Do you want to know the best earbuds for under $200 in 2025? You came to the right place because we updated our top 10 list with many amazing earbuds.
The earphone market has been heating up, and more and more brands are coming out with models that, just a few years ago, would cost 3 to 4 times the prices listed below.
The sub $200 range has now become one of the most competitive price categories in portable audio; there are so many earphones to choose from that getting the right ones has become seriously difficult.
In this price range, you are stepping into a varied world of designs and tuning and having many choices for driver configurations. As you can see in the list of the best earphones below, we have IEMs with planar drivers, hybrids, dynamic, wireless tech, etc. We also include plenty of different tuning styles to suit your music in the best possible way.
This Top 10 will be in no particular order; all of these are great, but read the description to find out if they are something you or a loved one will like.
Best Earbuds Under $200 List
1. Soundcore By Anker Liberty 4
Specifications:
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Wireless: Yes
- Battery Life: 9 Hours (28 in Charging Case)
- Noise Cancelling: Yes
Pros:
- Giant killer performance
- Crazy battery life
- Very comfortable design
Cons:
- Because of there price, they arent recognized as competition for Apple and Sony. They are just as good.
Why We Recommend Them:
Soundcore has been dominating the budget wireless headphone space for some time, but people have started to notice their more expensive products. The Liberty 4 is the company’s flagship earphone, and it should cause a lot of concern to the big-name brands because it’s every bit as good.
Packed with features like AAC for better audio, state-of-the-art noise canceling for more comfort when commuting, and the longest battery life on our tests at 9 hours, this should be worth considering.
The teardrop design and rounded externals make them very comfortable in the ear for all-day use. The IPX4 water resistance keeps them safe at the gym. You can even customize the performance to your liking in the Soundcore app.
This is a seriously good wireless earbud, and it’s well under-priced for the level of performance. Oh and it looks classy too.
2. Sony Linkbuds S
Specifications:
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Wireless: Yes
- Battery Life: 6 Hours (20 in Charging Case)
- Noise Cancelling: Yes
Pros:
- Better than the flagship Sony XM4
- Strongest noise cancelling in our tests
- Small Carry Case
Cons:
- No Wireless Charging
Why We Recommend Them:
The Linkbuds S was meant to be a cheaper alternative to the Sony WF-1000XM4 flagship at roughly half the cost, but it outperformed them. It fixes many problems with its big brother, such as the bulky carry case and large IEM size, but keeps many of the features we love.
They rank highly in our list of the best true wireless earbuds for 2025, so the fact that they also cost under $200 at RRP is a bit of a bargain.
The sound is open and spacious, with good amounts of separation between the instruments and a nice overtone of warmth that adds a natural quality to the sound. Bass also hits hard when required but doesn’t get sloppy and bleed into the midrange.
The battery was decent at 6 hours of playback from a single charge, and if you run out of juice, there is a quick-charge function in the carry case to let you get back to listening as soon as possible.
They are the most comfortable wireless earphones I have tested to date, and that is part of the reason I use them myself over many other, more expensive models on the market.
The only thing missing is wireless charging, which we hope to see included in future versions of this wonderful IEM.
3. Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds II
Specifications:
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Wireless: Yes with Bose QC Noise Cancelation
- Battery Life: 6 hours playback with 20 minute quick charge providing 2 hours extra
Pros:
- Flagship level noise cancelation
- Great sound quality
- Price is great due to Ultra release
Cons:
- Will be discontinued soon – Grab them discounted where possible
Why We Recommend Them:
The best thing about Bose’s releasing their Quietcomfort Ultra earbuds has to be the massive price reductions on the Quietcomfort II. It’s yet unknown whether Bose will keep selling them in parallel, but as of the time of writing, the II can be grabbed at a significantly lower price than its already competitive RRP.
This is one of the rare occasions where you are getting a full modern specced near flagship earphone for a significant discount.
