Best Noise-Canceling Headphones Under $100 for 2023

The design of 1More's SonoFlow headphones reminds me a little of some earlier Sony headphones and also the newer Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 4. They're a bit generic looking but sleek enough and more importantly, comfortable to wear. They also feature very respectable sound quality. While it doesn't quite measure up to the sound quality of what'll get with more premium models like the Momentum Wireless 4, it isn't that far off. The SonoFlow headphones deliver smooth sound with good clarity and relatively well-defined bass (they're just not quite as rich or dynamic sounding as those premium models I mentioned). They also have support for the LDAC audio codec.

The noise canceling is a step down from what Sony and Bose models offer but it does a decent job of muffling ambient sound and there is a transparency mode. Voice-calling performance is similarly solid but unspectacular. Note that you can use this in wired mode with the included cable but the noise canceling only works in wireless mode, which is an issue for frequent flyers who like some noise canceling when plugging into an in-flight entertainment system. 

There aren't too many on-ear noise-canceling headphones. Beats' Solo Pro was one of the best, but it's been discontinued. Meanwhile, these cheap noise-canceling headphones, the JLab Studio ANC, cost a lot less and deliver solid all-around performance for a budget model with decent sound quality, noise canceling and battery life (28 hours with ANC on). While they may not be stellar for making calls, they do work well as a headset -- callers said they could hear me clearly, even with some outside noise around me. A carrying pouch is included.

The Studio ANC headphones are reasonably comfortable for an on-ear model (I prefer over-ear), but those with bigger heads may feel it clamps a little too tightly.

The OneOdio A10s deliver more than you'd expect for their relatively modest price. They're not only built better than you think they would be for around $75 and are pretty comfortable to wear. They have a dual-hinge design and feel sturdy, weighing in at 395 grams. They sound surprisingly decent and have reasonably good noise canceling with a transparency mode (which has a slight audible hiss, however). The headphones also have very good battery life. 

No, they're not as comfortable as Bose's and Sony's models (they do feel a tad heavy) and their sound lacks that extra bit of clarity, bass definition and depth that more premium headphones tend to deliver. But they did exceed my expectations and come with a decent carrying case, even if the OneOdio logo splayed across it is a bit garish. 

Available in three color options, the Soundcore Space One are Anker's latest noise-canceling headphones. They're a good value for around $100, offering a strong feature set along with good sound quality and performance. They can't quite compete sound-wise with many of the premium noise-canceling models, but you don't feel like you're giving up that much on the sound front to save a good deal of money. They lack a bit of that natural, refined quality you look for in a great set of cans, but the Space One sound respectable, with decent clarity and bass definition and measure up well to the more expensive Soundcore Space 45.

Noise-canceling and voice-calling performance are also good for headphones in this price range, though the transparency mode is only OK. Anker has developed a version of Sony's Speak-to-Chat feature -- Anker calls it Easy Chat -- that automatically pauses your music and enters a transparency mode when you walk up to someone and start a conversation. The headphones are equipped with wear-detection sensors, a feature not usually found at this price, and include a carrying pouch. LDAC audio codec support is available for Android users.

I found them comfortable to wear, but they do look a bit bulky compared to more premium models. 

As far as sound, comfort level and build quality go, you'd be hard-pressed to do better than Anker's Soundcore Life Q30 for the money. It doesn't have quite the clarity or bass definition as some of the top premium models, but it's less than a third of the price and gets you about 75% of the way there in terms of sound. It's well balanced overall, with punchy bass, and there's an app that allows you to tweak the sound. Noise canceling is good for the price, though certainly not up to the level of the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones. Battery life is rated at an impressive 40 hours with USB-C charging.

The only area where the Q30 falls a little short is for voice calls. It picks up your voice fine in quieter environments but it just doesn't reduce background noise all that well. 

Compared to the Q20 (see below), the Q30 does offer improved sound (it's not a huge difference, but it definitely is a notch up) and a more premium design. There's also the newer Life Q35 ($100), which adds support for Sony's LDAC audio codec for high-resolution audio streaming with music services that support it. 

Anker's Soundcore Life Q20 Plus is among the best values in noise-canceling headphones. Not only do these budget noise-canceling over-ear headphones sound quite decent for around $60, they're also comfortable to wear thanks to their puffy ear pads. Compared to the earlier Life Q20, this Plus model adds app support and USB-C charging (instead of Micro-USB) for $10 more.

No, the Life Q20 Plus doesn't sound nearly as good as premium Bluetooth headphones such as the Sony WH-1000XM5, but the audio quality sounds pretty good, which is all you can ask for noise-canceling headphones at this price. It's fairly well balanced with a reasonable amount of clarity and plump bass that's not bloated or muddy (there's a bass boost or BassUp mode if you want an extra helping of bass with your music). Also, the noise cancelation is acceptably effective at noise reduction and blocking out ambient sound and it's decent enough as a headset for making calls. Battery life is good at 40 hours. A simple carrying pouch is included.

JLab makes the cheaper Studio Pro headphones, which don't have active noise canceling, and this model, which does. They look very similar.

The lightweight headphones have a bit of a retro vibe, and they're comfortable to wear with decent noise canceling and voice-calling performance. There are two levels of noise canceling to choose from along with a transparency mode and the headphones have multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can pair them simultaneously with a smartphone and computer.

Like I said about the Studio Pro, don't expect these to deliver the clarity and definition of higher-end headphones, but the bass has some punch to it and there's an acceptable amount of detail. You can choose between three sound modes -- JLab signature sound, balance and bass boost. There's no companion app (so no firmware upgrades).