included: 5 sizes

Earbud reviews seldom focus on the case, but that's a huge part of what makes the Soundcore P41i so great. Slightly oversize, packing a 3,000-mAh battery, it doubles as an emergency charger for your phone and triples as a stand for watching movies on the go.

Meanwhile, there's a bright status-LCD embedded in the front of the case; it reports not only the amount of charge remaining but also the battery level in each earbud. If you use the case just to recharge the earbuds, you can expect a whopping 192 hours of total listening time.

You can recharge the case itself using the built-in USB-C cord, which doubles as a finger-strap, or plug that cord into your phone or anything else. The battery isn't large enough to fully recharge a phone, but it's good for occasions when you need some backup power. 

(A slightly more expensive version of the P41i includes a USB-C-to-Lightning adapter magnetically embedded in the underside of the lid. Clever!)

Finally, if you flip up a little tab in lower half of the case, you can prop your phone up (sideways only) for movie viewing. Handy!

As for the earbuds themselves, they rival others I've tested from Soundcore, which is to say they fit comfortably and sound splendid. Impressive ANC, too, especially if you spend some time playing with the numerous ANC modes in the app.

Between the big battery and super-versatile charging case, it's not even close: These are the best earbuds for travelers.

ANC: Adaptive | Controls: Touch | Ear detection: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C or wireless | Waterproof rating: IPX4 | Max battery life: 10 hours on a charge | Ear tips included: 5 sizes

Originally priced at $100 but now routinely marked down to $45, the Space A40 qualifies as an "oldie but goodie." It debuted in 2022 and still holds up in 2026 — especially if you don't love the stem design used by most other earbuds.

Personally, I find the "bullet" design a little harder to grip, a little harder to wrangle into my ears correctly, but they're definitely less visible — which some users might prefer.

And don't let the age fool you: These earbuds deliver very good sound, solid noise-cancelling and impressive battery life, with various amenities (like adaptive ANC and multipoint pairing) that are commonplace now but were a big deal in 2022.

There's no ear-detection here, though, and these aren't quite as sweat-proof as their modern counterparts. But for $45, those are easy pills to swallow.

ANC: No | Controls: Touch | Ear detection: Yes | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Waterproof rating: IPX2 | Max battery life: 5 hours on a charge | Ear tips included: 2 pair silicone covers

If you love using Amazon's Alexa voice assistant around the house and wish she could accompany you out in the world, consider the Echo Buds. Though a bit lacking in some areas, they're affordable, easy to carry in a pocket and Alexa-ready right out of the box.

That box doesn't include a USB-C cable — less eco-waste, yes, but also inconvenient for anyone who doesn't have a spare cord. At least Amazon's Alexa app walks you through earbud setup and operation, with animated instructions regarding earbud fit and touch-powered gesture controls. There's also a pretty good printed quick-start guide, which I'm always glad to see.

The "semi-in-ear" Echo Buds don't nestle inside your ear canals to create a noise-isolating seal. Rather, they rest gently (and comfortably, at least in my ears), allowing for situational awareness. Alas, there's no noise-canceling capability for times you might want it.

Preinstalled silicone covers help the earbuds stay put, but don't improve their unusually low waterproof rating (IPX2). If you sweat a lot, or there's an accidental encounter with a puddle, there's no guarantee they'll survive.

I like the squat, square design of the charging case, which slips easily into a pocket. However, the earbuds themselves can last only about five hours on a charge (six if you disable hands-free Alexa), which is just average. And because the case is so small, it nets you only three full recharges.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Echo Buds' audio acumen. Music sounded well-balanced, detailed and generally pleasant overall. There's not much bass, but that's normal for semi-in-ear 'buds.

Hands-free Alexa worked quickly and efficiently. Interestingly, music doesn't pause for her responses; the volume simply lowers temporarily when her voice kicks in. I'm not sure if I like this or not. It's less jarring than pause/resume would be, but it also means she's talking over a snippet of the song.

Another Amazon-specific perk: The Echo Buds can auto-pair with Fire TVs and tablets, and you can issue voice commands to make that happen. That's on top of traditional multipoint pairing.

Like most Amazon-branded products, the Echo Buds are frequently discounted; wait for the next sale and you might snag them for $35 or even $25. I would consider that a very solid buy for good-sounding, Alexa-ready earbuds.