I tried 5 Apple AirPods alternatives. This one is clearly my favorite.

Apple AirPods can always be at the top of the list popular earbuds of the year – but they’re not the only earbuds worth buying. We tested earbuds from several popular brands to tell you which ones are really worth your money this summer.

I’m a big fan of Apple products, and I love them AirPods. But I also love finding a good deal or discovering a new, innovative product. So I started looking for several non-Apple earbuds (and yes, Beats earbuds are an Apple product) to find the best AirPod alternatives on the market.

Top 5 Apple AirPods Alternatives We Tested

These AirPods alternatives all impressed us CBS Essentials experts but what’s best for you may depend on your budget and how you primarily use your earbuds. Here are our top picks:

Keep reading for a more in-depth review of each selection.

Meet the standard first: Apple AirPods Pro 2

There’s no doubt that the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are the best earbuds you can buy from Apple.

The latest Apple AirPods Pro 2 earbuds feature an improved wireless chip for enhanced audio functionality, a new low-distortion driver for clearer sound, and improved active noise cancellation. Apple AirPods Pro 2 offer truly customized sound: you can use your iPhone’s camera to analyze your unique ear anatomy and find the perfect audio settings for you.

The design of the AirPods Pro 2 is quite similar to the previous generation, but Apple has introduced touch controls on the AirPods Pro 2 to help users control their AirPods seamlessly.

The second-generation Apple AirPods Pro (2022) have a list price of $249 (although they’re on sale now at Amazon), so they’re a bit pricey. Hence my search for a high-quality alternative.

Best Apple AirPods alternatives I’ve tried myself

Everyone has their own personal preferences when it comes to earbuds, so before we dive in, here’s what I was looking for: solid sound quality, easy Bluetooth connectivity, decent battery life, and a comfortable fit. My biggest pet peeves are earbuds that don’t charge evenly, have trouble connecting to my iPhone, or sit uncomfortably in my ears. I have used all of these earbuds several times and will not include any earbuds that I personally was not happy with.

Best Apple AirPods Alternative: JBL Tune 130NC true wireless earbuds

These JBL earbuds feature advanced noise cancellation technology at a solid price. You connect the earbuds to the JBL app to activate noise cancellation or ambient-aware noise cancellation. They offer 40 hours of battery life without noise cancellation or 32 hours of battery life with noise cancellation enabled.

They are designed to deliver the pure bass sound of JBL, although users can easily adjust the sound in the app to suit their preferences. The earbuds are also water and sweat resistant.

I bought these during an Amazon Prime Day sale because I wanted noise-canceling earbuds without the AirPod Pro or AirPod Max price tag. I think these earbuds do a great job with both active noise cancellation and ambient noise cancellation features. They connect easily, have a long battery life and the sound quality is about the same as Apple AirPods.

They are a great AirPod alternative if you want all the features of the AirPod Pros at a much lower price than the cheapest Apple AirPods.

Best Apple AirPods Alternative for Fitness Enthusiasts: Treblab X3 Pro Earbuds with Ear Hooks

These Treblab earbuds were an unexpected favorite. Historically, I haven’t enjoyed wearing earplugs with ear hooks, but these fit great and were incredibly comfortable. I hadn’t heard much about this brand before, but was incredibly impressed with the sound quality as soon as I turned them on. These earbuds provide crisp, clear sound and I really felt like I could hear all the details and layered sounds in each song.

The Treblab X3 Pro earbuds are also waterproof and very safe. I tried these out earlier this month on my dog ​​walks while California had a lot of rain and wind. They performed well and stayed firmly on my ears. I would definitely recommend these for runners or other fitness enthusiasts. These are my current favorite activities when I go for a walk or run through the park with my dog.

Best Budget Apple AirPods Alternative: Jlab Go Air Tones

I’ve tried several budget earbuds, but these are the only sub-$30 models you’ll find on this list. That’s because affordable earbuds like these usually don’t perform well for me.

They often have charging or connectivity issues, poor sound quality, or feel cheap and don’t fit quite right. However, that was not the case with these Jlab Go Air Tones. These earbuds worked very well, connected easily to my phone, and provided good sound quality for the price.

These also look great on the Beats x Kim Kardashian earbuds if you prefer nude-tone headphones but don’t want to spend a lot of money on them.

Best premium Apple AirPods alternative: Yamaha TW-ES5A true wireless earbuds

Yamaha products generally offer a bass-heavy sound, which I’m a fan of. The sound quality here is great, as is the noise canceling functionality. This is the sport earbud design, which I found more comfortable and secure than Yamaha’s other earbuds (some of their other styles fall out of my ears a little too often).

These earbuds also have a nice, long battery life. They are advertised as lasting nine hours per charge, while AirPods and many similar earbuds only have a four-hour battery life without the charging case.

Best Apple AirPods Alternative for Gaming: Logitech G Fits

These Logitech G Fit earbuds are an interesting AirPod alternative for gamers. The sound of these earbuds is optimized for gaming and there is a high-quality microphone if you like to game with others.

The installation process for this was very unique. You’ll need to download the Logitech G Fits app and go through a quick setup process to mold the earbuds to your ears. You will feel the earbuds warm up and physically mold to the shape of your ear. I loved this because I’m quite picky about the fit and feel of earbuds. This is the most comfortable and secure fit I have ever gotten from earbuds.

I’ve had these for over a year now and they still work very well and provide a great fit and solid audio quality.