Our expert audio team has sifted through hundreds of the best wireless earbuds to bring you the very best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market. We’ve tested every pair of noise-cancelling earbuds here in real-world settings, so you know their noise-blocking tech works effectively in all kinds of environments.
We’ve based all of our recommendations on head-to-head testing, assessing each pair to see how they stack up against the competition for sound, comfort and features. What we’re saying is, if they’re in this guide, you can bet they’ve earned their spot.
Whether you’re after a budget-friendly bargain or a premium pair that could go toe-to-toe with the best noise-cancelling headphones, you’ll find them here. Expect some overlap with our best earbuds guide, but in this list it’s all about ANC first and everything else second.
The quick list
Want to just see which ANC buds are the best? Got it, here’s a roundup of our top choices. You can jump to a full review of every one of these listings, along with our price comparison tool to help you find the best deals.
1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
The best noise-cancelling earbuds overall
You can’t get better noise cancellation than this. We said that about the first iternation of these buds, but Bose has gone one better. They’re the brand’s latest model, offering excellent sound and device-agnostic spatial audio.
The best budget noise-cancelling earbuds
Yes, better ANC buds exist. But for decent immersion at an affordable price with some handy features, like long battery life, these EarFun options are our top pick – and they’re often discounted, too.
The best mid-range noise-cancelling earbuds
You get excellent ANC for the price, which is a huge improvement on previous Nothing buds – it’s as good as we’ve tried at this level. The sound is fun, the fit is comfy, and the style easily outshines anything else at the price.
The best noise-cancelling earbuds for Apple fans
If you have an iPhone, these buds offer excellent ANC that’s almost the very best on the market. Build quality and sound is fantastic here too, and we love the ‘unloseable’ case with a speaker built in for enhanced Find My features.
5. Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
The best noise-cancelling earbuds for Samsung
If you use a Samsung phone, you’ll get the most from these buds. They offer superb sound, impressive ANC, plus Samsung-specific spatial audio and hi-res support in an all-new (for Samsung) stemmed design.
The best noise-cancelling earbuds for under $30/£30
Do cheaper ANC buds exist? Sure. But these are the cheapest noise-cancelling buds that are actually worth buying. Throw in a strong feature set and a lightweight build and they’re a no-brainer if you’re on a budget.
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The best noise-cancelling earbuds for sound
If you want stunning sound that emphasizes detail and clarity, as well as solid ANC, you can’t go wrong with these buds. It’s truly among the best audio we’ve heard from a wireless design, and they’re very comfortable too.
The best noise-cancelling earbuds for features
Looking for the best specs and high-end features on the market right now? Technics’ follow up flagship earbuds deliver. You’ll get detailed sound, a fantastic fit with a smaller earpiece, good ANC, plus multi-point pairing to three devices at the same time.
9. Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
The best noise-cancelling earbuds for sports
The best choice for ANC when you’re on the move, with a design that ensures they stay incredibly secure and a built-in heart-rate monitor. If you want to nix noise at the gym, they’re the buds for you.
The best noise-cancelling earbuds for battery life
If you want good ANC that’s going to last all day (and all of the night!), these are a great shout. You get 12 hours from the buds and a huge 48 hours in total from the case – which also totes a smart screen. That’s hard to beat.
The best open earbuds for ANC
You read that right, an open-ear design with ANC, and impressively good ANC at that. Sound quality here is solid for the style, and they’re lightweight, comfortable, and surprisingly capable. These Honor buds are our top pick for open-ear noise cancelling.
Becky Scarrott
I’ve reviewed over 150 audio products since becoming a tech journalist, ranging from super-budget earbuds to high-end Hi-Res Audio music players. Before joining TechRadar, I spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing everything the world of audio had to offer; before that, I was a professional dancer. My love of music ties it all together.
September 30, 2025
Refreshed the introduction. Switched out the JLab Go Air Pop ANC for the newer JLab Go Pods ANC as our ‘best value’ pick. Added a mention of the new AirPods Pro 3 in our AirPods Pro 2 entry (review coming soon), and added a mention of the Earfun Air Pro 4+ (review coming soon) in the Earfun Air Pro 3 entry. Put details of the Nothing Ear (3) in the Nothing Ear (a) entry.
The best noise-cancelling earbuds you can buy today
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The best noise-cancelling earbuds overall
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BUY THEM IF
✅ You want top-tier ANC in earbuds: We’ve never experienced noise cancellation this hushed and cocoon-like in earbuds – not even from the previous version.
✅ You crave bold, energetic audio: If you like your tracks to hit hard with deep, punchy bass, these Bose buds deliver in spades.
DON’T BUY THEM IF
❌ You already own the original Ultras: Unless wireless charging, a new color, or a small step up in already-excellent ANC sways you, you can skip this upgrade.
❌ You need marathon battery life: Battery performance isn’t bad, but some rivals last longer, like the Technics EAH-AZ100.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen are easily the best overall noise-cancelling earbuds available, thanks to their stellar ANC and immersive sound. They replace the original QC Ultras in this guide and deliver an even more impressive noise-cancelling experience, which you can tweak to suit your environment. Incredibly versatile, they make an ideal travel companion, blocking out distractions whether you’re on a noisy flight or a bustling commute.
Sound performance has been upgraded in this latest version too. In our testing, we described them as “the most sonically exuberant listen” we’ve ever experienced in an earbud form factor. Expect loud, crisp, and truly expansive audio that delivers across the full frequency range, all enhanced by near-impenetrable ANC. It’s great to have the option to adjust this via a slider (Bose calls these Modes), which is incredibly handy.
The buds also feature Immersive Audio technology, bringing head-tracked spatial sound across devices, supported by aptX Adaptive. This was present in the first version, but this time you also get…