The best wireless earbuds under $50

Wireless earbuds have come a long way in a short time – and nowhere is that more evident than at the budget end of the market. A few years ago, spending less than $50 meant settling for poor sound, no ANC, and a Bluetooth connection that dropped every few minutes. That’s not the case anymore. The most affordable earbuds today are more than worth it, and we’ve tested many of them to find the ones that are worth your money.

Quick Response

For a quick guide to wireless earbuds under $50, check out our top picks below. Each has a link to our full review.

Best of all: CMF Buds 2

For $59, the CMF Buds 2 deliver features that would have cost over $100 a few years ago. ANC reduces external noise by 82% on average, battery life reached 9 hours in our test with a total of 55 hours without ANC, and a 10-minute charge gives 7.5 hours of playtime. The Nothing X app adds 3-band EQ, five levels of Ultra Bass, dual device connectivity, and surround sound — a feature set that’s behind most earbuds at this price.

The stock tuning is bass-heavy, but the Vocals EQ reset restores it nicely. The only noticeable technical weakness is distortion at high volumes. No wireless charging either. But for anyone shopping under $50 who doesn’t want to compromise on ANC or battery life, nothing else at this price comes close.

CMF Buds 2 price history

JBuds Mini solves a problem that most earbuds ignore: the case is small enough to attach to your key, and the earbuds themselves – at 3.3g each – are among the lightest we’ve tested. Besides the small footprint, you get IP55 water resistance, 10-band EQ with the JLab app, Be Aware passthrough mode, and about 6 hours of battery life in our testing. At $40, it’s hard to find an everyday-carryable earbud.

No ANC – although an ANC version has been confirmed for the same price, so far there is no release date. The stock tuning has a noticeable high frequency peak that can be tiring on busy tracks at high volumes, so we’d recommend enabling the volume limiter in the app. And as useful as a keychain case, this is really easy to lose (the Find My feature in the app is worth setting up quickly).

JLab JBuds Mini price history

For $25, Moondrop Space Travel does something that shouldn’t happen at this price: it sounds really good. An overall MDAQS rating of 4.9 out of 5 – one of the highest we’ve rated at any price – is supported by a frequency response that closely follows the curve we like with no bass boost or troubling treble peaks. ANC reduces external noise by about 20dB, which is strong for earbuds this cheap, and the ovoid nozzle design fits a variety of ears comfortably.

The tradeoffs are real and worth knowing: there’s no IP rating, the charging case doesn’t have a lid and charges from the bottom (meaning the earbuds can fall out while plugged in), and battery life came in at just 4 hours and 20 minutes in our testing. The app is also not Android friendly and not worth the hassle. Note that Space Travel has been discontinued in favor of Space Travel 2, but the original is still available online and is a great buy – it sounds even better than the sequel.

Moondrop Space Travel price history

If you need earbuds that last all day without reaching for a case, the P40i is the choice. Our tests averaged 9 hours and 18 minutes of continuous play with ANC enabled – above average for this price range – and the case adds another four full charges. A 10-minute recharge gets you another five hours, and the case also supports Qi wireless charging. Bonus: the case has a built-in phone stand, which is a real handy touch for anyone viewing content on the go.

The tradeoffs are real though. The stock tuning is very V-shaped with a bass boost that can get boomy on very busy tracks – the Bass Reducer EQ preset is worth trying first. The fit is loose, so this is not suitable for exercise. The microphone quality is also below average for calls. But if long battery life and strong ANC are your priorities and you listen to a lot of music, the P40i is more than worth it.

Anker Soundcore P40i price history

It’s rare to find ANC in earbuds at this price. It is still rare to find an active ANC. The Edifier TWS1 Pro 2 reduces external noise by 75% on average – really useful for commuting to work and the gym – and is paired with an IP54 dust and splash resistance rating, slow-delay playback mode, and an app with EQ presets, find my earbuds, and automatic controls. All for $49.99.

The main limitation is the battery life, which came in at 4 hours and 51 minutes in our test – below average even for this price category, although 10 minutes in the case adds an hour of play. The stock tuning boosts the mids a bit and has sharp highs around 5–8kHz that can be uncomfortable at high volumes on busy tracks. But as a no-nonsense ANC earbud that doesn’t cut corners on the essentials, the TWS1 Pro 2 is hard to beat at this price.

Edifier TWS1 Pro 2 price history

Best earbuds under $50: Remarkable mentions

• TOZO NC2 (on the brand’s website): If $40 is your real ceiling and you need ANC, the TOZO NC2 gets the job done with 7+ hours of battery life and decent frequency reduction. Just know that there is no app, the bass is heavy, and the TOZO has a history of advertising features that don’t always work as described.
• TOZO T12 ($34 at Amazon): Best-in-class isolation for under $40, with an IPX8 waterproof rating and wireless charging. There’s no ANC or adaptive system, but the fit blocks out a surprising amount of high-frequency noise on its own.
• Skullcandy Dime 3 ($29.99 at Amazon): At $29.99, the Dime 3 has one of the most neutral frequency responses we’ve measured at any price. No ANC, no app, but a good start if you just want earbuds that sound out of the box.
• Moondrop Space Travel 2 ($25.49 at Amazon): The sequel to our sound quality pick has better EQ tools and new colors, but sounds worse than the original. It’s worth considering if you like to play with target curves and can’t find a real one.

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