Finding headphones on a budget can be tricky, but you don’t need to break the bank to get a decent listening experience. The headphones on this list won’t be the most comfortable or neutral sounding, but you can find quality offerings if you want a budget headset to use casually. The best earbuds and headphones under $50 offer a fair sound quality and wireless Bluetooth.

We've tested 40 headphones under $50 and below are our recommendations for the best ones you can buy in the summer of 2018.  

• Best Over-Ear Headphones Under $50: Mpow Bluetooth Over-Ear

  

  Mpow Bluetooth Over-Ear

  SEE PRICE

  Amazon.com
  Usage Ratings - Version 1.2

  ✕

  Test Benches: test

  • 1.2: Winter 2018
  • 1.1: Summer 2017
  • 1.0: Winter 2017
  • 0.9: Winter 2016

  See changelog and how ratings work

  6.3

  Mixed Usage

  ✕

  What it is This is the combination of the different use cases to evaluate how versatile the headphones are. Therefore an everyday headphone should be well-rounded enough to adapt to most situations and environments without significant losses in sound quality, design ergonomics or isolation.

  Score components:

  • 25% Critical Listening
  • 25% Office
  • 25% Commute/Travel
  • 10% Sports/Fitness
  • 9% Gaming
  • 6% Home Theater

  Score distribution:

  6.8

  Critical Listening

  ✕

  What it is The level of audio fidelity a headphone can reproduce. Therefore a balanced and true representation of bass, mids, treble, soundstage and imaging, as well as a comfortable listening experience, is essential for critical listening.

  Score components:

  • 80% Sound
  • 10% Build Quality
  • 7% Comfort
  • 3% Breathability

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  6.1

  Commute/Travel

  ✕

  What it is How well the headphones handle the loud environments involved in commuting or traveling. Therefore your listening experience should be comfortable, hassle-free and as isolated from noise as possible.

  Score components:

  • 24% Noise Isolation
  • 14% Sound
  • 11% Portability
  • 10% Comfort
  • 10% Build Quality
  • 10% Battery
  • 6% Wireless Range
  • 4% Controls
  • 4% Breathability
  • 4% Leakage
  • 3% Microphone
  • 1% Multi-Device Pairing
  • 1% NFC

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  6.7

  Sports/Fitness

  ✕

  What it is How well-adapted the headphones are, to use while doing sports or strenuous exercise. Therefore the headphones should not be too cumbersome and deliver a stable and comfortable listening experience.

  Score components:

  • 24% Stability
  • 23% Portability
  • 11% Sound
  • 10% Breathability
  • 8% Comfort
  • 6% Wireless Range
  • 5% Controls
  • 5% Battery
  • 4% Noise Isolation
  • 4% Leakage

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  6.4

  Office

  ✕

  What it is How well the headphones can deliver a comfortable and isolated listening experience in an office-like environment. They should not leak much and should block the noise of a busy office.

  Score components:

  • 24% Comfort
  • 21% Sound
  • 16% Noise Isolation
  • 8% Leakage
  • 7% Battery
  • 7% Wireless Range
  • 5% Breathability
  • 3% Build Quality
  • 3% Microphone
  • 1% Controls
  • 1% Multi-Device Pairing
  • 0% USB
  • 0% PC Compatible
  • 0% Latency
  • 0% Analog
  • 0% Line In
  • 0% USB Input
  • 0% PC Compatible
  • 0% Power Supply
  • 0% Dock Charging

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  5.7

  Home Theater

  ✕

  Score components:

  • 23% Sound
  • 17% Comfort
  • 15% Default Latency
  • 10% Wireless Range
  • 5% Build Quality
  • 5% Breathability
  • 4% Optical Input
  • 4% Battery
  • 3% Analog
  • 3% Leakage
  • 3% Noise Isolation
  • 2% RCA Input
  • 2% Multi-Device Pairing
  • 2% Line In
  • 2% Line Out
  • 2% Power Supply
  • 2% Dock Charging

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  5.3

  Gaming

  ✕

  Score components:

  • 21% Sound
  • 21% Default Latency
  • 15% Comfort
  • 12% Microphone
  • 5% Breathability
  • 5% Battery
  • 5% Base/Dock
  • 3% Build Quality
  • 3% Wireless Range
  • 3% Microphone Control
  • 3% Channel Mixing
  • 3% Wired
  • 2% Volume Control
  • 2% App Support
  • 1% Bluetooth

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations
  Type : Over-ear
  Enclosure : Closed-Back
  Wireless : Yes
  Noise-Cancelling : No
  Mic : Yes
  Transducer : Dynamic

  The best over-ear headphones under $50 are the Mpow 059. They're a wireless headphone with a decent sound quality and a simple and easy-to-use over-ear design that will be comfortable enough for most listeners. 

