Apple’s various AirPods are some of the best wireless earbuds and headphones you can buy, but they’re not for everyone. Whether you’ve got an Android phone, want a different design, are seeking specific features, or have a tighter budget, one of the best AirPods alternatives, like our top pick, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, can deliver everything AirPods offer and sometimes more.
TL;DR - These are the best AirPods alternatives:
- OnePlus Buds Pro 2
- Sony WF-1000XM5
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra
- EarFun Air Pro 3
- Beats Fit Pro
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
The best AirPods sound great, fit comfortably in or on your ear, pair seamlessly with the best iPhones and MacBooks, and have a handful of features to keep you immersed in your music, podcasts, and movies. So, when choosing options that offer an experience similar to AirPods, we kept all this in mind, narrowing it down to six solid earbuds after extensive research and real-world testing. Below are the best AirPods alternatives.
1. OnePlus Buds Pro 2
Best AirPods Alternative
Pros:
- Decent active noise cancellation
- Impressive low and high-end sound
Cons:
- Some features only work with One Plus phones
The 3rd-generation AirPods are sleek, sound great, and rock ample quality-of-life features. But if you’re after earbuds outside of Apple’s ecosystem, OnePlus gives the tech giant a run for its money with the similarly priced Buds Pro 2. These earbuds stick with a minimalist aesthetic, offering a bulbous earpiece and ear tips attached to a chic metal stem, with touch controls that are almost identical to the AirPods. You even get slightly longer battery life, with up to 9 hours of listening time and an extra 39 from the wirelessly charging case.
Dual drivers on the One Plus Buds Pro 2 deliver some impressive low and high-ends that you can tune to your preferences, though you can only enjoy their spatial audio and head tracking features with a OnePlus phone like the One Plus 12. What takes these earbuds a notch above the 3rd-gen AirPods is active noise cancellation. The ANC does a decent job at dulling noises around you – albeit not as great as the AirPods Pro. There’s also support for high-res codecs for more detailed listening.
2. Sony WF-1000XM5
Best AirPods Pro Alternative
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 | Audio Codec: SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 | Earbud Battery life: 6 hours (ANC on), 7 hours (ANC off) | Case battery life: 24 hours | IP rating: IPX4 | Weight (earbuds): 5.9g (each) | Size (case): 2.54 x 1.57 x 1.05 inches
Pros:
- Excellent AI-driven ANC
- Excess of sound customization options
Cons:
- Expensive
Admittedly, the Sony WF-1000XM5 looks absolutely nothing like the 2nd-generation AirPods Pro, opting for a more rounded shape than the long stem. However, both earbuds sound absolutely wonderful with a similar feature set. Sony’s offering delivers spatial audio and head tracking for a more immersive listening experience, which works just as great as it does on the AirPods Pro. The AI-driven active noise canceling and the custom EQ settings on the WF-1000XM5 earbuds even go a notch above Apple.
Of course, if you use an iPhone and MacBook, you will miss out on the seamless connectivity of AirPods, but Bluetooth 5.3 on the Sony WF-1000XM5 is still reliable and takes only a couple extra seconds to connect. Plus, you’ll still enjoy in-ear detection, touch controls, and even multipoint connectivity. For Android users, grabbing Sony’s earbuds over AirPods is a no-brainer, and you can’t forget the support for Sony’s high-res LDAC codec.
3. Bose QuietComfort Ultra
Best AirPods Max Alternative
Pros:
- Plush ear cups
- World-class ANC and immersive listening
Cons:
- No IP rating
Apple only offers one pair of over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max, and they are stunning to look at, with exceptional performance to boot. Bose manages a similar experience with the QuietComfort Ultra, some of the best Bose headphones you can buy. Sure, some might not find the design as sleek, but you’ll enjoy all-day comfort with the plush ear cushions and pressure-spreading band. Bose’s headphones also pull ahead in battery life and price, coming in for $100 less while delivering full bass, rich highs, spacious mids, and similar features to the AirPods Max.
In fact, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are chock full of features to ensure you have the most pleasant listening experience. To start, Bose continues its sterling reputation for innovative, world-class active noise cancellation with easy-to-activate transparency modes. Personalizing sound to your preferences is possible using the Bose app, and the headphones don’t forget spatial audio for immersive listening. Unlike the AirPods Max, you aren’t limited to a wireless connection either, as in addition to Bluetooth 5.3, you can connect the QuietComfort Ultra via an audio jack. There’s also support for the lossless aptX codec for some high-res listening.
4. EarFun Air Pro 3
Best Budget AirPods Alternative
Pros:
- Budget price
- Solid ANC performance
Cons:
- No in-ear detection
Want the features of the AirPods Pro for a fraction of the price? The EarFun Air Pro 3 are great budget wireless earbuds that rival what’s on offer with the best AirPods. For under $80, you still enjoy active noise cancellation, which does a solid job of mitigating sounds in your environment. Design-wise, these earbuds resemble AirPods with secure-fit ear tips and a long stem that features touch controls. The Air Pro 3 even beat the battery life of AirPods, lasting nine hours.
