The 11 Best Cheap Headphones in 2021

Find the best budget headphones (of all types) you can get right now.

Find the best cheap headphones under $50 for your needs and avoid bad ones.

We don’t want you spending too much money on low-quality headphones. That’s why we created this list.

And if $50 is still too much, you can find them for even less (under $30, under $20 and even under $10).

While the budget headphones can’t really compare to higher-end models, some offer fantastic value for your money with good quality.

If you like bargains, these are the best cheap headphones for you (you can buy happiness if it fits your personality).

Related guides:

The best cheap earbuds (in-ear monitors)

Best budget noise-canceling headphones

Best headphones under $50

The Best Headphones under $50

1. Audio-Technica ATH-M20x

The ATH-M20x have a somewhat balanced sound signature. The overall quality is much better than you’d expect for 50 dollars. You also get a robust bass response while keeping the details. They’re good for every music genre.

The closed-back headphones are well built considering the price range. They can survive most of the unfortunate drops.

Another great thing about them is a simple, yet appealing design that never comes out of style (they look similar to other higher-end models from Audio-Technica).

Also, they are quite comfortable. Large and well-padded over-ear ear cups provide comfort for hours so you can enjoy your favorite music without itching.

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2. Jlab Audio Jbuds Air

You get good sound quality for the price. With high volume and 3 presets, you get some customization. While it can’t compare to higher-end models, it’s still fun to listen to boosted bass. For more low-end, see best bass earbuds.

If you’re looking for decent cheap wireless earbuds under $50, then the Jlab Audio Jbuds Air should be your top choice.

With a stable fit, IP55 water and dust protection, and decent 5.5 hours of battery life (18 hours in the charging case), you get a lot for your money.

You can use them for sports, working out, video games, or a daily commute. The fit is stable and generally comfortable. Also, passive isolation is above average, so you can block most of the background noise.

Jlab Audio Jbuds Air review

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3. Linsoul Tin Audio T2

Metal housing encapsulates 2 dynamic drivers: one woofer and one tweeter. Combined, they produce a sound that exceeds the earbud’s price. It’s well-balanced across the midrange and treble, with lots of details and sparkle. Even if the bass is slightly boosted, it should still please most audiophiles.

Earbuds are made of solid metal and boast an industrial look. Despite their weird shape, they’re comfortable for most users.

Inside the box, you get many accessories, including foam ear tips. The latter ensures optimal stability and passive isolation, preventing the ambient noise from mixing with your music.

Another cool thing about Tin Audio T2 is the removable MMCX cable. Since that’s one of the first things to break in headphones, you can now easily replace it with a new one.

Related: More best earbuds under $50

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4. Anker Soundcore Life Q10

Related: The top Bluetooth headphones under $50

It’s all about the bass with these wireless headphones. You do get the punch bass-lovers are looking for. Anker also made Life Q10 Hi-Res certified, which ensures good treble extension. If you like popular genres, like rap, hip hop, EDM, and pop, these should make you dance.

Their mostly plastic construction makes them exceptionally lightweight. When you add the plush earpads and padded headband into the mix, you get a very comfortable headphone that you can wear for hours.

You get a few clicky buttons on the side of the earcup for changing volume levels and answer phone calls.

Thankfully, Anker hasn’t cheap out when it comes to battery life. These can play music for an incredible 60 hours straight. If you suddenly end up with a dead battery, a 5-minute charge via USB-C adds another 5 hours of listening.

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5. TaoTronics TT-BH090

They are overall smooth sounding with punchy, deep bass. Audio performance across the board is spotless, with ANC only improving the sound quality. The latter is mostly due to eliminating the outside noise.

The matte black housing gives them a straightforward look, which can be a good thing if you don’t like flashy things. Headphone’s cups can rotate and fold inwards to make them more portable.

As mentioned, these wireless headphones provide you with active noise-cancellation, which works really well. They’re capable of canceling out a majority of low-end humming, while also doing a great job in the office, where are a lot of people are chatting.

