11 best cheap headphones for 2023

How much should a good pair of headphones cost? Some audiophiles swear by the most expensive premium models with refined noise-cancelling tech and voice assistants. But you don’t have to spend loads to get impressive sound quality and, in our opinion, the audio itself is the most important feature.

Whether you’re after a pair for your home working setup, your commute or a gaming session, we reckon you can spend under £100 (and even under £50) and still find a top-quality pair of headphones.

To prove our point, we’ve rounded up the best cheap headphones to buy in 2023. Today’s budget models pack in specs you’d think would cost far more, and we’ve made sure our favourite picks deliver when it comes to sound, comfort, and utility. The top models featured in our roundup include wired, wireless, on-ear, over-ear and in-ear ones, and while we’ve made sure they’re all under £100, the majority of these will set you back less than £50.

We’ve highlighted a few pairs of futuristic true wireless buds here, for complete freedom from cords, and we have a separate list of AirPods alternatives if those are what you’re after.

Just looking for recommendations? Here’s our quick list of the best cheap headphones to buy:

Best cheap in-ear headphones

• Best cheap neckband earbuds:
• Best cheap true wireless earbuds:
• Best cheap earbuds for noise cancelling:
• Best cheap neckband earbuds for battery life:
• Best basic true wireless earbuds:
• Best for the basics:

Best cheap on-ear and over-ear headphones

• Best on-ear headphones for battery life:
• Best cheap on-ear headphones for most people:
• Best cheap on-ear headphones for sound quality:
• Best cheap noise-cancelling over-ear headphones:
• Best cheap headphones for gaming:

How Digital Spy tests headphones

We try out the best cheap headphones by using them just as you would. We connect them up, whether via Bluetooth or their trusty cable, and we listen to music from a range of genres to check the sound quality. We also listen to test tones to evaluate the high and low-frequency response, and the dynamic range of the audio.

For models with noise-cancelling, we test these out in the most challenging environment available to us: the London Underground during rush hour. We also assessed the design, portability and convenience of each model. Our best cheap headphone picks below are a mix of our hands-on tests and expert recommendations from our rigorous research.