  They don't have the best balanced audio reproduction and their build quality is a bit plasticky. However, for their price, they deliver a solid experience, a great control scheme and a good battery life and wireless range. They also come with a regular audio cable so you can use them wired when the battery dies or passively while watching movies to reduce latency.

  Overall they're a versatile option for most use cases and a great choice if you want a wireless over-ear headphone under $50.

  See our review

• Alternative For Gaming: HyperX Cloud Stinger

  

  HyperX Cloud Stinger

  SEE PRICE

  Amazon.com

  Type : Over-ear

  Enclosure : Closed-Back

  Wireless : No

  Noise-Cancelling : No

  Mic : Yes

  Transducer : Dynamic

  If you're primarily a gamer and use your headphones at home more often than you do outdoors, get the HyperX Cloud Stinger instead of the Mpow 059. They won't be as practical for every day casual use as the Mpows since they're not wireless and have a non-detachable mic. But on the upside, they're a good budget choice for gaming with a balanced enough sound to also make them a decent option for critical listening. Overall they're a good budget gaming headphone that won't have the customization options of the Logitech G430 but have a better build quality and microphone for multiplayer games like Fortnite and PUBG.

  See our review

• Best On-Ear Headphones Under $50: Skullcandy Grind

  

  Skullcandy Grind

  SEE PRICE

  Amazon.com
  Usage Ratings - Version 1.2

  ✕

  Test Benches: test

  • 1.2: Winter 2018
  • 1.1: Summer 2017
  • 1.0: Winter 2017
  • 0.9: Winter 2016

  See changelog and how ratings work

  6.5

  Mixed Usage

  ✕

  What it is This is the combination of the different use cases to evaluate how versatile the headphones are. Therefore an everyday headphone should be well-rounded enough to adapt to most situations and environments without significant losses in sound quality, design ergonomics or isolation.

  Score components:

  • 25% Critical Listening
  • 25% Office
  • 25% Commute/Travel
  • 10% Sports/Fitness
  • 9% Gaming
  • 6% Home Theater

  Score distribution:

  7.2

  Critical Listening

  ✕

  What it is The level of audio fidelity a headphone can reproduce. Therefore a balanced and true representation of bass, mids, treble, soundstage and imaging, as well as a comfortable listening experience, is essential for critical listening.

  Score components:

  • 80% Sound
  • 10% Build Quality
  • 7% Comfort
  • 3% Breathability

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  6.2

  Commute/Travel

  ✕

  What it is How well the headphones handle the loud environments involved in commuting or traveling. Therefore your listening experience should be comfortable, hassle-free and as isolated from noise as possible.

  Score components:

  • 24% Noise Isolation
  • 14% Sound
  • 11% Portability
  • 10% Comfort
  • 10% Build Quality
  • 10% Battery
  • 6% Wireless Range
  • 4% Controls
  • 4% Breathability
  • 4% Leakage
  • 3% Microphone
  • 1% Multi-Device Pairing
  • 1% NFC

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  6.8

  Sports/Fitness

  ✕

  What it is How well-adapted the headphones are, to use while doing sports or strenuous exercise. Therefore the headphones should not be too cumbersome and deliver a stable and comfortable listening experience.

  Score components:

  • 24% Stability
  • 23% Portability
  • 11% Sound
  • 10% Breathability
  • 8% Comfort
  • 6% Wireless Range
  • 5% Controls
  • 5% Battery
  • 4% Noise Isolation
  • 4% Leakage

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  6.6

  Office

  ✕

  What it is How well the headphones can deliver a comfortable and isolated listening experience in an office-like environment. They should not leak much and should block the noise of a busy office.

