The Best Noise Cancelling Earbuds In 2024 That Won't Break The Bank

Buyers looking for a pair of wireless earbuds aren't short of choice, in fact the opposite is true. There are so many options on the market from both established brands and newcomers that it can be hard to know where to start. Focusing on features can be a good way to sort through the clutter, and for many buyers, active noise cancellation (ANC) is now a must-have feature. The ability to block out background noise can be a gamechanger in all kinds of situations, from allowing you to focus on work in a busy coffee shop to cutting out the drone of engines in an airplane cabin.

Buying a great pair of earbuds with active noise cancellation doesn't have to break the bank, either. As someone who spends virtually all of their time working remotely in various noisy locations, I've drawn on my own experience and that of SlashGear's global review team to put together a list of eight top choices that retail for less than $200. Plus, there are two class-leading bonus picks that can often be found on sale within budget. SlashGear has had hands-on experience with each of these picks, and for a more thorough breakdown of what we thought about each one, be sure to check out the in-depth reviews that are linked below.

It wasn't too long ago that the idea of finding a pair of quality earbuds with active noise cancellation for under $100 would have seemed impossible. That's no longer the case, and in fact a number of options are now available within the sub-$100 price bracket. One pair we were particularly impressed with was the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro, which pack in a slew of high-end features and better sound quality than you might expect for the price. They're available on OnePlus' website, and retail for $79.99.

SlashGear's reviewer found them comfortable to wear for all kinds of tasks, including working out, and their IP55 rating ensures they're protected against sweat while you're clocking up the miles. They can be controlled either via your phone or through a touch sensitive strip on the side of the earbud. Connecting them was quick and easy thanks to Google Fast Pair, with all Android and iPhone users able to tweak things like profiles and EQ settings through the "Hey Melody" app. OnePlus smartphone owners have the advantage of built-in support via the Bluetooth menu.

The ANC function worked competently given the earbuds' price point, although it wasn't quite as isolating as pricier pairs and a low level of noise consistently got through. The transparency mode was also accurate — not perfectly so, but then, for $80, it's hard to complain.

The CMF Buds are by far the cheapest option on this list, and at their price point, it's commendable that they offer so many features. They're available on Amazon for just $39, and can be bought in a choice of three colors. Dark gray, light gray, and orange are available, with our review pair being the distinctive – and polarizing – orange colorway. We found them to be generally comfortable and secure fitting, with impressive charging speeds and a solid battery life.

The audio quality of the earbuds was largely typical of what you'd expect from a good budget pair. It's decent, but without the clarity and adjustability that pricier rivals offer. Still, their output was well balanced for a variety of music genres as standard, and the EQ options on the Nothing X companion app helped tweak their output for better results in the few areas where the earbuds were weaker.

Active noise cancellation is present and correct, with the CMF Buds faring well against coffee shop background noise and the buzz of a busy street. For the best effect, music needed to be cranked up to a fairly high volume — this isn't a pair of earbuds you can just pop in and drown out the world without having a soundtrack to replace it. We found transparency mode to also be hit and miss, with it often amplifying background noise more than voices. These are criticisms that, for a higher priced pair of earbuds, might be deal breakers. Here, they're just the compromises you have to make to get a very well-specced pair of earbuds for a bargain basement price.

While previous generations of Google's Pixel Buds struggled to stand out in a packed market, for the latest generation, the tech giant has stepped its game up. I have owned a pair of Pixel Buds Pro for almost a year now, having first bought them as part of a launch deal with the Pixel 8 Pro. I originally intended for them to be little more than a backup for travel, but they've proved comfortable and capable enough that they've ended up replacing my long-serving Cambridge Audio earbuds as my go-to pair.

Their sound quality is decent across a range of genres, although some fiddling with the EQ is often required to bring the best out of them. Bass is also nicely balanced as standard, and can be readily dialed up to impressively punchy levels without too much of a loss in quality elsewhere in the range. Their battery life is competitive with what else is on offer at this price point, with the charging case able to provide several full recharges without needing to be plugged into an outlet.

