The Best Headphones Under $50 of 2026

It's hard to argue the sheer amount of value you're getting with the HyperX Cloud Stinger. This is a headset that's aimed at anyone who just wants good audio and doesn't really care about any other frills or unnecessary bits and bobs. Don’t get me wrong, there’s enough here to satisfy most gamers, but the Cloud Stinger excels at being a straightforward experience. It’s the perfect headset for beginners.

The Cloud Stinger supports multiple platforms—meaning you can play on PC, the Xbox One, and the PlayStation without a hassle. The mic isn’t detachable, but it can be swiveled upward to be tucked out of the way—which also conveniently mutes it. Plus it’s lightweight and comfortable to boot. The only downside is that it doesn’t feel particularly sturdy or substantial. I’d be careful when transporting it as it could get damaged along the way. Even if they do break, it's much less costly to replace them than it is for top-tier headsets which easily cost three to four times as much.

If you just need a basic, bare-bones pair of earbuds, but still want them to be a step above the included earpods that come with your new iPhone, the Final Audio E2000 earbuds are a good choice. They don't have a lot of the extra features we usually look for in earbuds, like in-ear controls, an inline microphone, a tangle-free cable, or ultra-durable connection points, but they do have some of the best sound quality of any 'buds we've tested at this price.

The E2000 feature a generally clean sound profile, rich bass, and detailed highs that complement tons of music genres. If you're on a budget and prefer crisp sound over other headphone features, these should be on your list. Read the full review.

The JLab Jbuds are one of the few “true wireless” options on the list. You get two in-ear speakers, a choice of three sleeve tips, and an alternate pair of cushions for the body of the speakers. They come in a portable charging case with a tiny, built-in USB plug. Overall, it's pretty cool to get true wireless earbuds for such an affordable price.

However, there are a few drawbacks. The controls are operated by pressing a button on the center of the speaker. If you’re trying to adjust the sound settings while listening, that means you wind up mashing the speaker into your ear, which is uncomfortable and probably not healthy. The charging cable is tiny, and without any over-ear hook, you’d better make sure that they’re firmly in your ears before you go jogging.

That said, the sound is pretty phenomenal, especially considering how much hardware is packed into such a tiny space. The Bluetooth range is fantastic. The sound is solid and well-rounded with a healthy bass. And since the case lets you charge on the go, the you can travel for a long time before you need to find a wall charger. At an even $50, the Jbuds are right at the upper end of our price range, but they’re worth it for what you get.

OneOdio calls this headset “Studio DJ Headphones.” It turns out that doesn’t just mean “nice over-ear headphones with quality sound.” All of those things are present, but there are other features that make this a great entry point for someone doing more with their audio than just playing music on their phone.

The headphones have a ¼” jack and a regular headphone jack. They also come with two cables: one is a regular aux cable with a built-in mic and buttons. The other has a ¼” plug on one end, and a headphone plug on the other. That means you can take that adapter cord and plug the ¼” into your headphones and walk around listening to your phone. Then you can go to an audio interface or a mixing board somewhere, flip the cable around, and plug the ¼” into the mixing board. The fact that the cable has both plugs and the headphone will work with either end means that you’ve got versatility built right in, without needing an adapter.

You can also flip one of the ear cups around and listen to the room and the music at once. Finally, you can plug one headset into another to share music. These features aren’t going to be useful for every single person out there, but if you’re looking at DJ or soundboard work, they’re great to have. These are also more comfortable and sturdier than many of the others. Even if they’re not the single most comfortable pair, they have a lot going on for them. You don’t have to be an aspiring DJ to get a good deal on this comfortable, headset with high-quality sound.

The Mpow Flame wireless headphones are a solid product. On the plus side, their sound was heavier and fuller, but also more distant compared to our top choices. These come in a protective case that includes a USB charger and a mind-boggling five varieties of sleeves for differently-sized ears. The hook over the top means that even if you don’t get a perfect seal (or if you trip while jogging) these aren’t going to go flying.

They aren’t perfect, however. The Bluetooth range is serviceable, but they were a little spottier in maintaining a connection compared to more expensive products. The plastic is sort of a soft, almost rubbery consistency (except for the parts that actually are rubber). They seem like they’d be more durable than a lot of the competition, but they also seem like they might not hold up as well as some others in more extreme climates. Overall, however, these are a good set of wireless headphones for what you're paying.

The Mpow 059 have solid quality sound, though it's not quite as rich as some of the wired options. Overall, though, these are a decent set of headphones for under $50. The controls are intuitive: press up and down on the right earpiece to adjust the volume, press back and forward to change tracks. A multifunction button in the middle handles play, pause, and phone calls.

The band can feel a little tight, but the cups have a little play in them, and they go over the ear, so they stay more comfortable for longer than some of the others. The cups aren’t as roomy as the Edifier, but they’re fairly comfortable. They also come with a 3.5mm cable, so you can still use them as wired headphones if you like. Overall, the Mpow 059 are a solid entry-level set if you're looking for a pair of wireless headphones on a budget.

