The Best True Wireless Earbuds Under $100 of 2024

• Ambient sound modes: None
• Dust/water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: Up to 8 hours per charge, 32 hours with case

JLab’s Go Air Pop are by no means the best earbuds on this list. But with a lower level of commitment than your choice of pizza toppings, there’s no better guilt-free entry point for wireless earbuds. You could call these your trainer pair—a great way to see if true wireless is for you, with very little commitment.

The Go Air Pop are easy to pair and offer a solid connection. The sound is serviceable for listening to music and podcasts in a variety of scenarios. There’s not much delicacy, depth, or dimension here, and they can struggle to deliver higher frequencies—especially cymbals. But there’s also no egregious sibilance or bloated bass. If you’re not super picky about sound, they should do just fine.

Both the earbud housings and the case reflect their low price. But this is also a strikingly nimble package that easily fits in your pocket. They also met their battery life claims, lasting for eight hours in testing, which meets or beats some of the best around. The case holds 3 more charges.

Features are unsurprisingly slim, with no transparency mode or Active Noise Cancellation. There are also no extras like wireless charging, auto-pause, or a dedicated app for fancier features, like tracking your lost buds. The touch controls are solid, though, allowing for basic playback control (including volume control) and even basic EQ to boost bass.

If you or a loved one are looking to get into fully wireless earbuds on a very thin dime, JLab’s Go Air Pop are surprisingly well-equipped (especially in the battery department) at a price that barely registers.

• Ambient sound modes: Transparency mode
• Dust/water resistance: IP55
• Battery life: 7 hours per charge, 28 hours with case

Jabra’s Elite 3 are heavy hitters in their price range. Jabra makes some of our favorites, like the Jabra Elite 85t, so it’s no surprise that the Elite 3 deliver solid quality for a very friendly price, including some of the best sound in their price range.

What’s the catch? Jabra’s kept things simple: You don’t get active noise canceling, or even adjustable EQ—both features we love on Jabra’s pricier buds. The transparency mode is also a scant addition at best.

There are some comfort features like Google Fast Pair and solid controls, but the almost bare-bones feature set is the Elite 3’s biggest weakness. But the Elite 3 make up for their lack of extras in audio and microphone quality. We were taken aback by their robust sound, which provides a satisfyingly punchy soundscape without burying subtler musical elements. Call quality is also stellar for a set of earbuds this affordable.

The Elite 3 deliver mightily on the core basics, keeping their cost low by paring down some features that are standard on pricier models. If you just want steak and don’t need much sizzle, the Jabra Elite 3 are seriously satisfying.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX5
• Battery life: Up to 7 hours per charge, 28 hours with case

The Anker Soundcore Liberty 2 are an excellent choice for most people thanks to their customizable fit, customizable sound, and above-average battery life. They include multiple ear tips and silicone wings so just about anyone can get a comfortable, secure fit, and the Anker app lets you dial in the sound you want. You may prefer the fit or sound of another pair of Bluetooth earbuds, but the Liberty 2 are one of our favorites.

The sound is among the best we tested in this price range. It’s a bit bass-heavy, and a touch sharp in the upper register, but the EQ options in Anker’s companion app can tune the sound to your preferences. In fact, the app has a feature called HearID that will help find the EQ settings best for your ears.

Battery life was a bit less than claimed—we tracked seven hours of playback per charge instead of eight. That’s mid-pack for this category, but still above average compared to more expensive options. The case should offer about 3 full charges. Speaking of the case, it feels a bit flimsy; its thin plastic cover slides to open and seems like it could get knocked open in a purse or backpack.

The Liberty 2 are IPX5 Certified, which means they’re waterproof against strong splashes and even light jets of water. You shouldn't dunk them under a tap to clean them, but you can work out without worrying about your sweat causing damage.

The Anker Soundcore Liberty 2’s fit and sound options offer the most for the most people, and at a great price.

• Ambient sound modes: Transparency mode
• Dust/water resistance: IP55
• Battery life: 9 hours per charge, 40 hours with case

Skullcandy’s Grind Fuel earbuds are a prime example of just how capable budget buys can be. For just under $100, the Grind Fuel offer nine hours of battery life per charge, good water resistance, and even their own hands-free (and internet-free) voice assistant.

All of those features live up to their specs, and are bolstered by other neat capabilities. They have built-in Tile tracking technology, and you can tether two pairs of Skullcandy IQ earbuds together for shared listening.

The native voice assistant, which responds to the wake words “Hey Skullcandy,” doesn't match better-known assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. But it can performs basic functions like changing tracks and adjusting volume, hands-free.

One of the biggest knocks is the lack of active noise canceling. ANC was once unthinkable at this price, but competitors like the Anker Soundcore Space A40 and Jabra Elite 4 Active add impressive ANC for a teensy amount more (or the same price on sale). The Grind Fuel do offer transparency mode to hear the world around you, and their tight fit passively blocks out noise well.

