The Best Headphones for People with ADHD of 2024

For a subtle, sleek option, the Apple Airpods Pro are hard to beat. Though their hefty price tag of about $200 might give some buyers pause, their performance is well worth it for those who want earbuds that can cancel out noise and provide high-quality sound.

Flawless pairing with Apple devices makes them especially appealing, though they do work with non-Apple products as well. For those worried about compatibility, the Sony WF-1000XM5s are a clunkier, but still high-performing, alternative.

While many folks with ADHD may be justifiably concerned about how easy these small individual earbuds can be to lose, Apple has done a reasonably good job mitigating this worry by providing a small carrying case with each set. The case also doubles as a portable charging station, adding extra battery life for listeners on the go.

The noise-canceling capabilities of earbuds still don't quite compare to most top-end over-the-ear and on-the-ear headphones, but, for their size, the results Airpods offer are impressive. Most noises will be muted or significantly lessened when wearing Apple’s set.

The best part about these earbuds? They have “noise canceling” and “transparency” modes, allowing users to choose how much sound they want to let in. This means the same set works for noisy places and when you’re outside and need to stay aware of what’s around you. For those with ADHD who may need to fluctuate between the two scenarios to prevent sensory overload, the flexibility of options is fantastic.

For those who mainly want to block out the world around them, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are a great find. Sleekly designed in both silver and black, these larger headphones are visible but subtle from a distance.

The biggest draw for these headphones is their noise canceling capabilities, with 11 different settings that block out anything you can imagine. The little noises at home that might get under your skin as a person with ADHD are silenced, letting only your chosen stimuli be heard. This can be tremendously helpful for focusing on whatever task is currently at hand.

One caution with this headphone set, as well as any other that has strong noise canceling capabilities, is that extra caution should be taken in any environment where outside dangers like traffic exist. Particularly if you’re walking alone, be sure whatever level you set the headphones to doesn’t make it impossible to stay alert to people and objects around you.

Priced at $300 these headphones aren’t cheap, but their sound quality is well worth the cost. Though, if you want something with the absolute latest in noise cancellation, we also highly recommend the Sony WH-1000XM5s.

For a cheaper alternative to the Bose headphones, the Silensys E7 Active Noise Canceling Headphones are a great option. While you won’t get the same audio quality or consistency with these, the $60 price point is hard to beat for those on a budget.

I bought these headphones specifically for working at my office job. Because of the position of our desks, my back was always turned to those coming up to talk to me. Unfortunately, that meant if I was wearing earbuds, coworkers often didn’t see them. This led to some awkward conversations where they thought I was ignoring them, as well as a few times being startled to find someone directly beside me.

The purple pair of the Silensys provide the perfect brightness to get noticed. I found I was able to use the noise canceling qualities at work without worry, and that coworkers had an easier time getting my attention.

While they aren’t the fanciest product on the market, they’re a perfectly solid buy with a lot of cute, noticeable color options. For those who need the peace and quiet that comes with noise canceling, but who want others to know they can’t be heard, these headphones are a great choice.

My current favorite pair of headphones is the 9 Digital Bone Conducting Headphones. These headphones fit around the ear rather than over it, giving you full awareness of your surroundings while still providing great sound quality. They also are thin and subtle enough that most people will not realize that you’re wearing headphones at all.

I wear these headphones everywhere I can and find their flexibility excellent for everything from household chores to a quick trip to the grocery store. I love wearing these headphones while walking my dog in my neighborhood, because they provide enough sound to respond to any neighbors I pass, but also are subtle enough that I’m not drawing attention to being distracted while walking alone.

When it comes to convenience, subtlety, and safety, this set is one of the best. Priced around $25, it’s affordable for most. The biggest downside I have found with this headset is that its unusual placement around the back of the head can be awkward to wear with some hairstyles. Though these aren’t supposed to be noise canceling, it’s still worth noting that if you need to block out ambient sound, these won’t be your best fit.

The Fulllight Tech Headphone Beanie is the subtlest headphone on the list—so much so that it’s likely no one nearby would know you’re wearing headphones at all.

This warm knit hat disguises the headphone cords and buttons so well that, to everyone else, it appears to be a normal winter accessory. Though the sound can sometimes be heard by others if turned up to its highest setting, this is still only true in very quiet locations at close distances.

The Headphone Beanie allows you to hear everything going on around you while still jamming out to your favorite sounds. This is ideal for cold climates, as it provides a great amount of warmth along with sound functions. The beanie also covers the ears fully and doesn’t move around at all when worn, which is ideal for my ADHD, because this makes its texture and feeling on my head less distracting.

The biggest drawback of this set is the size of the hat. For anyone with an average-sized or smaller head, the hat will fit nice and snug, but reviewers say that heads larger than average might find it too tight to put on.