The best earbuds in 2025

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

It's amazing how much of a difference a little pair of earbuds can make to your life. Good quality earbuds, that is, because poor quality buds are a false economy. C'mon, we've all made the mistake of buying a crappy pair and quickly regretting it. They're just not worth the cost — even if they're cheap.

Good quality earbuds can offer a whole range of features to suit and improve your lifestyle — they can sync to your devices, offer a voice assistant, or cancel out the world around you — not to mention deliver great sounds directly into the ears.

There's no shortage of premium, feature-heavy earbuds out there. It's just a matter of finding the pair that perfectly suit you. If you need some help dialling down the noise of all those choices and tuning into the best options, here's a quick guide.

What's best — over-ear headphones or earbuds?

It’s all down to personal preference. Some people like big chunky headphones that cover the ears. Others prefer something more inconspicuous. There are certainly benefits to choosing earbuds over headphones. They’re more compact and generally better suited to fitness. Earbuds will also suit anyone who prioritises portability — whether that’s for commuting, air travel, or taking to the gym — and anyone who gets uncomfortable from long, sweaty sessions under padded headphones.

Are there different types of earbuds?

Technically, earbuds fall into two categories — earbuds, which rest on the inner part of the ear; and in-ear headphones, which fit into the ear canal. To keep things simple, we’ve recommended a selection of each kind.

You can further break down earbuds into a few categories:

• Wired earbuds — These connect to your device by a cable (it’s an increasingly outdated approach — particularly with Apple removing the regular headphone jack from the iPhone — so there are none on this list).

• Wireless earbuds — These are connected to each other via a cable but independent from the device.

• True wireless earbuds — These have no cables at all. Simple, right?

Keep these categories in mind when shopping around for something that works for you.

What is true wireless?

When shopping around you may see the term true wireless, or “truly” wireless as it’s sometimes known. This relates to headphones that have no cord connected to your phone or device. True wireless headphones can use different types of wireless technology to transmit the sound into your ears. The most common form is Bluetooth.

Do earbuds sound good?

Over-ear headphones are generally considered the go-to option for serious audiophiles. It comes down to the fact that over-ear headphones have more powerful drivers (the components that convert electrical signals into sound). But there are earbuds geared towards high-quality sound, which can match over-ear headphones at the same price point. Many top brands also provide an app that allows you to adjust EQ levels and tweak the audio to sound exactly as you want it.

What are codecs?

Wireless sound quality can be affected by factors such as distance and obstructions between your headphones and device, but also the codec software that your headphones support. Codecs are algorithms that encode and decode digital audio signals. Look out for earbuds with low latency (this is the time it takes for the sound to hit your ears) and which support Qaulcomm’s aptX codecs. These are generally reviewed as the best codecs, particularly for streaming video content on your phone and ensuring the picture and audio stay in sync.

Do earbuds have noise cancellation?

Earbuds will always do a certain amount of passive noise cancelling because they block your ears by design. But many earbuds also have active noise cancellation (ANC). This feature uses tiny microphones to create anti-noise sound waves and block out any ambient noise. This allows you to totally shut off the outside world and fully immerse yourself in the music. There may also be a transparency mode that lets in some external sounds, such as other people's voices.

What are the best earbuds?

Since it's always good to get a personal recommendation, we did some research and pulled out the best earbuds online. Whatever your preference or price range, you're sure to find some that don't suck. We've lined up all the best earbuds from top brands like Bose and Apple. These earbuds will be literal music to your ears.

These are the best earbuds in 2025.