Related: Best budget noise-cancelling headphones

6. Samson SR850

At the price tag, the sound quality of these headphones is simply brilliant. While the bass doesn’t dig very low (as in most semi-open cans), the midrange is engagingly natural. Detail retrieval and imaging are great, with good instrumental separation and airiness in the treble.

To save on materials, headphones are entirely made of plastic. That makes them lightweight but also fragile. However, with good care, you can have them for many years as we did. Also, the cable is thick so that it won’t break anytime soon.

You can choose between pleather or velour earpads. The latter ones are more breathable and gentler to the skin, giving you better comfort over the extended listening period.

Due to sound leakage they’re only usable for home listening. There’s a 6.3mm adapter in the box if you have a dedicated headphone amp or you want to plug them into a speaker amplifier.

7. Skullcandy Hesh 2

If you seek tons of bass, Skullcandy is the right brand for you. Hesh 2 headphones are slightly older by now, but they can still rattle your skull with a sheer amount of low end. Despite all that, the midrange is clean, albeit slightly recessed, and the treble remains sparkly to balance the bass.

The plastic build feels solid and can withstand some tossing around with no problems. Headphones are relatively lightweight and shouldn’t become fatiguing after prolonged listening.

Thanks to big earpads with thick foam, the passive isolation is above average. Therefore, you can take them on public transport without hearing everyone around you.

With around 15 hours per charge, Hesh 2 easily last throughout a day. And if they suddenly die on you, there’s a 3.5mm port to plug into your smartphone.

The Best Headphones under $30

8. Monoprice 8323

Related: The best headphones under $30

The soundstage is clear and decently spacious, and the overall driver efficiency is good. Low-end frequency response is produced with plenty of punch and depth. The mids are full and generally rich.

The only downside is that the high frequencies can get lost in the mix depending on the style of music. Brilliance and sibilance are attenuated good enough to notice.

DJ’s will love the earcup swivel design and tight bass response that these cheap headphones deliver, and the additional detachable cables are handy for a variety of uses.

Few headphones at this price point provide as much isolation while delivering quality audio in a closed-back design.

Furthermore, the style and build make them great for use by audio engineers and DJs. Studio engineers or musicians may find them to be larger and heavier than standard studio headphones. Since they also get dangerously loud, you have to practise safe headphone use.

9. Aukey EP-T21

They are really loud with overpowering volume. Now, the audio quality is about average, which is fine for casual users. It’s an enjoyable sound that works for all music genres and videos with decent bass. See the review for more info.

Thanks to almost the same design as Airpod’s, the fit is excellent and doesn’t bother one bit. You can even use them for working out. They’re sweatproof (IPX4).

Now, these are cheap wireless earphones, so the battery life isn’t the longest, but you still get around 4.5 hours per charge and more in the case.

The build quality is high, and nobody will know you paid so little for them. Unfortunately, you can only get them in black, no white color is available.

Aukey EP-T21 review

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Related: Best Bluetooth earbuds under $50

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The Best Headphones under $20

10. Koss UR-20

Related: Best headphones under $20

Koss UR-20 have a somewhat balanced sound that’s suitable for all music genres. Overall it’s nothing special, but considering the price, the averagely pleasant response is an achievement.

Softly padded earcups make them quite comfortable. Their large cups also fit adult ears. Their design is extremely lightweight, and the suspension headband doesn’t put too much pressure on top of your head.

While these aren’t built like a tank, they hold up fine to everyday use. The entirely plastic design doesn’t have state of the art looks, but it performs well.

Keep in mind they don’t have the most effective noise isolation, so listening to high volumes can bother people around you.

11. KZ ZST

Related: Best earbuds under $20

They have a V-shaped sound signature that’s fantastic at this affordable price. It can easily compare to earbuds around $100. The bass is punchy and controlled, and highs have no problems with sibilance or harshness. Truly a budget audiophile in-ear monitors.

The behind-the-ear fit is comfortable and stable, even for sports and memory wire provides a firm fit. But they aren’t sweatproof, so you shouldn’t use them for working out.

You only get silicone ear tips but to get even better ear canal seal, comfort and ambient noise isolation, get memory foam tips.

