Find yourself the best AirPods alternatives to the original Apple AirPods & AirPods Pro.
| Rating | Price | Connection | Noise cancelling | Battery life | Water resistance | More info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBL Live Pro+ Best overall  | 3.9 | Under $200 | Bluetooth 5.0 |  | 7h + 21h in case (USB-C & Qi wireless charging | IPX4 | |
| TaoTronics Soundliberty 80 Best for calls  | 4.3 | Under $60 | Bluetooth 5.0 |  | 2.5h + 16h in case (USB-C) | IPX8 | |
| 4.2 | Under $60 | Bluetooth 5.0 |  | 7.5h + 27.5h in case (USB-C) | IPX5 | ||
| 4.4 | Under $80 | Bluetooth 5.2 |  | 6h + 27h in case (USB-C & Qi wireless charging) | IPX5 | ||
| Aukey EP-T21 Best cheap  | 4.2 | Under $30 | Bluetooth 5.0 |  | 4.5h + 20h in case (micro-USB) | IPX4 |
Fake AirPods exist for a couple of reasons. First, as they resemble one of the most popular true wireless earbuds on the market, they draw attention from potential buyers.
Secondly, AirPods, especially the AirPods Pro model, are ergonomically designed. Copying that can actually benefit a customer since it makes the end product much more comfortable.
While most fake AirPods are just a plain copy without substance, some AirPods lookalike are worth checking out.
Here’s a list of the best fake AirPods you can find. You can get some compelling options for a fraction of the price of the original ones.
Note that the models on this list aren’t complete AirPods and AirPods Pro clones since those are illegal to sell.
What Makes Earbuds “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, other “fake AirPods” aren’t an intentional copy, as they only share some similarities.
Generally, earbuds considered fake AirPods have:
- They 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. Long stem pushes the microphone closer to your mouth, making voice calls clearer.
- Have 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.
- Earbuds are true wireless. 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 the Bluetooth earbuds with wireless feature.
- They have active noise cancellation. The AirPods Pro were the first Apple earbuds with ANC. It quickly became one of the top features on the AirPods Pro. Therefore, the fake AirPods Pro alternatives also need to have ANC.
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5 Best Fake AirPods
1. JBL Live Pro+
Best overall 
The best fake AirPods Pro that you can lay your hand on.
Connection: Bluetooth 5.0 
Driver size: 11m 
Frequency range: 20-20.000Hz - Great sound quality (after EQ)
- Comfortable and stable fit
- Feature-rich companion app
- Compact charging case
- Good battery life with fast & Qi charging
- Responsive touch controls
- App experience could be better
- Manually selecting custom EQ after every pairing is frustrating
Compared to other fake AirPods lookalikes, the Live Pro+ sound the best. They have a decently faithful sound to the original audio, with only some minor bass boost and elevation in the upper midrange.
Still, some might find them a bit piercing and sibilant. Thankfully, earbuds come with the JBL app, which includes a custom equalizer.
Like Apple AirPods Pro, they share a similarly ergonomic shape that nicely contours your outer ear, providing comfort for long listening sessions.
Furthermore, Live Pro+ have active noise cancellation and transparency mode. While neither feature works as well as the ones from Apple, they can prove helpful if you ever need them.
Earbuds have a stable Bluetooth connection, no audio lag when watching videos or playing video games, and even support multipoint.
The battery life is overall better than what Apple offers. You get around 7 hours of juice per single charge, with another 21 hours inside the charging case. The latter supports Qi wireless charging.
2. TaoTronics Soundliberty 80
Best for calls 
AirPod alternatives with excellent voice quality for working from home and Zoom calls.
Connection: Bluetooth 5.0 
Driver size: 12mm 
Frequency range: n/a - Good overall sound
- IPX8 water-resistant rating
- Excellent microphone quality
- Support for both AAC and aptX
- No audio lag with videos and games
- No passive isolation whatsoever
- Subpar battery life
- Poor stability
Despite having a classic earphone design, the Soundliberty 80 sound quite full and punchy. While they’re enjoyable to listen to, don’t expect any low-end rumble.
Design strongly resembles original Apple AirPods, with long stems and side-facing speakers. The only difference is a shiny blue color on the back.
Their best feature is microphone quality. Making phone calls is a treat with these, as they can pick your voice with great clarity.
Another good feature is the earbuds’ protection against water. They carry an IPX8 rating, essentially making them fully waterproof.
Apart from the rest on this list, these wireless earphones support aptX Bluetooth codec, providing better latency and audio quality for Android phones. Of course, they also support AAC for an optimal experience on Apple devices.
In contrast, they don’t have the best battery capabilities out there, with around 2.5 hours on a single charge. At least a quick 5-minute fast charge via USB-C gives another hour of playtime.
TaoTronics Soundliberty 80 review
Check related guide:
3. Aukey EP-N5
Fun-sounding fake AirPods alternative with decent ANC and multipoint support.
Connection: Bluetooth 5.0 
Driver size: 11mm 
Frequency range: 20-20.000Hz - Solid build quality
- Superb comfort
- Enjoyable sound
- Deep, controlled bass
- IPX5 water-resistance
- Can connect to 2 devices at once
- Decent active noise-cancellation performance
- Price
- ANC picks up wind noise
- Shallow fit
- One right earbud can be used for mono mode
- No way of remapping touch commands
Earbuds have some amazing bass for bassheads, but it can be too overpowering. Still, the overall frequency response keeps the sound fun and energetic. If you like more punchy tunes, the EP-N5 are the right pick.
