The Best headphones under $100 are harder to find than you might think. Here at WIRED, it’s part of our job to listen to music all day, often on exceedingly fancy and bonkers-expensive models. We have playlists for testing bass, for assessing detail, for dance parties—we get way into it. But believe it or not, we like testing the cheap stuff just as much. It’s like a treasure hunt to find the ones that pack in the most tech for the money. And they’re getting better and better every year.
That doesn’t mean our work is done; etailers are still overflowing with cheap headphones that sound cheap, so we’ll keep listening and updating our picks every few months. While you’re looking for the next great pair, be sure to check out our many other buying guides, including the Best Wireless Headphones, Best Wireless Workout Headphones, and Best Phones With a Headphone Jack.
Updated November 2022. We’ve added the Audio-Technica ATH-M20xBT and JLab Go Air Pop.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
