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Open earbuds (AKAopen-ear buds) are among the fastest-growing trends in audio. Thanks to their distinctive design that keeps your ear canals clear, the best open earbuds let you enjoy your favorite music or media while staying naturally aware of the world. Without any way to block ambient sounds, these probably can't be your everything buds, but they will let you hear everything. We’ve tested dozens of open-ear gadgets, from clip-on buds to audio glasses and everything in between. These are our favorite open buds for every fit and budget.
Don’t forget to check out our other guides, like theBest Wireless Earbuds, theBest Workout Headphones, and theBest Wireless Headphonesfor more traditional options.
Updated October 2025: We've added the Acefast Acefit Pro, Skullcandy Push 720, and Baseus XC1, adjusted pricing throughout.
What Exactly Are Open Earbuds and How Do They Sound?
Open earbuds are similar to regular true wireless earbuds, but instead of plugging your ear canals for a good seal, they leave them open to exterior sounds for enhanced situational awareness. This means their audio performance won’t be as intimate or full-sounding as regular earbuds, particularly in the bass. They're also less versatile than buds with ambient audio features like noise canceling and transparency mode that can suppress or let in exterior sounds on demand. Their primary advantage is an unaltered path to your environment, which makes them a perfect fit when you want to naturally pepper in music and media with your environment.
When or Where Would I Use Open Earbuds?
As limited as open earbuds can be in situations like a loud office, a long flight, or a busy commute, they can slot in brilliantly when you want to multitask without missing out. They’re an obvious fit for workouts like hiking, jogging, the gym, or evenbiking/ebiking, where wind resistance overpowers the tiny microphones in traditional earbuds. Beyond workouts, open earbuds can be a convenient solution anytime you want to stay aurally alert, from cooking dinner while keeping tabs on the kids tosneaking in some football on your phonewhile the family enjoys a Christmas movie.
Semi-open earbuds likeApple's standard AirPodsgive you a semblance of what open earbuds offer, but it’s not the same experience. I’d even argue that a semi-open fit can give you a worst-of-both-worlds scenario—you can’t get a good seal for a full representation of your music or media, and you’re not able to hear your environment as clearly as even sealed buds with transparency mode, let alone fully open earbuds. Some people who have trouble with regular ear tips swear by the standard AirPods design as a more comfortable fit, but if you want to keep in touch with the world around you, fully open earbuds are better.
What Kind of Features Can I Expect in Open Earbuds?
Open earbuds support many of the same features found in traditional earbuds like multipoint connectivity for pairing with two devices at a time over Bluetooth, sensors for auto-pause, water resistance, and even spatial audio. Most provide an app for extras like EQ or an earbuds finder, and you'll find onboard touch or push controls. Because of the limitations of their physical designs, open earbud controls are often more limited or less effective than those on traditional earbuds, but the best pairs work around these constraints for convenient control. Generally, all of the features in the open earbuds on our list should work equally well for Android and iOS devices.
One feature you shouldn't look for in open earbuds is ANC (active noise canceling), which relies on a mix of passive sound isolation and microphones to measure your environment and reverse the polarity of exterior sound frequencies to “cancel” them out. The basic physics of the process requires a good seal to work effectively. While it’s true that some semi-open earbuds like theAirPods 4offer noise canceling, it's generally very limited with only lower frequencies seeing any noise reduction. If you need noise canceling, you’re better off with options like theAirPods Pro, Bose’s top-rankedQuietComfort Ultra, or any of our othernoise-canceling favorites.
We spend time listening to our favorite music and custom playlists both indoors and out, with a special focus on emulating the way everyone might use these headphones in the real world. With earbuds like these, we go on runs, bike rides, and take calls around town, in addition to just listening to the buds in our office spaces.
TheSoundcore Aeroclip(8/10, WIRED Recommends) strike a good balance between quality and value, making them my top pick for most budgets. Their clip-on design employs a high-tensile loop made with titanium for a fit that's light, comfy, and stable. Sound is clear and relatively full-bodied, while features like multipoint pairing and a customizable EQ help the buds adapt to your needs. The touch controls along the exterior loops are responsive and convenient, even when your hands are full, and eight hours of play time (32 with their compact case) lets you forget about charging, adding up to a great package at a reasonable price.
(Note:Anker has raised the retail price from $130 at launch to $170 following our original review. The company provided no comment on the price increase, but the earbuds can often be found on sale.)
If you’re willing to splash out,Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds (7/10, WIRED Recommends)are the top pick. These are simply the best-sounding open earbuds I’ve tried, offering clear and zingy sound with plenty of instrumental detail to elevate your media. Their compact, rollable design clings tightly with minimal pinching, though they require a learning curve to attach properly. You’ll get a few advanced features, including multipoint pairing and Bose Spatial Audio, along with accessible push-button controls for playback, calling, and volume. They’re anything but cheap, but if you want the best sound in a chic design, Bose’s open buds deliver.
These earhook-style buds fromAcefast(8/10, WIRED Recommends) are a triple threat with great sound, slick design, and responsive controls. Their clamshell case looks bulky from the top, but its ultra-thin frame makes it brilliantly compact for throwing in a jeans or jacket pocket. The buds provide a flash of style and a comfy fit, though their dangling design can take some fiddling to get properly situated. They don’t pack too many features outside a multiband EQ and dual-device connectivity, but their breezy usability and crisp yet full sound signature make them the perfect pair for those on a tight budget who value performance first.