These Monoprice cans have fantastic sound: it's not amazing, but it's quite respectable for what you're paying. This over-ear headset comes with two cords. A thicker cord has an inline mic and a play/pause button. A thinner cord loses the mic but is a little lighter.

There are a couple of issues. They squeeze the head a little more than the Edifiers, and any contact with the cord reverberates through the headset in a distractingly loud way. You wouldn’t, for instance, want to go jogging with it. You don’t want to do anything that’s going to jostle the cord sharply at all, honestly. Using the smaller of the two cords helps with that some, but it’s frustrating because outside of that occasional issue, this is far and away one of the best sounding sets you can get for less.

While that element is frustrating, it’s hard to genuinely communicate how good the sound is for what you’re paying. As long as you’re mostly sitting still and listening, this is a great set of headphones.

The iJoy Logo is a pretty mixed bag. The sound is rich in some ways, but it can also sound a little distant. The controls are comprehensive, but they’re not intuitive at all. For example, there’s a “mode” button present that switches the headphones over to an FM radio mode. But what that usually meant for me was that when trying to adjust the volume, I’d switch over to radio instead, and blast myself with an earful of static. On the other hand: these have a radio tuner in them, which is pretty cool.

The headphones are sturdier than some others, but they still have an awful lot of give. And the earpieces are an odd size, at least for me. They’re almost over-ear headphones, but they don’t quite make it the whole way. Instead, they just pin the top of my ear to the side of my head. People with smaller ears might not have this problem, though. The headphones also say that there’s the option to play music directly from a microSD card (not included), but any volume of music files that would merit an SD card would also be a nightmare to navigate via the onboard interface.

Finally, and this is a minor gripe, but the flashing blue light on the headset is bizarrely bright and continues flashing for the entire time the headset is synced. In the end, I found myself testing these a lot, trying to figure out whether I liked them or not. There are some good decisions here, but also some baffling ones.

Entry-level headphones typically leave you holding a broken tangle of junk if you buy cheap enough. The real tragedy is that it doesn't always take all that much more to get a set of headphones that will keep you satisfied—and the Sol Republic JAX in-ears are exemplary of this: they're great for the price.

They have a flat, tangle-free cord, an inline mic, and come in a satisfying array of colors. Even better, the JAX actually walk the walk and talk the talk with respect to their well-advertised isolation, or the ability to block out noise from the outside world. They do only come with three ear-tip sizes, though, so if you typically have trouble wearing in-ears, these may give you the same trouble other earbuds do. Read the full review.

The TaoTronics BH07 has an interesting mix of well-designed features and frustrating ones. One of the little engineering touches that adds a lot is that the back of each earpiece is magnetic, which means that you can stick them together when you store them, or when they're resting around your neck.

That said, they have some limitations. The sound comes across as thinner than others in this price range: it’s bright on one hand, but treble-heavy. I also found that the in-ear wings and tips didn't fit my ears well, making the BH07 feel like they were going to fall out. Where that's concerned, though, your mileage may vary.

Still, if you can find a good fit, the soundscape would probably even out a bit (bass tends to leak out before anything else), and the price tag and smart design details might be just what some folks want.

Sony’s budget noise-canceling headset is a solid sonic experience. The noise-canceling technology genuinely is cool. Switching it on and hearing the ambient sound get quieter never gets old, and you don’t even have to be listening to music for it to work its magic. That said, an over-ear pair of headphones can sometimes do the trick as well, and without using the battery.

The sound on Sony’s headphones is serviceable, if not incredible. And while the cups and band adjust, the on-ear design gets a little pinchy. Not nearly as bad as the Soundblaster or the Skullcandy, but enough to get tiresome after a while.

Finally, while it’s clear that a lot of the $30-$35 price tag goes into the noise-canceling technology, it’s a little frustrating that the plastic isn’t as sturdy as other wired headphones that cost less. If you’re really wowed by the noise-canceling feature, this is a worthwhile set. But if not, it's worth looking into an on-ear pair like the Monoprice or the Edifiers. The noise cancellation does help on an airplane, but not as much as you might hope, considering Sony put a picture of an airplane on the packaging.

There’s a lot to like about the Alihen C8, and also a lot that’s sort of holding it back. The construction of the actual hardware is nice. It’s a sturdy headset that feels like it was made to travel, as evidenced by the foldability. An inline microphone includes a volume slider and a play/pause button. The cups will adjust in addition to the band. All in all, it’s a well-built headset.

That said, there are a few drawbacks. The sound is good, but it can feel a little thin at times. And the cups are a little small, which means that for all the adjustability, you can still wind up feeling like your ears are getting pinched, after a while (but pinched by nice vinyl, at least, instead of a hard speaker covered in mesh). Still, for $20 these are definitely a decent value for what you're paying.

