The Best AirPods Alternatives Cost Less Than the Apple EarPhones

The AirPods and the AirPods Pro are among today's most popular wireless earbuds thanks to their great sound, seamless ergonomics, and superb performance during phone calls. However, their magic works best with Apple's hardware — you need an iPhone, an iPad, or a Mac to get the best experience.

Luckily, there are a lot of solid alternatives to Apple AirPods, AirPods Pro, and even the AirPods Max for Android, PC, and Chromebook users, or if you're looking for a more affordable option, too. To determine the best worth buying, we scrutinized products from leading brands like JBL, Samsung, and Soundcore, to name a few. The process involved sifting through and comparing specs, reading consumer and expert reviews, and doing real-life product testing.

The Best AirPods Alternatives

What to Consider

Form Factor

The most important thing to consider is whether you need an AirPods or an AirPods Pro alternative. The iconic AirPods, just like Apple's timelessly cool EarPods, have an instantly recognizable, one-size-fits-all design that doesn't require fiddling with ear tips to find a set that works for you. But although they're convenient, this setup will not fit as securely and isolate ambient noise as a set of silicone ear tips. If you plan to use your buds in louder spaces and during workouts, you should consider a pair with swappable ear tips like the AirPods Pro.

Noise Cancellation

Speaking of louder spaces, many of our favorite alternatives to the AirPods and the AirPods Pro, besides good audio quality and reliable performance during calls, have onboard noise cancellation. Once reserved for pricey wireless headphones and earbuds, the feature is now available on affordable offerings. We highly recommend that you opt for this feature because it will make your buds more travel-friendly than those that don't have it.

Spatial Audio

Today’s best AirPods rivals also can deliver immersive spatial audio with or without dynamic head tracking like Apple products. This earbuds feature was strictly reserved for AirPods until not too long ago, so seeing it enter the mainstream is encouraging.

If you are an iPhone user looking to experience enhanced audio on earbuds that support it, you should switch Dolby Atmos to be permanently on in your device’s Apple Music settings. Setting Dolby Atmos to automatic is also suitable for iPhone. However, in Apple Music for Android, you can only choose between switching it on or off. For the time being, Apple Music is the streaming service to get if spatial audio is a priority.

Durability

The latest AirPods and the AirPods Pro have an IPX4 rating for water resistance, and that's the bare minimum an alternative should offer. However, if you are not planning to exercise with your buds or expose them to water, this is not a must-have feature. After all, the second-generation AirPods are not officially water-resistant.

Additional Features

You should also look for products with futureproof Bluetooth 5.0 (preferably higher) connectivity and a USB-C connector for charging. All the products we picked have these features. Like active noise cancellation, convenient wireless charging has also made its way to lower-priced true wireless earbuds, so you should also keep an eye out for it.

Now that you know what to look for, learn more about today's best Apple AirPods alternatives worth your attention.