The Best Noise-Canceling Headphones to Keep You Focused

This story was updated in October 2022 to make sure all products tested by the Good Housekeeping Institute Media & Tech Lab are priced correctly and in stock.

Headphones have progressed way beyond the fuzzy black contraptions you once wore with your Walkman. Today's noise-canceling headphones efficiently block ambient sound and background noise like loud engines, crying babies or the rattling of a subway car to make you feel like you're listening to music in the middle of a quiet concert hall.

All of this is made possible thanks to miniature microphones that "listen to the outside noise frequencies and emit the exact opposite signal to effectively 'cancel out' both sets of sounds when the soundwaves collide," according to Bose, Certain sounds and frequencies will be canceled out more effectively than others: For the most part, noise-canceling headphones do a better job blocking out the drone of an airplane (a low-frequency sound) versus someone loudly speaking on the phone next to you (a medium-frequency sound).

Though noise-canceling headphones are a great tool to help you focus, they're not all made equal. That's why the Good Housekeeping Institute Media & Tech Lab evaluates headphones, logging hundreds of hours of listening to determine the best picks for you. Our last test logged nearly 300 hours and we’ve since tacked on hundreds of more hours as we’ve road-tested the best headphones while working from home (where we all need some extra help blocking out distractions). When testing, we analyze everything from the battery life, portability in terms of both weight and size and ease of using controls. We also assess perceived sound quality, comfort and design with consumer feedback.

Our top picks:

The best noise-canceling headphones of 2022 include a range of styles, such as wireless headphones, over-ear headphones and noise-canceling earbuds. This list contains the top-performing headphones vetted by our tech experts, along with best-selling and highly-rated options that we reviewed specs for. No matter if you're a student looking for cheap noise-canceling headphones under $100, want to invest in a quality set for your next trip, or could use wireless earbuds for the gym or office, there's a pair out there for you.

Look out for Amazon Prime Day discounts that you can get with the headphones below.

Amazon Prime Day Deals