I love the engaging, fun Bose sound and the comfort of these earphones, but by far, the number one reason I would advise someone to buy them is the noise cancellation. This is one of the strongest performers anywhere in terms of noise reduction, making it perfect for people who commute, travel, or work in busy offices.
4. Beats Studio Buds +
Specifications:
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Wireless: Yes
- Battery Life: 7 Hours (36 in Charging Case)
- Noise Cancelling: Yes
Pros:
- Proprietary beats chip with architecture similar to apples H1
- Energetic sound with strong bass
- Lots of Cool Colors
Cons:
- The benefits the chip are only noticeable to users of apple devices who benefit from many features found on Airpods
Why We Recommend Them:
Ok, so maybe you weren’t expecting to see a Beats headphones on this list, but the fact is that Beats Studio Buds + are a really good set of true wireless earbuds. The fact that they cost under $200 but still compete with and defeat many more expensive models is exciting to buyers.
The design is a departure from the bulkier sports model, and these are nice and small with great ergonomic contouring allowing them to sit comfortably and securely in the ear. The huge advantage here is that under ownership by Apple, Beats has integrated its earbuds to work more closely with Apple products like the iPhone, iPad, and Macbook. This gives native device switching support as well as integrated use of Siri. I like to think of them as a seamless alternative to Airpods, with really the only noticeable commission being wireless charging, which I personally never use anyway.
The sound quality is what you would expect from a pair of Beats earbuds. They are energetic and fun-sounding, with good extension in the bass. They work well with various musical genres but excel with EDM, hip-hop, and pop.
The pairing was seamless, and the built-in controls just worked. A great earphone at a great price.
5. Nothing Ear 1
Specifications:
- Driver Type: 11.6mm graphene dynamic driver
- Wireless: Yes with ANC, fast pairing and dual connection capability
- Battery Life: 6 hours earbuds 36 hours with carry case
Pros:
- The best looking wireless earbuds of 2025
- The new tuning is fantastic
- Strong Noise Cancelation
Cons:
- Limited international availability
Why We Recommend Them:
The Nothing Ear 1 is the companies second crack at the wireless earbud market and while I loved the styling and their ethos in design the sound really let the originals down.
Everyone criticised them for that but in traditional Nothing fashion they went back to the drawing board, listened to their critics and came out with something better. Much much better as I found out in my testing.
Expect a full review soon but what I can tell you is the sound has been brought up inline with other flagship earbuds like the Sony WF-1000XM5 yet they still keep the cost well under our $200 limit. The noise canceling is strong, they have multi-device pairing.
Nothing is going all out with their earphones, and they have Chat GPT integration on the way, but by far, the best thing I found was in the app, where they have this glorious 8-band visual equaliser to dial your sound to your preference. If they keep going like this, they will dominate the wireless earbud market in the coming years as they seem to be one of the few companies innovating as to user demands instead of fluffing up spec sheets with unwanted features.
6. Marshall Motif II
Specifications:
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Wireless: Yes with ANC
- Pairing: Dual device
Pros:
- Most durable on test
- Balanced sound signature
- Stunning good looks
Cons:
- They lack the technical features of others on the list, instead offering balanced sound as a unique selling point, which makes them a more niche offering.
Why We Recommend Them:
If im giving an award for best-looking earbuds under $200 this is my winner. There is just something about Marshall headphones that, when done right, tug at the heartstrings with their classic retro styling. I love the textures on the case and the monotone colorway.
But style isn’t worth buying if there isn’t substance and Marshal backs it up, but not in the way you might have been expecting. These are the most transparent, balanced, and uncolored earbuds I have heard. This is going to make it sound fantastic for rock and classical genres, so if that is the type of music you listen to, these will be a good option. Conversely, though, if you listen to a lot of EDM or pop, then I would say these lack sufficient sub-bass impact.
Durability though is not to be doubted, seriously tough and well finished they feel and look more expensive than photos can ever do justice.
