The 5 Best Budget Wireless Headphones - Spring 2025

The best budget Bluetooth headphones we've tested are the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless. These headphones are the next generation of the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless and offer an improved active noise cancellation (ANC) performance for peace and quiet during days on the go. They also offer customizable ANC with different modes to suit your situation. For example, 'Transport' mode does a fantastic job of blocking out a wide range of noise, including rumbling engines and background conversations.

They have a sturdy, comfortable design and a good control scheme that lets you adjust your music and answer calls on the go. When you want to stay aware of your surroundings, you can set them to 'Transparency' mode to let in some ambient sound using a dedicated button. They have a bass-heavy sound profile that adds extra thump, punch, and boom to your audio, and unlike the Q20, they're compatible with a companion app that features a graphic EQ and presets for sound customization. They also support multi-device pairing, so you can stay connected with your phone and computer simultaneously.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless are the best cheap Bluetooth headphones we've tested. They're lightweight, comfortable, and decently well-built, although some parts have a plasticky feel, meaning the lower price comes with a step down in build quality. Compared to their successor, the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless, the Life Q20 are missing a few features, like adjustable ANC and sound customization. Their ANC still does a good job of cutting down sounds like ambient chatter and the high-pitched hum of an A/C unit. However, it has some trouble tackling the low rumble of bus engines, so it doesn't perform quite as well as the newer Life Q30's overall.

These headphones have a 32-hour continuous battery life, lasting through long flights or a couple of workdays. Their bass-heavy sound profile adds intense rumble, punch, and boom to your audio, making them well-suited for genres like rock and pop. However, if you find the intense bass response overwhelming, consider another pick like the JBL Tune 660NC Wireless. These cans have an EQ and presets in their app, but they are more difficult to find at a similar price to the Life Q20.

The JBL Tune 760NC are the best budget Bluetooth headphones for calls we've tested. Their price fluctuates, but they're worth considering as a budget option if you can get them on sale. These lightweight over-ears have an integrated mic with a better recording quality than the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless', making your voice sound clear and understandable, if a little thin. It also does a good job separating your voice from moderate background noise, so you're audible next to a busy road or in a shopping mall, although you may get drowned out by louder background noise, like a subway train. Their ANC performs reasonably well when cutting out mid- and treble-range noise, like office chit-chat or whiny PC fans, but doesn't do as well at isolating you from the low rumble of bus or plane engines.

They have a bass-heavy sound profile that will give genres like hip-hop and EDM extra thump and punch. The rest of the range is well-balanced, making them well-suited for listening to most audio content. However, they don't have sound customization features, like a companion app with graphic EQ or presets, so you're stuck with their default mix. Fortunately, they last just over 40 hours on a single charge with ANC on, so you can use them for most of the work week before needing a recharge.

The best on-ear Bluetooth headphones in the budget range are the Sony WH-CH520 Wireless. On-ears are generally less popular than other types of headphones, and compared to over-ears like the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless, they hardly block out any noise. However, these cans offer a few advantages over the Q20. They support multi-device pairing, meaning you can stay connected with your phone and computer simultaneously. They also have an app with sound customization features so you can adjust their warm default sound profile, and they offer a longer 52-hour continuous battery life, so you don't need to recharge them daily.

Their integrated mic has a good recording quality, especially for Bluetooth headphones, so your voice sounds clear and natural over the phone. Unfortunately, it can't separate your voice from background noise as effectively as the JBL Tune 760NC's mic, so they're best suited for calls from quiet places like a meeting room. These headphones are fairly well-built but don't feel particularly premium or durable. Still, they feel light on your head and have a more portable design than the over-ears listed above. You can also fold the ear cups to fit them in a bag more easily.

If you're still looking for budget-friendly headphones and don't care if they're wireless, you might find what you need on our list of the best budget and cheap headphones.

If you prefer earbuds for their portability and lightness, check out the JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless. These buds have a stable and comfortable fit and are more suited to the elements with their IP54 certification for resistance against dust and direct water exposure. One of the trade-offs of their smaller form factor is their continuous battery life of nine hours, which is much less than that of other picks on this list. Still, they'll last you through long days on the go, and unlike over-ear and on-ear headphones, they come with a carrying case that supplies an additional three charges if needed.

Out of the box, they have a relatively well-balanced sound profile; they pack on some extra bass but elevate their mid-range to compensate so vocals and instruments don't sound distant or obscured. Unlike many budget-friendly picks, they have a companion app with an EQ and presets to fine-tune their sound to your liking. They lack active noise cancelling, though, so they'll struggle to reduce the low rumble of bus engines. However, they do a better job of blocking out ambient chatter passively.

If you're shopping for earbuds, you can find more options on our best budget and cheap wireless earbuds list.