The lack of ANC and a sound signature that’s inconsistent at best are the biggest reasons to pass on Skullcandy’s Grind Fuel. Otherwise, these buds really are a bargain.

• Ambient sound modes: None
• Dust/water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 8 hours per charge, 24 hours with case

The House of Marley Champion are a tiny pair of earbuds made predominantly from sustainable and recycled materials like bamboo, natural fibers and silicone from post-consumer waste. Even the charging cable is “post-consumer recyclable polyester.” For anyone looking for a greener alternative in a sea of plastic headphones, these are a great place to start.

Beyond their Earth-friendlier materials, the earbuds themselves are quite good. They aren’t right on the podium with our top picks, but they’re definitely near it. We got more than their claimed 8 hours of battery life in testing, and the tiny case can charge them back up more than twice.

The case charges with USB-C, and, like the earbuds, has a small bamboo accent that looks great. The buds are IPX4 water-resistant, which means you can splash them but not submerge them.

The sound quality is good, though the bass is a bit messy and there’s more emphasis on the treble than their more balanced competitors. They do especially well with podcasts and audiobooks. The biggest issue is their lack of extras. They don't offer features like ANC or even transparency mode, and they only come with two sets of tips, so those with larger ears and/or ear canals might not be able to get a secure fit.

Still, if you’re looking for a more planet-friendly pair of earbuds for your money, the House of Marley Champion may be the pick for you.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Dust/water resistance: IP55
• Battery life: Up to 12 hours per charge, 48 hours with case

The Epic Air ANC seem like they’d be similar to their siblings, the Epic Air Sport ANC, minus the over-ear loops. However, their performance is weaker. Claimed battery life for the buds is a bit lower, at 12 hours versus 15 for the Sports, and they measured less in testing. The case should recharge the buds around three times, the same as the Sport.

That’s not the only place they came up short. They offer lower water resistance, IP55-rated instead of IP66. So, they're fine for sweating with at the gym, but don't get caught in the rain with them. We were disappointed to find that the bass created by these earbuds is less-defined and sloppier. They feel loose in the ear, and people on the other end of phone calls had trouble understanding us.

Like their Sports sibling, the noise canceling is very mild. The app-adjustable transparency mode, called Be Aware, can actually increase the sound of the world around you in a sort of reverse-noise canceling that is useful in certain situations.

They’re light, and like the Sport, the case has a built-in USB connector and wireless charging. But unless you really hate over-ear loops, the Sport are the better option.

• Ambient sound modes: None
• Dust/water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 10 hours per charge, 20 hours with case

In the ever-growing pantheon of wireless buds, Sony’s C500 are unremarkable, except for their sizeable 10 hours of playback time, per charge. That doubles rivals like the Pixel Buds A-Series and plenty of others, especially at their $100 MSRP.

Their relatively stylish (if understated) design provides mid-level water resistance and a comfy fit that lets you wear them for hours. In nearly all other regards, though, these earbuds are decidedly ordinary. They don’t offer active noise canceling or even transparency mode, something we’ve come to expect at this price point.

They also skip a wide swath of features from Sony’s Headphones Connect app. You get multi-band EQ, and extras like Sony’s 360 Reality Audio. Otherwise, there’s not a lot here. Even the slim charging case is underpowered, offering only one extra charge. Their sound performance does offer some sparkling detail, especially if you really dig jazz and acoustic instrumentation. But it can also get a bit sharp in the upper registers.

These are entry-level buds from a premium brand, and the chance to nab Sony buds for $100 alone makes them worthy of consideration. If you just want a base-level experience from relatively stylish and comfy earbuds, the C500 definitely deliver. But if you’re looking for extras, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

• Ambient sound modes: None
• Dust/water resistance: IPX5
• Battery life: Up to 8 hours per charge, 32 hours with case

The 1More ColorBuds are a stylish, tiny pair of earbuds that are available in a variety of colors including gold, green, pink, and of course, black. The earbuds and case are both among the smallest we tested.

They don’t perform as well as we’d hoped, however. Their swoopy shape didn’t sit as comfortably or as well in our ears as other tiny buds. While only fractionally smaller than the House of Marley Champions, they’re far less stable. They also lack any buttons on the buds, making you unable to easily pause or switch to a new track like most other options. They do offer an IPX5 water resistance rating, though, which outdoes much of the competition.

The sound profile also disappoints; it’s fairly brittle, sibilant, and very tilted toward the high end. While it’s alright for the price point, it sits somewhere in the middle of the “budget” pack overall.

We did get better than expected battery life. 1More claims six hours; we got over eight. The small case can charge them back to full over three times. Still, with so many options, nothing about the Colorbuds stands out, and your best bet would be to grab them during a fire sale.