  Score components:

  • 24% Comfort
  • 21% Sound
  • 16% Noise Isolation
  • 8% Leakage
  • 7% Battery
  • 7% Wireless Range
  • 5% Breathability
  • 3% Build Quality
  • 3% Microphone
  • 1% Controls
  • 1% Multi-Device Pairing
  • 0% USB
  • 0% PC Compatible
  • 0% Latency
  • 0% Analog
  • 0% Line In
  • 0% USB Input
  • 0% PC Compatible
  • 0% Power Supply
  • 0% Dock Charging

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  5.8

  Home Theater

  ✕

  Score components:

  • 23% Sound
  • 17% Comfort
  • 15% Default Latency
  • 10% Wireless Range
  • 5% Build Quality
  • 5% Breathability
  • 4% Optical Input
  • 4% Battery
  • 3% Analog
  • 3% Leakage
  • 3% Noise Isolation
  • 2% RCA Input
  • 2% Multi-Device Pairing
  • 2% Line In
  • 2% Line Out
  • 2% Power Supply
  • 2% Dock Charging

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  5.6

  Gaming

  ✕

  Score components:

  • 21% Sound
  • 21% Default Latency
  • 15% Comfort
  • 12% Microphone
  • 5% Breathability
  • 5% Battery
  • 5% Base/Dock
  • 3% Build Quality
  • 3% Wireless Range
  • 3% Microphone Control
  • 3% Channel Mixing
  • 3% Wired
  • 2% Volume Control
  • 2% App Support
  • 1% Bluetooth

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations
  Type : On-ear
  Enclosure : Closed-Back
  Wireless : Yes
  Noise-Cancelling : No
  Mic : Yes
  Transducer : Dynamic

  If you prefer the compact format of on-ear headphones, then the best option you can get under $50 are the Skullcandy Grind. Only certain color variants are available under $50, so you may have to spend a bit more for your favorite color scheme but, overall the Grind are easily one of the best and more comfortable on-ears that we've tested at any price point.

  They have a sturdy metal design that's durable and looks great. They're also closed-back on-ears, unlike Koss Porta Pro, which makes them a bit more suitable for commute and noisy environments. They're wireless but also come with a regular audio cable that will work with most of your devices. 

  They won't be as portable as some of the other on-ears we've tested since they do not fold into a more compact format but if you don't mind the slightly less popular color schemes, then the Grind are the best on-ear headphones at this price point.

  See our review

• More Portable Alternative: Koss Porta Pro

  

  Koss Porta Pro

  SEE PRICE

  Amazon.com

  Type : On-ear

  Enclosure : Open-Back

  Wireless : No

  Noise-Cancelling : No

  Mic : Yes

  Transducer : Dynamic

  If you're looking for a very lightweight alternative, get the Koss Porta Pro. They are so comfortable and breathable that you barely feel them once they’re on your head. They also have a decently well-balanced sound quality with an open design that creates a more immersive sound quality than the Skullcandy Grind. The build quality of the Koss is a little flimsy, especially when compared to the Sound Intone CX-05, which are a lot cheaper. On the upside, they sound better and can fold to fit into some pockets so you can have them on you at all times.

  See our review

• Best In Ear Headphones Under $50: Samsung U Flex

  

  Samsung U Flex

  SEE PRICE

  Amazon.com
  Usage Ratings - Version 1.2

  ✕

  Test Benches: test

  • 1.2: Winter 2018
  • 1.1: Summer 2017
  • 1.0: Winter 2017
  • 0.9: Winter 2016

  See changelog and how ratings work

  6.8

  Mixed Usage

  ✕

  What it is This is the combination of the different use cases to evaluate how versatile the headphones are. Therefore an everyday headphone should be well-rounded enough to adapt to most situations and environments without significant losses in sound quality, design ergonomics or isolation.

  Score components:

  • 25% Critical Listening
  • 25% Office
  • 25% Commute/Travel
  • 10% Sports/Fitness
  • 9% Gaming
  • 6% Home Theater

  Score distribution:

  6.7

  Critical Listening

  ✕

  What it is The level of audio fidelity a headphone can reproduce. Therefore a balanced and true representation of bass, mids, treble, soundstage and imaging, as well as a comfortable listening experience, is essential for critical listening.

  Score components:

  • 80% Sound
  • 10% Build Quality
  • 7% Comfort
  • 3% Breathability

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  7.0

  Commute/Travel

  ✕

  What it is How well the headphones handle the loud environments involved in commuting or traveling. Therefore your listening experience should be comfortable, hassle-free and as isolated from noise as possible.