7. JBL Live Beam 3
Specifications:
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Wireless: Yes with an innovative screen-controlled charging case
- Noise Cancelling: Yes
Pros:
- Settings control direct from case
- Huge Battery Life
- Waterproof and dustproof
Cons:
- Sound quality a little sacraficed for features
Why We Recommend Them:
Full marks to JBL for creating a highly innovative and tech forward set of earbuds. The Live Beam 3 have an in built menu and control system that adds genuine simplicity to refining and controlling your earbuds.
I loved being able to control my earbuds tuning and noise cancelation modes directly from the charging case and not having to open a separate app on my phone. You wouldn’t think it was such a big step up in the user experience but it is far more natural of a process than I would have expected before I started playing with them.
That charging case is also loaded with 48 hours of battery life and they include IPX55 water resistance.
With so much effort put into the features you would think the sound might suffer and while the other earbuds on this list have better technical performance these are still good sounding enough to be worth consideration at the price point.
8. Etymotic ER4XR
Specifications:
- Driver Type: Balanced Armature
- Wireless: No – Uses MMCX style Cable
- Requires Amplification: Not Required
Pros:
- Reference grade tuning
- Excellent noise isolation
- Small size
Cons:
- Triple flange eartips can cause discomfort
Why We Recommend Them:
If you are looking for wired earphones for monitoring or critical listening, the Etymotic ER4XR should be at the top of your shopping list.
This earphone is designed for studio use, and it has over 30 years of pedigree. These are trusted in the music industry and for excellent reasons.
They have a super-compact barrel design and deep depth insertion making them an excellent earphone set for noise isolation. The sound is flat, balanced, and uncolored, with a visceral ability to retrieve micro details. They are designed not to color the source material and to remain as neutral as possible.
The other model in the line is the SE, which stands for a Studio Edition, so if you want an even flatter response, then pick them up as they have less bass. However, now with powerful modern DAP’s you can EQ down a XR so I like its versatility a lot more.
9. Airpods Pro 2nd Generation
Specifications:
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Wireless: Yes
- Touch Controls: Yes
Pros:
- Perfect for iPhone users
- Comfortable
- Strong noise cancelling performance
Cons:
- Technically the RRP is over budget but they can sometimes be found discounted
Why We Recommend Them:
I don’t think the Apple Airpods Pro 2nd generation needs much introduction, and technically, they shouldn’t be included on our list as they have an RRP of $250. Yet, in mid-2024, we saw a lot of discounts on the flagship earbuds, so if you can grab them at that price and you predominantly use an iPhone, iPod, or Macbook, these are so hard not to recommend.
They might not be the greatest-sounding earbuds on the list, but the way they integrate into the Apple ecosystem is impressive. I use them myself on a daily basis, and it has to be one of the most seamless tech experiences I have ever had. If I need to change between my phone and laptop, they do so instantly, and being able to control the features from Apple’s pull-down menu on IOS instead of opening an app like other IEMs require makes them a joy to use.
If you can grab them under $200, you can’t really go wrong.
10. Westone UM Pro AM10
Specifications:
- Driver Type: Balanced Armature
- Wireless: No – Uses MMCX style Cable
- Requires Amplification: Not Required
Pros:
- Professional grade In Ear Monitors
- Backed by an excellent warranty
- User-replaceable parts
Cons:
- Lacks definition found on planar earphones
Why We Recommend Them:
Westone’s much-needed refreshment to their line of universal stage monitor the W1 earphones was met with mixed reactions. The AM Pro 10, however, are beasts.
A single driver over-the-ear detachable cable earphone that is as happy on stage as it is commuting on trains and planes.
An incredibly well-thought-out set of accessories, plus the smooth presentation and solid bass, have impressed a lot of people in the headphone community.
Whilst it doesn’t have the low-end kick to compete in the bass department with some of the other IEMs listed here they are a nod to neutrality and balance.
