Sure, you might have your eyes on the class-leading Sony WH-1000xM6 headphones, but they'll cost you $450. It's not necessary to dish out that much money when you can get headphones for a fraction of the price (with much of the same functionality) or, better yet, noise-cancelling headphones that carry longer battery life and a stronger sonic punch than the AirPods Max.
All this to say, cheap headphones can be genuinely great headphones — if you know where to look. That's why we've tested a bunch of picks under $100 to find the best budget headphones available.
What are the best budget headphones?
If you're still an Apple loyalist when it comes to headphones, stick with us for a sec. You'll soon discover that these top picks from popular budget audio brands like JLab, Anker, and JBL are giving the market’s best a run for their money. We even have a bargain entry from Sony that’s well worth a look.
Don't believe it? You'll want to see for yourself by reading our reviews of the best headphones under $100 below.
What differentiates budget vs. higher-end headphones?
In case we weren't clear enough before, cheaper does not mean worse by any means (and vice versa) when it comes to headphones. Not always, at least.
Yet, the general trend still stands that the "higher-end" a pair of headphones is, the more likely you are to get better sound quality (aka undistorted bass), more playtime, and state-of-the-art features like adaptive ANC.
Budget headphones are known to leak sound more often than their pricier alternatives, and they'll likely have fewer extras, like spatial audio for immersive 3D sound and TalkThru technology (which amplifies your convo buddy's voice while reducing music volume instantly) featured in some of JBL’s flagship headphones.
Nonetheless, we made it our mission to find headphones — both on-ear and over-ear models — that aren't "higher-end" in price and borrow a lot of standout functionality from their more expensive counterparts.