  Score components:

  • 24% Noise Isolation
  • 14% Sound
  • 11% Portability
  • 10% Comfort
  • 10% Build Quality
  • 10% Battery
  • 6% Wireless Range
  • 4% Controls
  • 4% Breathability
  • 4% Leakage
  • 3% Microphone
  • 1% Multi-Device Pairing
  • 1% NFC

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  7.6

  Sports/Fitness

  ✕

  What it is How well-adapted the headphones are, to use while doing sports or strenuous exercise. Therefore the headphones should not be too cumbersome and deliver a stable and comfortable listening experience.

  Score components:

  • 24% Stability
  • 23% Portability
  • 11% Sound
  • 10% Breathability
  • 8% Comfort
  • 6% Wireless Range
  • 5% Controls
  • 5% Battery
  • 4% Noise Isolation
  • 4% Leakage

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  6.9

  Office

  ✕

  What it is How well the headphones can deliver a comfortable and isolated listening experience in an office-like environment. They should not leak much and should block the noise of a busy office.

  Score components:

  • 24% Comfort
  • 21% Sound
  • 16% Noise Isolation
  • 8% Leakage
  • 7% Battery
  • 7% Wireless Range
  • 5% Breathability
  • 3% Build Quality
  • 3% Microphone
  • 1% Controls
  • 1% Multi-Device Pairing
  • 0% USB
  • 0% PC Compatible
  • 0% Latency
  • 0% Analog
  • 0% Line In
  • 0% USB Input
  • 0% PC Compatible
  • 0% Power Supply
  • 0% Dock Charging

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  5.7

  Home Theater

  ✕

  Score components:

  • 23% Sound
  • 17% Comfort
  • 15% Default Latency
  • 10% Wireless Range
  • 5% Build Quality
  • 5% Breathability
  • 4% Optical Input
  • 4% Battery
  • 3% Analog
  • 3% Leakage
  • 3% Noise Isolation
  • 2% RCA Input
  • 2% Multi-Device Pairing
  • 2% Line In
  • 2% Line Out
  • 2% Power Supply
  • 2% Dock Charging

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations

  5.7

  Gaming

  ✕

  Score components:

  • 21% Sound
  • 21% Default Latency
  • 15% Comfort
  • 12% Microphone
  • 5% Breathability
  • 5% Battery
  • 5% Base/Dock
  • 3% Build Quality
  • 3% Wireless Range
  • 3% Microphone Control
  • 3% Channel Mixing
  • 3% Wired
  • 2% Volume Control
  • 2% App Support
  • 1% Bluetooth

  Score distribution:

  See our best recommendations
  Type : In-ear
  Enclosure : Closed-Back
  Wireless : Yes
  Noise-Cancelling : No
  Mic : Yes
  Transducer : Dynamic

  The best budget earbuds under $50 we've tested are the Samsung Level U Pro. They're an affordable, all-purpose pair of headphones to use every day and they're slightly more comfortable than most in-ears thanks to the flexible in-ear tips.

  They have a reliable wireless connection with various codec options, a good battery life and a customizable sound profile that you can EQ if you have an Android device. The Samsung U Flex are better built with more customization options than the Level U Pro, but they're limited to Samsung-only devices for those extra settings. 

  See our review

• More sports-focused alternative: Anker Soundcore Spirit X

  

  Anker Soundcore Spirit X

  SEE PRICE

  Amazon.com

  Type : In-ear

  Enclosure : Closed-Back

  Wireless : Yes

  Noise-Cancelling : No

  Mic : Yes

  Transducer : Dynamic

  If you do a lot of sports, get the Anker Soundcore Spirit X. They’re below $50 but have a build quality that looks a lot more premium than their price would suggest. They’re more comfortable than typical in-ear headphones and they have a stable ear-hook design that's great for running and working out.

  Unfortunately, they do not block as much noise as typical in-ears, and since they are Bluetooth-only headphones, they will not be ideal for watching a lot of videos due to the high latency. On the upside, they deliver an exciting bass-rich sound, a long-lasting 12-hour battery life, and they’re compact enough to fit into your pockets. They also have a bit more sweat resistance than the cheaper Anker Soundbuds Curve, which are a good alternative to the Spirit X if you're on a tight budget. 

  See our review