They are plastic and thus lightweight. That makes them great for long listening sessions. Plus, 1-button remote control and microphone enable you to make phone calls on the go.

KZ ZST review

What are quality headphones under 10 dollars? You won’t find a decent over-ear or on-ear pair, but you can get decent in-ear headphones.

12. Panasonic RP-HJE120

Their sound signature is somewhat balanced. The lows are well-heard, slightly enhanced but can be muddy for some songs. Overall sound quality is about average, but still satisfying for most everyday listeners.

Furthermore, while they are cheap, they last a decent amount of time. Its plastic built isn’t top-notch but much better than most similar alternatives.

Passive noise isolation is excellent too. Even if you’re listening to high volumes, they don’t leak much sound. So no one around is bothered by your music.

If you want the most popular and best-rated cheap earbuds on the planet, get these. You can find other earbuds under $10 here.

Panasonic ErgoFit RP-HJE120 review

Honorable Mentions

Jlab Audio Go Air – Great sounding true wireless earbuds with 5-hour battery life and built-in EQ modes. (Check price)

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More budget guides:

Best headphones under $100

Best earbuds under $100 (in-ear)

The best earbuds under $30

What are Cheap Headphones?

Cheap can mean a lot of different things for different people. But generally, budget-oriented set of headphones, even from big headphone brands start under $50.

For most people, inexpensive cans cost less than 50 bucks. If you think that is still too high, you can choose from under $30 and under $20 models.

You can still get solid quality for those prices. Just don’t expect the most popular brands because you won’t find them in this category.

What to Expect from Cheap Headphones?

Low-priced doesn’t have to mean bad quality.

All of the pairs recommended here provide more value than what the price suggests. Though there are a couple of things, you have to consider.

When you are spending less money on a pair of headphones the first and most common thing manufacturers save on is durability.

• Budget models usually have entirely plastic structures and don’t use any fancy or expensive materials, so you have to make sure to treat them right.
• Also, cheaper models don’t have as many features and accessories as pricier models. Most come in an essential package with bare necessities.
• Older Bluetooth versions and smaller battery capacity. While this isn’t necessarily true every time, you shouldn’t expect the latest updates and big batteries when you’re spending less money.
• Many times, older models get a nice discount which makes them affordable. There’s nothing wrong with a previous model if it’s still competitive. But that means you can’t expect the coolest design or bragging rights with it.
• Nonetheless, you don’t have to spend more money to get a great sound. Since it’s the most crucial feature, all the models in this guide offer excellent sound quality for their price.

What are the Best Budget Headphone Brands?

Many cheap brands use generic products and plaster their logo on them, but some actually have their own development which adds more value.

While most companies are probably a combination of both here are some of the best budget headphone brands. These tend to be pretty good and affordable.

In random order…

• Monoprice is probably the most known audiophile budget brand, offering over-ears and in-ears bargains.
• Koss is an old company with fantastic recognition among audiophiles; their retro on-ear headphones have cult status.
• TaoTronics specialize in all types of affordable products that offer a lot of value.
• KZ are a newer Chinese brand that made a following with their cheap earbuds that sound great.
• MEE Audio offer competitive workout products for less money, you can choose wired and wireless.
• Mpow is one of the more successfully generic audio brands offering all types of cans.
• Anker makes great-value and affordable audio products and other electronics.
• Aukey also makes some mid-tier headphones, but their cheapest models offer the latest tech and plenty of features.

Shortcomings of Cheap Wireless Headphones

When it comes to wireless Bluetooth headphones, it pays to know a couple of things.

The battery won’t last forever.

Since you’re paying little money, you’re not getting the latest tech. And with batteries, this is painfully obvious.

A conservative expectation would be that the battery will last (have satisfactory capacity) for about 2 to 3 years. If you get more that’s great, but not a rule.

Audio quality might be lacking.

Bluetooth diminishes sound quality by converting it to digital format, and lots of development is put in fixing this problem (it’s close but audiophile can still hear the difference).

Generally, you can expect decent audio but don’t compare them to audiophile headphones.