Not everyone has £200 on a pair of Apple AirPods. Luckily, there are hundreds of cheap wireless earphones out there that can sound just as good as more expensive options, but their price sounds a million times better.
But buying cheap earbuds can be a minefield, because you never really know what you’re going to get – especially if it’s from a Chinese brand you’ve never heard of.
You could argue that you get what you pay for, except that really isn’t the case, and we’ve found some amazing products at significantly lower prices.
To save you the headache of finding a pair of Bluetooth earphones that impress on more than just price, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite wireless buds. Our expert team have tested all these options, so you can be sure that you’re getting a truly great deal.
Find out how we test audio.
Best budget wireless earbuds 2021
1. Enacfire A9 – Best Overall
If you want active noise cancelling wireless earbuds without breaking the bank then you’ve come to the right place.
Enacfire has done a great job with the A9, which are readily available for under £50, undercutting rivals. And said noise cancelling is decent along with good sound quality, useful touch controls, solid battery life and a comfortable fit.
That’s a lot of boxes to tick at this price and really the only downsides are the average ambient mode and that fact you can only buy the headphones in black.
Spend a little more on Anker or Huawei if you can but these won’t disappoint if you’re on a tighter budget
Read our full Enacfire A9 Wireless Earbuds review
2. TaoTronic SoundLiberty 79 – Best Earbuds Battery Life
Getting a great balance of sound quality, performance and style for around this price can be a challenge, but the TaoTronic SoundLiberty 79 earbuds manage it with aplomb.
The slim, comfortable design mean they sit neatly in your ear, which is a good thing due to the impressively long battery life that allows the earbuds to keep on chugging for a massive eight hours on a single charge.
Add to this Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, an IPX7 waterproof rating, plus impressive audio delivery either when enjoying content or receiving calls, and it all makes these are a very solid choice for anyone wanting to enter the wireless earbud world.
Read our full TaoTronic SoundLiberty 79 review
3. Anker Soundcore Life A2 NC – Best ANC Performance
If you’re not on a really tight budget then you’ll really struggle to find better wireless earbuds for this kind of money.
They might have a slightly cheap-feeling case and no auto-pausing tech but those downsides are massively overshadowed by great performance and a surprisingly comprehensive feature set.
As well as powerful bass, the A2 buds have excellent noise cancelling with three presets for different environments and the app offers EQ sound customisation. Throw in touch controls and solid battery life and there’s very little to dislike.
These are the best budget noise cancelling wireless earbuds you can get.
Read our full Anker Soundcore Life A2 NC review
4. Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 – Best Sound Quality
If you do have the upper end of our budget cap available then you can do no better than the Melomania 1. These sat atop our main earphones chart for a long time and are now available at a lower price.
At their affordable price compared to the big name rivals out there, these wireless earbuds should be lacking in a few areas but they’re really not.
They might not have the most striking design but they’re lightweight and comfortable. The buttons can handle a whole range of functions once you learn the system, too.
More importantly, there’s excellent battery life on offer here combined with top sound quality so what more could you want? Only really noise cancelling.
Read our full Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 review
5. Xiaomi Redmi AirDots – Best under £30
Coming in at a tiny price is the Xiaomi Redmi AirDots. These cheap and very cheerful buds are a real steal, with a simple aesthetic, great audio, and a cool case that belies their humble cost.
You get Bluetooth 5.0, IPX4 waterproofing, four hours of battery life per charge, good microphone performances on calls, and Google Assistant/Sir compatibility.
If you are on a very tight budget, your money is well spent on these.
Read our full Xiaomi Redmi AirDots review
6. Huawei Freebuds 3i – Best for Huawei Users
If you’re specifically after a budget pair of true wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling, the FreeBuds 3i are the ones to get.
They’re cheaper than the Freebuds 3 and have a closed-fit design instead of an open, AirPods-style design. They also don’t have the issues we found with the Honor Magic Earbuds.
The closed design is much more effective at blocking out noise, so overall it seems like choosing the 3i is a no-brainer.
Well, yes, except for the fact the battery life isn’t as good. And it’s much shorter than some rivals here, so make your peace with this before you spend your money on the FreeBuds 3i.
Read our full Huawei FreeBuds 3i review
7. OnePlus Buds Z – Best for Comfort
Improving on a product and lowering the price is the kind of thing we like to see and the Buds Z do exactly that.
Although sound quality is nothing special, it’s decent and the battery life is strong here. The standout is the level of comfort, which is never a given with earbuds so they will be a good choice if you plan to use them for long periods.
Do note that the touch controls are limited and you’ll need a OnePlus phone to change them.
Read our full OnePlus Buds Z review
8. Bilikay HBQ-Q67 – Best Under £20
One of the cheapest on this list, the Bilikay HBQ-Q67 are a fantastic option for those who don’t want lots of frills but just good-sounding earbuds for very little money.
The lightweight plastic construction makes them comfortable to wear for long periods, and you’ll get around four hours per charge.
The charging case is cylindrical and doubles as a power bank with which you can top up your phone, plus it’s also quite a fun design that manages to stand out from the crowd.
You’ll have to forego waterproofing, and the microphones are a little disappointing, but for the price these are superb value.
Read our full Bilikay HBQ-Q67 review
9. Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones – Best Call Quality
Another Xiaomi offering is the Apple AirPods-style Mi True Wireless Earphones. These are at the higher-end of the budget scale, but they deliver great sound and use touch-sensitive buttons on the outside of the buds to make controlling the various features quick, and easy on the ears.
Removing one while audio is playing will automatically pause the playback, and the ‘beamforming and +ENC technology’ Xiaomi employs in the microphones means that telephone conversations are clear and crisp. IPX4 waterproofing allows you to wear them in the rain, and the fast recharge time ensures you’ll never have to pause too long between albums.
The only real downside is the patchy video/audio syncing when watching video, but if music or podcasts are what you listen to then the Mi True Wireless Earphones are a fine choice.
Read our full Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones review
10. Tronsmart Spunky Beats Pro – Best for Fitness
Hilarious name aside, the Tronsmart Spunky Beats Pro are a decent pair of budget earbuds that deliver around 3.5 hours of battery life per charge, have good sound quality, Bluetooth 5 and an IPX5 waterproof rating.
The battery case adds up to 14 hours’ worth of playback to the Spunky Beats Pro, so you can wear them all day (except when they’re recharging, obviously).
Sadly, because of their chunky design, we found extended sessions became uncomfortable, but if you have a short commute then these could be the ones for you.
Read our full Tronsmart Spunky Pro review
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