The Pixel Buds Pro also now offer ANC — a feature conspicuously missing from previous iterations — and it's consistently effective, working well across a wide variety of both indoor and outdoor environments. Transparency mode also does a great job of amplifying voices over background noise. Unlike some rival pairs, there's only minimal hiss too, even in quiet rooms. The earbuds have quite a bit of competition at their $199 retail price, but that's offset by the fact that they can almost always be found on sale. As of this writing, they're available to order on Amazon for $139.99.

The Beats Studio Buds+ are the middle child of the brand's earbuds lineup, and accordingly, they offer a compromise between the cheaper Studio Buds and the high end Beats Fit Pro. Despite being an Apple subsidiary, there's minimal favoritism here, and they remain a solid choice for both iPhone and Android users. One of the pair's biggest selling points is their extended battery life – the Studio Buds+ are the longest lasting of the Beats earbud trio — plus their improved ANC compared to the cheaper Studio Buds.

SlashGear's editor tested the pair's noise canceling performance in a variety of settings from around the house to on a flight, and came away impressed with their consistency. The clarity of transparency mode was less of improvement compared to cheaper Beats earbuds, with barely any difference noticeable. What was noticeable was the improvement in voice call clarity, with the Studio Buds+ offering superior noise filtering when calling outdoors.

Overall audio quality was on par with what buyers expect from a Beats product, albeit with a slightly less bass-heavy signature than the brand's older earbuds. While not quite on par overall with the best earbuds on the market, they're also cheaper than many of those class leading rivals. They retail on Amazon for $169.95, but can often be found discounted.

There's plenty to like about the OnePlus Buds 3, not least their budget-friendly retail price of just under $100. Their overall audio performance is among the best in their price bracket, especially for buyers who listen to bass-heavy genres of music. Bass levels can be cranked up further beyond their default settings too thanks to the Hey Melody app, although at the cost of some overall clarity. For their price, the earbuds also boast high levels of resistance against common tech-killing hazards, being IP55 rated against dust and water ingress.

The same theme continues with the pair's ANC, with our reviewer finding them to be particularly effective at blocking out street noise when walking around. Indoor performance was also strong too, and transparency mode was on par with the best at this price bracket. The biggest downside to the earbuds is just how many convenience features were reserved for OnePlus smartphone owners. It's not unusual for high-end earbuds from the biggest manufacturers to ring fence their best features for loyal customers, but it's an unwelcome surprise at the more budget end of the market. Hi-res streaming is a OnePlus-exclusive feature, as is camera compatibility and noise cancellation strength adjustment. That aside, there's little else to dislike for the price.

Squeezing in just under the $200 budget, the Jabra Elite Active 8 are designed for buyers who need a durable pair of earbuds for use in all conditions. They're IP68 rated, meaning that they can be used underwater at depths of around four feet without worry. Most buyers won't end up swimming with them — although, in theory, that's viable – but it's always good to have the reassurance that dropping an earbud into a sink or puddle won't result in damage. Even from higher heights, the Elite Active 8's drop resistance should mean they remain unscathed.

In other regards, the Elite Active 8 earbuds offer the same suite of features and abilities you'd expect at this price point. A battery life of up to eight hours with ANC activated is competitive, although not class leading, and the pair should remain comfortable, too. Jabra claims to have scanned more than 62,000 ears to ensure its designs are compatible with all ear shapes. The $200 price bracket is a packed one, but for sheer toughness, few can beat the Elite Active 8 earbuds. They retail for $199.99, but as of this writing, are available on Amazon for a discounted price of $149.99.