Of course, the EarFun Air Pro 3 earbuds can’t win them all, so you must set your expectations accordingly. There’s no spatial audio or seamless in-ear detection and connection to Apple devices. Luckily, Bluetooth with multipoint and LE support make connecting to the best smartphones, tablets, and laptops relatively painless. The AirPods Pro may deliver a richer audio performance, but the EarFun Air Pro 3 earbuds still have punchy, dynamic sound with adjustable EQ settings.
5. Beats Fit Pro
Best AirPods Alternative for Workouts
Pros:
- Secure fit
- Apple H1 chip
Cons:
- Bulkier charging case
Beats are Apple-owned, so you’ll get an H1 chip in the Fit Pro, making them some of the best iPhone earbuds. That chip unlocks a host of features, including seamless pairing to Apple devices, spatial audio, and EQ adjustments. And don’t worry, unlike AirPods, you can enjoy these features on Android devices, too. Active noise cancellation and a transparency mode are also available and easy to switch between, ensuring you stay focused or aware depending on your needs.
The Beat Fit Pro’s design make them absolutely perfect for working out. You get three different ear tip options and wingtips that tuck into your upper ear for an ultra-snug fit, making these some of the best running earbuds. With an IPX4 rating, you’ll be good rocking them during your sweaty lifting sets or rainy runs. On-ear controls ensure you don’t need to interrupt your workout to change a song or answer a call, and the six-hour battery life should last through even your longest sessions.
6. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Best AirPods Alternative for Noise Canceling
Pros:
- Great ANC and transparency modes
- Spatial audio with head tracking
Cons:
- Bass heavy out of the box
The AirPods Pro may be some of the best noise canceling headphones, and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are right up there with them. They deliver powerful ANC that effectively lowers noise distractions in your environment, whether it’s the hum of an airplane engine or a yappy dog outside. Should you need to hear what’s happening around you, simple-to-activate transparency modes allow everything to come through crisp and clear, like you’re not wearing earbuds, or blend awareness and ANC.
Beyond noise canceling, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds deliver clean, detailed audio that’s a little bass-heavy. Should you prefer a different sound profile, Bose makes it easy to tune the earbuds to your ears. Similar to the AirPods Pro, these earbuds are also packing spatial audio with head tracking called Immersive Audio for a richer listening experience. You even get AptX codec support, while battery life is on par with Apple’s offering, lasting about 6 hours.
How to Choose the Best AirPods Alternatives
Before you even set out on the search for the best AirPods alternatives, you need to decide on budget. Plenty of great headphones are available for under $100, but your expectations must be set accordingly. These won’t necessarily offer all the features of AirPods or sound as exceptional. When you get to the $150+ mark, you’ll begin to see plenty of options that deliver a nearly identical experience to AirPods.
Next comes design. The AirPods Max are the only over-ear AirPods, offering soft ear cups and a band that does a decent job distributing weight evenly across your head. It’s easy enough to find headphones with a similar feel. However, the stunning aesthetics are almost exclusive to Apple.
Other AirPods stick with an in-ear design that you either love or hate, with a bulbous earpiece and a stem. You’ll also get touch control. Apple made this type of design mainstream, so you’ll find an insane amount of similar-looking earbuds. If you don’t like that feel, plenty of alternatives have a more compact, rounded design or secure fit.
Of course, the main reason you want AirPods is for their awesome feature set. But unless you have an Apple Ecosystem, many features won’t work as well or at all on non-Apple devices.
Apple is known for its spatial audio, delivering a more immersive listening experience. You’ll find more and more earbuds that offer a similar feature, though there may still be restrictions to what devices it will work on. Seamless pairing with Apple devices is a convenience of AirPods. And unfortunately, if you’ve got an iPhone, you won’t get this same experience from other headphones – for the most part. Beats are the one exception. However, some options deliver a simple connection to Android devices. Still, no matter what earbuds you’re listening on, a strong Bluetooth connection is all you need. Another feature to look out for is noise canceling. The AirPods Pro and Max come with exceptional active noise canceling, but you’ll discover that brands like Bose and Sony have headphones that do it just as good, if not better.
Most importantly, how do the headphones sound? AirPods have a very neutral sound that most ears love straight out of the box. It’s a hit or miss on other earbuds and headphones. Luckily, most mid-range to higher-end options have companion apps to easily tune the earbuds to your taste.
Finally, you can’t forget about battery life. You want something that will last long enough for your needs. Be it a commute, hike, or travel day. Five or more hours should be ideal for most, and a compact charging case can usually top off your earbuds quickly.
AirPods Alternatives FAQ
Are AirPods alternatives good for gaming?
AirPods or any wireless earbuds, in general, won’t be the best option when it comes to gaming, as you’ll experience latency. However, more and more great gaming earbuds are coming to market that combat this issue by offering a 2.4GHz wireless dongle, similar to the best wireless gaming headsets, rather than only Bluetooth. That dongle ensures a seamless, more reliable connection. Plus, gaming earbuds are still compact, lightweight, and comfortable, making them perfect for every type of gamer.
Danielle Abraham is a freelance writer and unpaid music historian.
