The best noise-cancelling earbuds include the most comfortable buds...

The best noise-cancelling earbuds of 2025, tested and reviewed

Overview

Over-the-ear headphones are everyone's usual go-to solution for blocking out the world. And listen, I get it. You couldn't pry my Sony WH-1000XM4s out of my cold dead hands. But honestly, as much as I love them, carrying around a clunky pair of headphones when I'm on the go is not ideal. I want a pair of headphones to tuck in my pocket that will still block out noise. That's the promise of the best noise-cancelling earbuds.

Every top brand has its own take on ANC earbuds, each with a unique style and a plethora of features. Since you can't possibly try them all, I've taken on the task of reviewing the best ANC earbuds for you.

One earbud of the following on a wooden table: Beats Fit Pro, Sony WF-1000XM5, Apple AirPods Pro, and Bose QuietComfort Ultra.

Not all earbuds are created equal — some are far more comfortable than others. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

While there are plenty of audio brands that provide good sound quality and noise cancellation, audio leaders Bose and Sony are in a league of their own. Not only do they offer phenomenal ANC, but they also make music and podcasts sound better. On a good pair of headphones, "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter sounds even catchier with its sickly sweet tune.

Earbuds usually aren't as comfortable as over-the-ear headphones. I know this well, as I've found many pairs of earbuds that just plain don't fit in my ear. Others are downright uncomfortable. Once again, Bose tends to offer the best comfort. However, Bose and Sony aren't the only brands out there. That's why I set out to test the best the market offers and see what makes a great pair of earbuds.

Since you probably don't want to go through the process of buying and returning a dozen pairs of noise-cancelling earbuds before finding the right ones, I did that work for you.

A pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds on a table.

The Good & The Bad

Unbeatable noise cancellation
Comfortable and secure fit
Long battery life
Easy connectivity

Can be difficult to remove from charging case

Why We Like It

Read our full review of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds.

Who it's for:

I didn't know I could feel passionate about earbuds until I tried the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, a Mashable Choice product. Truthfully, I can't imagine a person that wouldn't appreciate these buds. The noise cancellation is the best I've ever experienced, and the music feels like it surrounds you thanks to spatial audio. Plus, the fit is like no other.

If you've ever struggled with ear fatigue or getting earbuds to fit comfortably, these earbuds work for multiple sizes of ears, providing a secure yet comfortable fit for hours. You might be put off by the $299 price tag, but they're worth every penny.

Why we like it:

Having tested the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones and read Mashable editor Timothy Beck Werth's review of these earbuds, I expected them to be good, but I didn't expect to be so blown away by them. I've struggled with earbuds in the past, never finding ones that offer the perfect fit, but the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds sat comfortably in my ears with a secure fit. Whenever I wear earbuds on a walk, I constantly push them in, but I swear I didn't have to adjust these once on my entire 3-mile loop.

If you're after noise cancellation, you really can't beat these. When I first put the earbuds in, I was in a room with a loud fan, and when the earbud's ANC kicked in, it completely blocked out the fan in a way that felt like magic. Even though I didn't have music playing, there was no buzzing, just perfect quiet.

Plus, the audio quality was superb. Bose offers immersive audio mode on these wireless earbuds, but it felt like the music was all around me even when I wasn't using it. They helped me get in the zone, thumping the beats of Nelly Furtado's "Man Eater" as I stomped the pavement. I heard every note of the delicate instrumentals of the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack, even while walking alongside a busy road. Plus, I felt like I was in the room listening to a live recording of Daft Punk's "One More Time."

In Werth's standalone review of the earbuds, he said that they're wasted on podcasts. While he's right, they do shine when playing music, and they do make podcasts sound better. When I was listening to episodes with lower-quality tracks, they made even the worst audio sound crisp and distinct without having to crank up the volume.

Details

A pair of Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds on a table

The Good & The Bad

Includes multiple ear tips sizes for snug fit
Amazing audio quality
Good noise cancellation
Handy touch controls

Occasional connectivity issues
Sony app could be better

Who it's for:

The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are also fantastic. If you are slightly less concerned about noise cancellation and instead prioritize audio quality, these might be better for you. These earbuds pick up on the subtleness of every lyric and beat. If you're already in the Sony ecosystem, maybe you use the WF-1000XM5 headphones. If so, these buds are the perfect companion.

Why we like it:

I like music, but the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds made me truly appreciate it. When I tucked them into my ears, I was plunged into every hit of the drum in Slipknot's "(sic)" and the 1975's "This Must Be My Dream." When listening to SOPHIE's "Faceshopping," I heard the pop of her lips on every word. All this to say, the Sony earbuds offer distinct audio that even the pickiest of audiophiles will enjoy.

Compared to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, the Sony earbuds have a slightly flatter sound, not as immersive as the Bose. Despite this, I still think the Sonys were strong in capturing the subtlety of music. The WF-1000XM5s are a little weaker on ANC compared to Bose, but just barely. While using the earbuds indoors, I found they did an excellent job blocking out cooking noises or someone speaking. However, when I was outdoors, the bustling road seeped through in a high-traffic environment.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 were less comfortable than the Bose QC Ultras. To get a secure fit, I had to push them in, and they felt jammed in my ear. Despite the initial discomfort, they were pretty comfortable over an hour of listening.

They're a single dollar less than the Bose earbuds, so if you're in between, go Bose. The Sony earbuds also fall behind with a weaker companion app. The Sony app is very technical and difficult to navigate, whereas Bose's is straightforward and easy to use.

Details

A pair of Bose headphones next to a laptop

The Good & The Bad

Amazing sound quality
Solid noise cancellation
Comfortable, secure fit
Affordable

App UX could use some improvement

Why We Like It

Read our full review of the Bose QuietComfort earbuds.

