5 Best AirPods Alternatives With Stem Design: 2024

Here are the best AirPods alternatives to the original Apple AirPods & AirPods Pro.

Find yourself a cheaper alternative with the same features: Great for calls, noise canceling, and great fit.

Apple AirPods alternatives we listed resemble the design of the most popular true wireless earbuds on the market, the AirPods. All earbuds have a stem design that’s typical for the Apple earbuds.

While fake AirPods are cheap copies without substance and not worth buying, AirPod lookalikes are worth checking out. Below is a list of the best options for a fraction of the price of the original ones.

Why trust us?

We’ve tested 193 headphones on 9 decision-making factors:

1. Sound
2. Comfort & fit
3. Durability
4. Battery life
5. Features
6. Noise isolation
7. Noise cancelling
8. Bluetooth
9. Value

For each category, we combine measurement and test data with our personal hands-on experience. For Apple AirPods alternatives, we focused on their overall performance for daily listening. See our testing and ranking methodology.

Now, let’s check the list.

5 Best Fake AirPods

1. EarFun Air Pro 3

EarFun Air Pro 3 are the best AirPods alternative we’ve tested under $100. The new model has improved ANC performance and rich features – EarFun Air Pro 3 review.

Hear the EarFun Air Pro 3 A/B Sound Test:

Packed with a good-quality dynamic driver, the Air Pro 3 can sound lively, fun, and detailed, especially after tweaking the sound quality in the EarFun Audio app (you can find our custom EQ in the full review).

Apart from EQ, the app lets you customize controls on both sides, update firmware, and enable Game Mode, reducing the latency to 55 milliseconds.

The wireless earbuds also excel at ambient sound mode and ANC, beating the best noise canceling headphones under $100 and almost matching premium offers from Sony and Apple.

Design-wise, earbuds offer a familiar shape that sits comfortably in your ears for hours. On the other hand, ear tips sit too shallow to provide a sufficiently stable fit for sports.

To ensure you don’t need to worry about batteries, the Air Pro 3 last more than 8 hours on a single charge (with ANC).

See the related guide: Best noise-cancelling headphones

2. SoundPEATS Air4 Pro

AirPod alternatives with excellent sound and a unique set of features based on their design – SoundPEATS Air4 Pro review.

Hear the SoundPEATS Air4 Pro A/B Sound Test:

SoundPEATS Air4 Pro are an excellent, affordable alternative to the AirPods Pro due to their incredibly natural tuning, especially after fiddling with in-app’s custom EQ. Buds even support aptX Lossless.

Furthermore, both models are comfortable to wear for hours. Air4 Pro even edges out the AirPods Pro by providing a more stable fit for sports. Both are sweatproof with an IPX4 rating.

At $80, active noise cancellation is equally effective as Sony WF-1000XM4. The ambient sound mode also works really naturally, so you don’t need to remove the earbuds when talking to someone.

Like AirPods, the Air4 Pro also supports multipoint, allowing you to connect to two devices simultaneously and switch between them automatically.

We tested the battery life of up to 4 hours on a single charge (with ANC). You get another 22 hours inside the USB-C and fast charging case.

If you want something closer to the Apple AirPods 3 alternative, check the SoundPEATS Air4 model.

Check related guides:

• Best classic earphones (non-in-ear)
• How to clean earbuds

3. Skullcandy Indy ANC

Fun-sounding fake AirPods alternative with decent ANC – Skullcandy Indy ANC review.

Hear the Skullcandy Indy ANC A/B Sound Test:

The best true wireless earbuds from Skullcandy have a fun, loud sound with plenty of low-end and sparkle up top.

Technically, there’s nothing to write home about, but with prices coming down, they’re an exciting pair to check out.

Earbuds are the biggest on this list. However, they provide a very comfortable fit. And with minimal weight and comfy ear tips, you barely feel them during use.

For extra stability, Skullcandy Indy ANC use ear wings, making them suitable for light workouts. Furthermore, an IP55 rating ensures they don’t get damaged by sweat and dust.

On top of 5.5 hours in earbuds, there are an additional 14 hours inside the case, which can charge wirelessly. The app lets you see the battery life percentage in each bud.

4. SoundPEATS Air3 Deluxe HS

Affordable yet great fake AirPods alternative with all the relevant features – SoundPEATS Air3 Deluxe HS review.

Hear the SoundPEATS Air3 Deluxe HS A/B Sound Test:

Surprisingly full-sounding true wireless earbuds with a classic design that even comes with a fully customizable equalizer. Moreso, the audio quality is cleaner than the Apple AirPods 3.

Speaking about the app, it offers a few useful features such as auto play/pause, Adaptive EQ, and Game mode.

The latter is perfect for competitive mobile gamers who don’t tolerate any audio latency. Furthermore, earbuds support Bluetooth 5.2 and LDAC Bluetooth codec.

The battery life of 6 hours and 8 minutes is excellent for this form factor, giving you an easy full day of use.

On top of that, earbuds provide a very comfortable fit and offer an IPX4 rating, which protects them from sweat and light rain.

5. TOZO T20

TOZO T20 are the best dirt-cheap fake AirPods Pro we’ve tested. They’re amazing for the price – TOZO T20 review.

