The 5 Best Budget And Cheap Bluetooth Speakers - Fall 2024

The best budget speaker we've tested is the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4. With a portable design and great sound quality, this speaker is a stand-out choice for those shopping with their eyes on their wallet. Thanks to its IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, it can withstand exposure to the elements and even float in water. The over 13 hours of playtime should see you through a long day on the go. 

This speaker comes in several different colors, which is handy for picking one that suits your style. Voices and lead instruments are especially detailed in the mix, and the speaker's unique Outdoor mode is a great way to add a crisper sound when you're listening in larger and more open spaces, like a backyard. Unfortunately, you won't find any other customization tools, but you can always check out the similarly priced Anker Soundcore Flare 2 if this is important to you. However, the Anker's battery life of over eight hours is much less compared to the Ultimate Ears.

Our article on the best Bluetooth speakers under $100 is also worth a look if you're interested in similarly priced speakers.

If you're looking for one of the best cheap speakers, check out the Anker Soundcore Select 2S. It stands out from much of the competition thanks to its wide array of sound customization tools and stereo playback. In the Soundcore app, you find a graphic EQ and several EQ presets to help you switch up its sound to your liking. Not many speakers at this price come with these sorts of options, making it a solid pick for music lovers shopping on a budget. While it can't put out as much bass as the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4, it still has a balanced sound that will suit most audio. Podcast dialogue sounds life-like, and instruments are rendered with detail, although sounds like cymbals are just a touch dull.

With a small and portable design, this speaker is a great choice for listening to music wherever you go. Large controls on top of the speaker make it easy to adjust its settings. It's also rated IPX7 for water resistance, so you can drop it in a puddle by accident without worrying about water damage. With over 14 hours of battery life, it'll get you through a full day at the park.

Do you love to listen to your favorite tunes on the go? Want a speaker that only takes up a little room in your backpack? Check out the Sony SRS-XB100. This Bluetooth speaker is even smaller and more compact than the Anker Soundcore Select 2S and is lightweight enough to carry around in one hand. Available in many different colors, this speaker even comes with a built-in strap to connect it to your bag on your next hike or camping trip. Since it's rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, it can withstand light exposure to the elements.

With speakers this small, you're never going to get a full, rich, low end. Sony's compromise for bass-heads has been to add a healthy amount of high-bass, which gives basslines extra oomph and warmth. However, it can also make vocals and instruments sound muddy. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any tools to switch up its sound, so it's worth looking into the Anker Soundcore Select 4 Go if you want a graphic EQ and presets to tweak your speaker's sound. The Select 4 Go also features Bluetooth multi-device pairing, but its battery life is roughly half the Sony's 20 hours.

You can also check out our recommendations for the best small Bluetooth speakers if you want to look at similarly sized options.

If you love to blast your songs at the loudest volume possible, you'll want to check out the DOSS SoundBox Plus. This budget-friendly pick gets loud, so you can easily fill your room with sound. As you crank up the volume, the speaker's audio reproduction remains clean and pure, too, so you don't notice any pumping or compression artifacts distorting the sound. Available in several color variants, this speaker's boombox-like design includes RGB lights around each driver, and you can customize their colors and patterns to match your mood.

This speaker is a good choice for music and podcasts, with a clear and accurate reproduction of voices and other instruments right out of the box. You'll notice less rumble in the bass range than with more premium models, but it does a decent job for the price. It lasts for over 10 hours off a single charge, too. There's even an IPX4 rating for water resistance to protect the speaker if you bring it outdoors. There aren't any tools on hand to customize its sound like with the Anker Soundcore Select 2S—but if you want a plug-and-play device that delivers on volume, it's a solid pick.

Smart speakers are a great choice for anyone who loves voice assistant control. Prompt the device, and you can easily check the weather outside or get a sense of the traffic before you hit the road. If a hands-free experience is what you're looking for, the Amazon Echo Pop is the best we've tested at this price. Its performance with built-in Alexa rivals even more premium speakers from this manufacturer. Talk to Alexa from far away or in a crowded room; the device easily understands your commands. You can even mute the microphone for more private moments, which is a nice touch.

This speaker's sleek design is meant to blend in with your home decor. It's quite small, too, so it only takes up a little space on your shelf or countertop. That said, given its small size, it doesn't get as loud as more premium speakers on the market. It can't reproduce as much bass warmth as some of the other picks on our list, like the Sony SRS-XB100. Voices and other instruments reproduce with clarity, though, so it's still a suitable choice for most types of music. Still, it's a great way to enter the smart speaker space without breaking the bank.