Amazon's in-house tech line might not seem like the obvious choice for quality earbuds, but its second generation Echo Buds offer a capable alternative to the big names with the benefit of integrated Alexa. They retail for $139.99, undercutting many popular pairs, and they offer rarely-seen features for budget earbuds like a case that can charge wirelessly. That said, there are some caveats that stop them from being true class leaders. Chief among them is the audio quality: while the Echo Buds are far from a disappointment, there are plenty of cheaper earbuds out there if pure quality is your primary concern.

ANC is also not quite on par with the very best in the segment, although it's still decent at blocking out average levels of background noise. Our reviewer found the high levels of hiss when using transparency mode to also be an annoyance. However, having built-in Alexa is a boon, especially for users already knee-deep in Amazon's tech ecosystem. Battery life is good too, and the addition of wireless charging for the case might be enough to sway buyers who are otherwise on the fence. Amazon has developed its own Buds-specific wireless charging pad, which can be picked up for $17.99, and comes complete with LED indicators to show charge levels of both the case and the earbuds themselves.

While the Beats Studio Buds+ are undoubtedly an improvement over the older Studio Buds, the latter is still a solid option at the right price. They retail for $149.95, but can frequently be found for less. As of this writing, they're available for $99.95 on Amazon, which puts them in direct competition with the likes of the OnePlus Buds 3. There's no need to worry about the brand of smartphone you own here either, as Beats does an admirable job of catering to both iPhone and Android users. The only major difference is that Android users have to download the Beats app, while iPhone users benefit from built-in controls.

The Studio Buds are IPX4 resistant and so can withstand sweat and being caught in the rain, but they're not as tough as some of the other pairs here. Audio quality remains crisp and clear across a variety of genres, although unusually for a Beats product, the bass isn't as intense as it could be. The earbuds feature ANC and a transparency mode that's broadly comparable to the newer Studio Buds+, albeit slightly less isolating than pricier rivals. There are certainly some drawbacks, but given the Studio Buds' competitive retail price and even lower sale price, they're well worth considering.

Both Samsung and Apple are notorious for reserving their best features for users who own their respective smartphones, and so anyone without a Galaxy or iPhone won't find as much value in these bonus picks. However, for buyers who are already in one of the two ecosystems, it's well worth considering a complimentary set of earbuds. For Samsung owners, the best value pick is the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, which usually retail for $229.99, making them just out of budget at retail price. They can easily be found on sale though, and as of this writing, are discounted to $152.49 on Amazon. They're worth considering even without such a considerable discount for several reasons, the key one in this case being their top-tier ANC abilities.

Our reviewer found the earbuds able to completely neutralize the constant drone of an air conditioning unit even when a pair of first-gen AirPods had failed, as well as cancel wind noise better than most. They found the pair's audio quality to also be noteworthy, although the superior 24-bit playback function remains limited to Samsung smartphones. Pairing is also at its most convenient with another Galaxy device, and users of other smartphones will need to manually pair the earbuds before their first use.

Apple's pioneering AirPods remain consistently among the best all-rounders on the market, with the second-generation AirPods Pro being the best value pick for under $200. They retail for $249, but much like Samsung's rival offering, can readily be found on sale. They are currently $189.99 on Amazon, and can be found elsewhere for a similar price. Their audio quality is generally excellent for this price point, although buyers used to bass-heavy earbuds might find them to be a little light on the low end.

The ANC and transparency mode is also among the best on the market, with the former able to effectively shield users from distracting noise in a wide variety of environments. The latter is clearer than most rivals, and in addition, the Adaptive Transparency mode helps protect against sudden bursts of loud noise that might result in uncomfortably loud sound levels in lesser earbuds.

The AirPods Pro are far from perfect, with our reviewer finding them less secure in-ear than rival pairs from the likes of Beats, and the Spatial Audio function to also be a mixed bag. Then there is, of course, the caveat that anyone with an Android won't find them nearly as convenient to use, but with the development of similarly device-oriented rivals from Samsung and Google, that's no longer anything unusual. For those ingrained in the Apple ecosystem, however, they're an intuitive and highly capable choice assuming you can get them within budget.