Hear the TOZO T20 A/B Sound Test:

Fiddling inside the app’s EQ changes their default shimmery (almost sibilant) sound into a slightly more balanced one. Expect a punchy performance with an overall pleasant instrumental rendition.

The wireless earbuds closely resemble Apple AirPods Pro, borrowing their excellent comfort. You can easily wear them for hours without feeling fatigued. In contrast, their stability could be better.

This is a pity since earbuds have an IPX8 rating, giving them robust waterproofness. You can wash them under a tap without worry if they get sweaty.

Furthermore, their battery life clocks at 10 hours per charge, with another 38 hours inside the charging case. The latter uses USB-C and Qi wireless charging.

As mentioned, T20 also come with an app to customize EQ and touch controls.

Honorable Mentions

TaoTronics Soundliberty P10 PRO

TaoTronics Soundliberty 92

Aukey EP-N5

Learn how to keep your earbuds from falling out.

How We Test

We test each pair of earbuds by measuring their objective performance and combine it with our personal hands-on experience in different situations.

For AirPod alternatives, we focused on their overall performance in all 9 categories, as this gives the best comparison results for daily listening. Each pair was measured and tested and also used by one of our experts in real life. We discuss all the details in our full review.

The measurement data and real human testing give us a unique holistic perspective, which helps us recommend the top performers. Read our testing and scoring methodology for details. Also, check the list of all 193 headphones we tested so far.

What to Expect from Apple AirPods Alternatives?

Most fake AirPods (shameless copies) on Amazon and other stores are truly terrible. They’re not worth buying at all. However, Apple AirPods alternatives with similar stem design work surprisingly well for a lower price.

Here’s what you can expect:

AirPods alternatives cost half the price of the real ones, if not cheaper.

The best thing about AirPods replicas is that they also copy the comfortable design of the original ones.

Apple’s AirPods are known to work much better on iOS than Android. There are no such discrepancies with fake AirPods as they work equally well with both operating systems.

Authentic Apple AirPods have good sound quality but not excellent. On the other hand, certain Apple AirPods alternatives have a surprisingly high audio quality that’s better than Apple’s.

Budget alternatives to AirPods are cheaper because they use lower-quality plastic. It doesn’t have the same premium feel and starts deteriorating quicker. But that doesn’t apply to all models.

Head tracking is a unique feature that most alternatives don’t support. But in my opinion, it’s not something you need. It’s more of a gimmick than a useful feature.

Who Should Get Alternatives to AirPods?

AirPods alternative true wireless earbuds are best for budget-conscious users who want something similar to AirPods but don’t want to pay their high price.

• They sound the same or better than AirPods
• They have an equally stable and comfortable fit
• Their microphones are also clear and suitable for hands-free phone calls
• They often have more features like a companion app, rich EQ options, and control customization.
• But they don’t have the same “cool” appeal

So, if you prefer better or similar performance for a lower price, AirPod alternatives are the best choice for you.

But if you prefer to look “cool” in the crowd by aligning yourself with the Apple brand, then get real AirPods.

What Makes AirPods Alternatives or “Fake AirPods”?

For earbuds to be considered fake AirPods, they have to share design similarities with the original.

Some earbuds blatantly copy the AirPods design right down to every detail. On the other hand, others aren’t intentional copies, as they only share some similarities.

Generally, wireless earbuds considered an AirPod alternative have:

• An elongated stem. This design (at least in true wireless earbuds) was introduced by Apple and widely mocked at first. Later on, it has become an iconic AirPods feature. A long stem pushes the microphone closer to your mouth, making voice calls clearer.
• Sideways firing speakers. Normally, earphones had front-firing speakers, but ever since Apple changed the design, many earphones followed. The design makes sense since it forces the sound more directly into the ear canal.
• True wireless design. We only consider true wireless AirPods lookalikes as possible contenders for this guide. Since they’re trying to mimic TWS AirPods models from Apple, you won’t see any wired earbuds in here. Only wireless earbuds with a Bluetooth feature.
• Active noise cancellation. The AirPods Pro were the first Apple earbuds with ANC. It quickly became one of the top features of the AirPods Pro. Therefore, the AirPods Pro alternatives also have ANC.

How to Tell Fake AirPods From the Real Ones?

If you weren’t convinced by our list and you still want to buy the real Apple AirPods, you have to be careful about fake AirPod replicas.

While most fakes look fake right off the bat (extremely low price, weird product images), some can look almost exactly the same.

That’s why you have to be vigilant and check every detail before making a purchase. Especially if you aren’t buying from an official retailer.

• Always check the price. Apple doesn’t like dropping its products on sale. Therefore, be aware of massive sales and temptingly low prices.
• Check product descriptions and images. Fake products may use broken English in their descriptions and present the product with images that look poorly photoshopped.
• Check the product’s serial number. If you already have the product in your possession, check your coverage on the official Apple website. There, you’ll see if your product is genuine and still under warranty.

Sometimes, you can spot an AirPods clone by examining the packaging. Most times, it’s cheaply made, the brochure inside looks nothing like the official one, and the included charging cable isn’t as meticulously wrapped.

However, since some fake products can be so well-made (even having the H1 chip to fool your device into thinking the product is genuine), checking the serial number is the best thing to do.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

This is our guide to the best AirPods alternatives. Did you find it helpful? Please let us know in the comments. We see all of them.