Who it’s for:

If you want good-quality sound but don’t want to spend over $200, the Bose QuietComfort is an affordable answer to the brand’s line-up. They’re focused on a great fit, as they not only come with multiple ear tips but multiple bands that can be changed out on the earbuds for a better fit on the crest of your ear.

The accompanying app lets you adjust audio levels, but you won’t need to, as these earbuds make all your music sound better. They’re reliable, have a long battery life, and are sure to please the pickiest of audiophiles.

Why we like it:

I’ve sung the praises of the QuietComfort Ultra, but Bose’s latest earbuds, the entry-level QuietComfort, are also fantastic, especially with their under-$200 price tag. Even after adjusting the ear tips and bands, I didn’t find the fit on these quite as secure as the Ultras. However, my colleague Bethany Allard, who also tested the QuietComfort earbuds, said they were the best earbuds that have ever fit her.

The QuietComfort’s sound quality is just phenomenal. With these earbuds, listening to Ethel Cain’s A House in Nebraska immersed me in the orchestrations. When Brick House by The Commodores came on, the earbuds elevated the snappy drum beats so that I may have been listening live.

The noise cancellation on the QuietComfort earbuds isn’t as sophisticated as the Ultras; I found they had more sound leakage and that classic ANC buzz when I was in noisy environments. However, the ANC on these is still great, especially in quiet spaces.

One tiny beef I have with the Bose QuietComfort earbuds is that they require a different app than the standard Bose one. This is annoying if you’re an existing Bose user and need to download another app; plus, this earbud app just isn’t as good as Bose’s flagship app.

All in all, these are a solid pair of headphones that, for $179, are an unbeatable value.

Details

A pair of Apple AirPods Pro on a table.

The Good & The Bad

Great sound
Solid noise cancellation
Long battery life
Easy connection to iOS and Mac devices

Only one size of ear tips
Works best on iOS
More expensive than the AirPods 4 with noise cancellation

Why We Like It

Read our full review of the Apple AirPods Pro.

Who it's for:

If you're an iOS user who wants to avoid dealing with an auxiliary app, Apple AirPods Pro is your best bet. They have impressive noise cancellation and seamlessly connect to iOS systems. To pair them to your iPhone, just open the charging case. Need to go hands-free? The AirPods will announce your texts to you.

Why we like it:

As an iPhone user, I'm partial to Apple AirPods Pro's connectivity. They connect easily, and no app is needed. Instead, you can just go into your phone's settings; the AirPods have their own settings menu there.

But beyond their iOS compatibility, they're also fantastic earbuds. I was taken aback when outdoors and found that their ANC drowned out the busy street I was walking along. The audio quality is generally good, but it wasn't nearly as impressive as the Bose or Sony earbuds. These buds played my songs as I would expect, but with no extra flair.

The biggest downside to the Apple AirPods Pro is that they don't come with multiple ear tips. The AirPods Pro fell out often, and I wished for a smaller ear tip for a better fit.

If you like the idea of the AirPods Pro 2 but can't swing the price, you could go for the new AirPods 4, which now come with active noise cancellation, but in my testing, they're not nearly as good as the Pros. The noise cancellation on the Pros is much stronger than on the AirPods 4. Plus, the rubber tips on the Pros provide a better, more secure fit than the AirPods 4.

Details

Mashable shopping reporters, editors, and contributors regularly test new noise-cancelling headphones from brands such as Apple, Beats, Bose, Dyson, JBL, Marshall, Sonos, and Sony, to name just some of the headphones brands we've tested recently. Some of the products in this review have been previously tested by other Mashable team members.

I tested each pair of earbuds in this guide over several weeks. Similar to how we test the best noise-cancelling headphones at Mashable, here's what I considered:

Active noise cancellation performance: Though I always consider this feature when testing headphones, I paid extra attention for the purposes of this guide. I made sure to wear these earbuds indoors and outdoors, while someone was trying to speak to me, and went about my usual workdays.
Comfort: Though this category can be extra subjective due to different user preferences and head and ear sizes, I evaluated comfort and ear fatigue for each model I tested. I also examined how adjustable headphones will suit different wearers, including whether they come with extra ear tips in varying sizes.
Audio quality: While testing the earbuds, I listened to music across a variety of genres with our standard Mashable headphone playlist and podcasts to see how they perform in different audio settings.
Value: With the above features in mind, I compared the earbuds' price points to determine which products are worth it. For premium headphones, I evaluated if they came with interesting extra features through their companion apps, or particularly smart designs. I also made sure every pair checked the basic boxes, like having decent battery life.

How do noise-cancelling earbuds work?

Four earbud cases on a wooden table.

Noise-cancelling earbuds are small enough to slip in your pocket. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

All noise-cancelling headphones, including earbuds, have some passive noise cancellation. While over-the-ear headphones naturally block out noise by wrapping around the ears, earbuds don't block sound as effectively. Instead of covering your ears, wireless earbuds deliver sound directly into the ear canal to drown out other noises. They rely more on active noise cancellation (ANC) to reduce environmental noise.

ANC is an electronic process within the headphones. Internal microphones listen to your surroundings and then invert the sound, effectively canceling it. Sometimes, with noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds, you'll hear a slight buzzing or humming in the background, and that's the ANC at work. The best ANC earbuds shouldn't have this buzzing, however.

portrait of a woman wearing glasses

Boston-based Shopping Reporter, Samantha Mangino, covers all things tech at Mashable, rounding up the best products and deals. She’s covered commerce for three years, spending extensive time testing and reviewing all things home, including couches, steam irons, and washing machines. She thoroughly vets products and internet trends, finding out if those cozy gamer chairs are really as comfortable as TikTok claims.

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