The Best Noise Canceling Headphones Under $100 of 2026

• Battery life: 40 hours with ANC, 60 without
• Ambient sound modes: ANC (three options), Transparency mode
• Dust/water resistance: No IP rating

The Anker Soundcore Life Q30 over-ear headphones deliver some of the best noise-canceling performance for cost currently available. It won’t rival the noise canceling capabilities of our top noise-canceling headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM5, but the Q30 are also less than a quarter of the price.

Within the Soundcore app are three different noise-canceling options; Transport, Indoor, and Outdoor. Overall, the Life Q30 delivers an impressive amount of low-end attenuation, limiting the amount of airplane drone or air conditioning you’ll hear, especially in Transport mode. They have some difficulty with conversation (which is true for almost all headphones on the market, regardless of price), and that will include the higher portion of the airplane sound to creep in, but switching to Indoor does thin the chatter out more than the other two. Effectiveness is more prominent in front of and behind the head, with more chatter frequencies directly on either side getting through the noise canceling. Noise canceling and transparency mode can be toggled by touching the right ear cup for one second.

The Default sound profile can be a bit muddy in the lows and cover vocals while listening to music, and some high frequencies are a little sizzly. The app has an 8-band EQ that helps alleviate those issues, and you can create up to a whopping 20 different custom settings. It’s not perfectly targeted to the troublesome frequencies, but adjustments are enough for an overall good sound.

For the price, it’s hard to compete with what the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 offer.

• Battery life: up to 6 hours with ANC, 7 without; up to 26 with the case
• Ambient sound modes: ANC, Transparency mode
• Dust/water resistance: IPX4 rating

The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro have noise canceling that rivals that of the classic AirPods Pro—and at less than half the price. It might not hold up to some newer earbuds, but it’s still solid performance in this price range.

Where they do hold up is in their sound quality, which we found to be some of the best-sounding for under $100. The Liberty Air 2 Pro can be used with Anker’s HearID Sound feature in the Soundcore app to fine-tune the sound to your own ears, adding some clarity to the sonic performance. The built-in microphone array is also a more than capable solution for calls on the go.

The controls of the Liberty Air 2 Pro are as versatile as the Space A40, as they’re limited to double tap and two-second press, so you’ll have to choose between track and volume controls. Still, the ANC and sound performance make these a great portable choice.

• Battery life: up to 5 with ANC, 8.5 hours without
• Ambient sound modes: ANC
• Dust/water resistance: IPX4 rating

If you're interested in a pair of noise-canceling earbuds, the Phiaton BT 120NC should be on your radar. Designed as a sports product, the BT120 are flexible, light, and sweat-resistant, featuring a behind-neck band with conveniently placed controls. They also come with a solid selection of ear tip sizes, making it easier to get a tight seal to aid in their noise cancelation efforts.

These headphones sound good for general listening. The treble isn't of the highest fidelity, but then again, it's hard to complain at this price point. The active noise cancelation won't knock you out of the park, but it is a real improvement over what might be reproduced while using them passively. Pour in a little music at moderate levels and you'll be able to say goodbye to most distractions.

• Battery life: up to 60 hours
• Ambient sound modes: ANC
• Dust/water resistance: No IP rating

The Mixcder’s E9 won't excite you, but for the money, they shouldn't have to. The best way we can describe the sound of these headphones is that they sound just fine, and there’s nothing that stands out as particularly bad. They just work. Nothing is especially punchy or particularly exciting, but nothing is offensive either, which could be just what you need to escape from work distractions or other noises.

We had no problems with connectivity during use, and noise cancellation worked as expected. We found these nice to use in a coffee shop, where there are a lot of different sounds. One issue to point out is that they feel fragile. It’s not like they’re going to snap in half, but you can feel the material quality or lack thereof. Otherwise, if you're going to treat them nicely, the Mixcder E9 are a solid, if not exciting, option.

• Battery life: up to 40 hours
• Ambient sound modes: ANC
• Dust/water resistance: No IP rating

Noise reduction headphones have to be able to 1) block out ambient noise and 2) function as headphones that transmit music to your ear canal. The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC70 do a pretty good job at both tasks, but there are some trade-offs. Without the ANC, the bass is really de-emphasized and sounds rather tinny and hollow. With the ANC, though, the reverse is true: the bass gets a boost, but the mids and high-mids are muddied and muffled.

On the other hand, these headphones have plush ear pads and a headband that doesn't feel like it's digging into your skull after a couple of hours. The controls are easy to use (even if you have to hunt around for the ANC button), and the ANC is powered by a single AAA battery.

These headphones can't be used for wireless playback, but they can be used as wireless isolators (if you really need just peace and quiet) by removing the cable. For those who prioritize comfort and noise cancellation over audio fidelity, the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC70 are a solid investment.