Best AirPods Pro Alternatives

The second coming of Beats' Powerbeats Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is truly a best-of-both-worlds option. You'll get all the best Apple features like Find My support, iCloud device switching, and one-touch iOS pairing, in a workout-ready design. Unlike the AirPods Pro, the Powerbeats have a dedicated Android app for features like one-touch pairing and customization. The controls are touchy when inserting the buds, but otherwise convenient thanks to both a multi-key and volume rocker.

In true Beats fashion, the sound is brash treble and bassy, but with plenty of nuance, while advanced noise canceling and natural-sounding transparency mode help them adapt to your environment. Some users complain that the heartbeat monitor is inaccurate, but it worked well enough for me, and it's especially useful for Android devices. Their new hook design is another upgrade, offering supreme comfort and stability to make these among the best workout buds you can buy.

JLab's latest “Go” noise-canceling earbuds are an almost shockingly affordable way to get your tunes in a stem-style design. You'll get a modicum of noise canceling, a companion app, and features like control customization and multipoint connection for under $40.

Audio quality is basic and spritely, but after futzing with the EQ, I found them suitably listenable over multiple days of testing, especially considering their price tag is less than a takeout dinner these days. I don't love the charging case’s short power cable, and the transparency mode is pretty cloudy, but those are minor complaints for this price. If you're after the best budget pair under $40, JLab has you covered.

There are a lot of great-sounding AirPods-style earbuds, but few can compete with these unassuming AirPod clones from Soundpeats for the money. That's because of their hybrid design that pairs a special xMEMs solid-state driver for the top frequencies with a traditional dynamic driver for the bass. The result is sweet, lyrical detail and smooth, punctual bass that earned the pair a perfect 10/10 review score from WIRED editor Parker Hall. I found the touch controls a little unresponsive, and their noise canceling is just OK, but otherwise, there's hardly a bad word to say about a budget pair that's this accomplished.

Anker Soundcore has a knack for great sound and value, and the Liberty 4 NC (8/10, WIRED Recommends) embody that philosophy brilliantly. They've got tight and detailed sound, very good noise canceling for their price class, around severn hours of battery life, and a laundry list of features, including some you might not expect like spatial audio. Not every feature is useful or on par with the more premium AirPods Pro, but you'll get some options Apple's pair doesn't offer, like fully customizable controls and a multiband EQ to tailor the experience as you see fit. Not for nothing, the white colorway looks pretty close to Apple’s top pair from a distance.