The JLab Audio Diego earbuds are another great budget option if you're looking for headphones to keep up with you while you're on the go. With four ear-tip options, two cush fins, and an inline microphone, you're getting a lot of bang for your buck with these earbuds.

With the Diego earbuds, you should be able to hear both the highs and the lows with no trouble, whether you're on the train or in your room. There's only one caveat: JLab Audio says that the Diego earbuds are best for those with small- to medium-sized ears; if you have bigger ears, these headphones may be a poor fit for you, both physically and metaphorically.

The House of Marley Smile Jamaica is another pair of relatively cheap earbuds that are punching outside their weight class. At this price point, we weren't expecting much, but we were surprised by how comfortable they were, and how good they sounded. Despite having only two ear-tip options, the normal ear-tips seemed to fit well without causing any inner ear pain.

For such a tiny pair of in-ear headphones, they have a big sound. The Smile Jamaica's sound profile selectively boosts certain frequencies in the high, mid, and low tones, so you should be able to drum strikes and flute melodies with equal ease. With their fun design, great sound performance, and low price tag, the Smile Jamaica earbuds will help you to, in the words of Bob Marley himself, feel alright. Read the full review.

Many online reviews rate the Zero Audio Carbo Tenore ZH-DX200 as a pair of earbuds that function beautifully as in-ear monitors that are a real bargain. "In-ear monitor" refers to the sound profile in the earbuds—that is, they do not emphasize any of the notes over one another, and instead transmit the sound into your ears in at the volumes the audio mixers recorded them in the studio. This translates into what is called a "flat" sound profile since the dB level of each tone is relatively constant. Monitor headphones are usually the realm of expensive over-ear headphones, so for the audiophiles out there who prefer in-ear headphones, the ZH-DX200 are an exciting prospect.

While our data shows that these earbuds don't have a truly flat sound profile, they are among the more neutral and well-balanced earbuds that we've heard at this price point. Beyond their brag-worthy sound, though, they're pretty bare-bones; there's no inline remote, and the wires are very thin and do not appear to be reinforced to increase their shelf life. As in-ear monitors, though, these Zero Audio earbuds mostly live up to the hype.

The sound on the Skullcandy Uproar is neither as great nor as bad as either side of the Skullcandy discourse might have you believe. It’s... alright.

You're getting a well-rounded soundscape here, but it’s nothing particularly special. But at least these are very easy wireless headphones to use: a power button in the middle plays, pauses, and pairs. Buttons above and below adjust volume and skip tracks based on how long you press them. They’re raised, so they’re easy to feel and find even with the headphones on. It’s about the most intuitive control on any headset I tested.

That said, the controls are about the most exciting thing about this headset. They’re not particularly sturdy. They don’t fold. They don’t come with any features, bells, or whistles. They’re not very comfortable, and they’re not very adjustable. All in all, for a $37 headset, you’d hope for a little more substance, and it just isn’t there. If the sound was exceptional, you could forgive the lack of extras, but it just isn’t.

That said, lots of people like the consumer-facing, bassy sound, and if you don't mind the somewhat flimsy feeling form factor, you might love these for the price.

The popular Panasonic ErgoFit RP-TCM125 seems like it’s just about the best pair of wired of earbuds you could hope for in this price range. They have a solid, clear sound. The fit is good. If it isn’t, there are two alternate sleeve sizes. If it still isn’t, you’ve at least got gravity on your side with these.

On the other hand, these are very barebones. The cable is thin and long, convenient in some ways but also easily tangled. The control interface is an in-line microphone with a single button. Pressing it once plays or pauses. Pressing it twice skips to the next track. Pressing it more times might do other things, but there’s no actual documentation, so figuring it out is a trial-and-error process.

Still, this is probably some of the best sound you’re going to get for $12. While it's likely might break on you—durability isn't their strongest suit—they're so cheap you can easily replace them without much concern.

Some people would be extremely wary when faced with a pair of wireless earbuds with a price this low but these Panasonic earbuds are a good choice for the person who doesn't want to fully commit to more expensive wireless earbuds on the market.

We were pleasantly surprised by nearly every aspect of these earbuds: between the long-term comfort, the sound clarity, and the long battery life, the RP-HJE120 are really punching outside their weight class. The only major downside? The low build quality.

Durability is often the largest problem facing wireless earbuds, and these Panasonics are no different. With very thin wires and plastic earbuds, it's easy to imagine them breaking at the bottom of a purse or backpack. Be sure to find some safe storage options for these earbuds, as the skinny wires connecting the earbuds to the remote will probably not survive a lot of wear and tear.

While some users were very pleased with the long battery life, others found that the heavy remote on one side of the earbuds would hit people in the face, or the weight of the remote would cause the earbud on that side to fall out entirely. Another problem is that these earbuds turn off automatically after 5 minutes without use, and require re-pairing when they are once again being used.

If you like the price point, try checking out the wired version of these earbuds, the Panasonic RP-HJE120B. They are extremely well-reviewed, and appear to last much longer than their wireless counterparts.