EP-N5 use flush ear tips, which makes them quite comfortable. You can easily wear them for more extended periods. The passive background noise isolation is good and is further improved by enabling ANC.
The latter works okay but don’t expect miracles. Since it picks up a lot of wind noise, it makes active noise cancellation useless for using outdoors.
What you can them outdoors for is exercising. They stay in your ears quite well during a light jog or lifting weights in the gym. On top of that, they have an IPX5 rating, being both rain and sweat proof.
Expect around 5 hours long battery life with ANC on, or 7.5 hours when turned off. The case holds another 28 hours, which is more than enough for a couple of days.
4. EarFun Air Pro 2
Great active noise cancelling performance and all the features for under $100.
Connection: Bluetooth 5.2 
Driver size: 10mm dynamic 
Frequency range: 20-40.000Hz - Okay sound quality
- Comfortable design
- Excellent active noise cancellation
- Good ambient mode
- Strong Bluetooth connection
- Intuitive touch controls
- Decent call quality
- Not the best passive noise isolation
- The bass can be sometimes overwhelming
A bass-forward tuning can sometimes ruin an overall good sound quality and dynamics. Of course, that only matters to audio purists as most users can still find them very enjoyable.
Their shallow insertion ensures great comfort without the pressure build-up inside your ear canals. Stability is good, too, but can’t quite withstand vigorous workouts.
The best thing is active noise cancellation. Earbuds use a total of 6 microphones and the latest ANC tech to reduce the lower end of the spectrum entirely. In general, they’re comparable to more premium models.
Furthermore, the Ambient sound mode for boosting ambient noise works well, too, although you can hear a faith static noise when in a quiet room.
Bluetooth connectivity isn’t too shabby, either, using strong antennas that can easily receive signals through at least 2 concrete brick walls.
The battery capacity is roughly 6 hours and 13 minutes with the ANC, and you get another 27 hours stored in the wireless charging case.
See the related guide: Best noise-cancelling headphones
5. Aukey EP-T21
Best cheap 
Cheap yet good fake AirPods Pro alternative with all the relevant features.
Connection: Bluetooth 5.0 
Driver size: 6mm 
Frequency range: 20-20.000Hz - Very loud
- Ergonomic design that’s stable and comfortable
- Good battery capacity
- Low price
- The lid on the case feels a bit flimsy
- Okay sound
For under $30, the sound quality is more than adequate. The sound signature is balanced, with slightly subdued bass and clear treble. If you want something to watch videos or listen to audiobooks with, these will do perfectly fine.
The EP-T21 have a basic design with a matte black finish. They don’t have the deepest fit, which can hurt overall stability. The seal can sometimes break if you smile too widely, after which you have to readjust the earbuds.
On the other hand, they don’t create any pressure in your ears, ensuring good comfort.
With an IPX4 rating, you can use them for light workouts as they can deflect sweat. Earbuds support touch controls for music playback and have built-in mics for hands-free calls.
The battery life of 4.5 hours inside the buds and an extra 20 in the case should provide enough juice for at least a few days of use.
Honorable Mentions
TaoTronics Soundliberty P10 PRO – A cheap AirPods alternatives with decent active noise cancellation and Ambient mode performance in true wireless earbuds. On top of that, you can also rely on amazing battery life (9.5 hours per charge) and high water protection (an IPX8 rating). TaoTronics Soundliberty P10 PRO review
TaoTronics Soundliberty 92 – Another one of the affordable alternatives with excellent durability and clear sound. Thanks to a small dip at the stem, they better grab your ears, ensuring slightly better stability than the original AirPods. TaoTronics Soundliberty 92 review
Learn how to keep your earbuds from falling out.
What to Expect of Top Fake AirPods?
If you call something “fake”, it gives it a negative connotation. In the case of the latest fake AirPods, that’s only half true.
Most fake AirPods on Amazon or other stores are truly terrible. However, if you choose one of the models from above, your experience will be quite different.
- Lower price
You can get some fake AirPods for half the price of the real ones, if not even cheaper.
- Ergonomic design
The best thing about Apple AirPods replicas is that they also copy a rather comfortable design of the original ones.
- Better cross-platform support
Apple’s AirPods are known to work much better for iOS than Android users. There’re no such discrepancies with fake AirPods as they work equally well with both operating systems.
- Same sound quality or better
Authentic Apple AirPods have good but not excellent sound quality. On the other hand, if you pick carefully, you can get fake AirPods with surprisingly high-quality sound.
- Lower quality build
Budget knockoff AirPods are usually so cheap because they use low-quality plastic. The latter starts deteriorating much quicker. Of course, that doesn’t apply to all fake AirPods.
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 knock-offs.
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 their products on sale. Therefore, be aware of massive sales and temptingly low prices.
- Check product description 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 possession, check your coverage on the official Apple website. There, you’ll see if your product is genuine and if it’s still in warranty.
Sometimes you can spot a fake 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.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Are Fake AirPods Any Good?
Blatant rip-offs are almost never good. They only recreate the design but cheap out on materials, sound quality, and premium features.
On the other hand, AirPods lookalikes can perform quite well and are worth checking out. Some even have a decent noise cancellation feature.
Are Fake AirPods Better Than Real AirPods?
The best fake AirPods can actually outperform original ones in some areas, like sound quality or even call quality.
However, genuine AirPods still offer greater support for iOS and have better performing features, such as active noise cancellation and Transparency mode.