These affordable buds from Soundpeats have served me well over many miles of ebike testing, bike rides, and even the occasional boat ride. They are a simple, nondescript pair that cling easily to your ears without a pinching feeling, and they offer shockingly good sound for the price. Sure, you're not getting full fidelity like you would with closed buds, but these have a lot of bass for open-ears, and they do particularly well with the human voices on podcasts or phone calls. They are IPX5 rated for occasional dips (and frequent sweat), and six hours of battery life between trips to the charger means they're ready for a meandering marathon. —Parker Hall
These are WIRED Editor Adrienne So's favorite buds to work out in, and that means a lot: She spends the majority of her time outside, chasing her family and pets around the Pacific Northwest. She likes that they are slim and comfortable—only 19 mm wide. Unlike most open-ear buds that are round or stick out, these have a tiny directional driver that fits nicely inside your ear, and they fit easily under a hat or a helmet, which makes them a true go-anywhere pair.
These sound pretty excellent, with enough bass to satisfy her bass test, Beyoncé’s “Partition.” In two weeks of testing, they didn't have to recharge—you'll get about 30 hours of total playback time. They're protected against dust and water spray, if not direct immersion. Like other Nothing earbuds, there are very thoughtful design choices like a red dot on the right bud so you're not constantly puzzling over where the manufacturer has written the tiny R or L. Her only concern? The case doesn't clamp shut quite as firmly as she'd like, so you'll want to be careful before throwing them around your bag.
Theoriginal Sony Linkbudswere just the second open earbuds I reviewed, and they’re still among the most distinctive. Their claim to fame is a ring-shaped driver with a center hole to let in the world, deviating from most clip-on or wrap-around buds, which no other buds we've tried have mastered. TheLinkbuds Open(7/10, WIRED Recommends) build off the original with an attachable fin for a more secure fit and updated sound for more bass. I felt the need to adjust their EQ for better treble clarity, and their novel touch controls—which let you tap either the buds or the side of your face—aren’t the most responsive. Otherwise, these are a solid option if you'd rather insert your buds than wrap or clip them on.
(Note:Sony recently raised the price from the original $200 launch price to $230 nearly a year later. We'd wait for a sale or grab something else on this list before paying over $200.)
Halo-style headphones from Shokz (formerly Aftershokz) aren’t technically open earbuds, but like all models on our list, they keep your ears naturally open for workouts and other activities. TheShokz OpenRun Pro 2(8/10, WIRED Recommends) are bone conduction headphones, which use vibrating pads to send sound through your cheekbones rather than your ears. Shokz has perfected the technique to provide a richer and more balanced sound by adding “air conduction” that pairs directional drivers with the pads. WIRED contributor Michael Sawh enjoyed the Pro 2's boosted bass, even if they lost some clarity over the original Open Run Pro. Their design is IP55 dust- and water-resistant in a light and durable circlet to help you push your body while busting your jams.
TheBaseus Inspire XC1(8/10, WIRED Recommends) are a cool collaboration between audio upstart Baseus and definite non-upstart Bose. These are clip-style buds that wrap around your ear and provide a surprising amount of low end for open buds—the biggest audio complaint from hip-hop and pop fans during workouts. Reviewer Simon Cohen liked how comfortable they were, and how easy to use the controls were. The only issue is that battery life is a bit strained when hi-res LDAC is turned on. That's probably not an issue for most listeners of open buds, as these sound fine on non-LDAC-enabled devices like iPhones. App-based controls are simple and easy to use, and these also do Bluetooth multipoint, so you can pair them to your phone and computer at the same time and swap between.
Open earbuds are becoming the hot trend in wireless audio, meaning there are plenty of good options that don't make our top list. Here are some other pairs worth considering.
Acefast Acefit Pro for $80-125:Acefast’s Acefit Pro are more stylish than the cheaper Acefit Air above, most notably in their snazzy transparent case that shows battery life in slick LEDs when you open or close it. Otherwise, the sound quality isn’t notably better than the Air, and the buds themselves are bulkier, so they don’t fit my ears as well. These are still a solid pair of wrap-around open buds, especially since the price seems to be dropping, often available well below their $125 launch price. If you can get them for $80 or less, they're a sweet deal.
Earfun Clip for $70:These affordabe clip-style buds seem to have it all. You’ll get a snappy design in a compact case, a comfy fit, accessible push-button controls, and extras like multipoint pairing and a headphones finder. The package feels a step or two above the asking price, save for the sound quality. The basic performance is fine for podcasts and light listening, but leaves a lot of meat on the bone for instrumental timbres and detail, keeping this pair off our top list. Even so, at their lowest sale price of around $50, these are a good buy for basic use.
JLab Epic Open Sport for $115:JLab’s Epic Open Sport don’t have standout audio quality or a slimline design, but their mix of a comfy and stable fit and great usability makes them worth a look. Their combination of real buttons and touch pads provides convenient and customizable control on the go, still a rarity in this genre. I wish they had better call quality, and their lack of instrumental body or detail makes music rather dull, but they get the job done without breaking the bank.
Earfun OpenJump for $80:Earfun’s OpenJump offer accessible sound and impressive waterproofing in one of the most comfortable wrap-around designs I’ve put on. It’s hard to beat their price, but they fall into one of the biggest pitfalls of open earbuds right now: awkward controls with hit-or-miss response, especially on the move. They’re still a decent value, especially on a good sale.
Shokz OpenDots One for $200:Shokz’s first clip-on open earbuds are a solid effort. You'll get great battery life, a sporty design that borrows from the Bose Ultra and Soundcore Aeroclip, and the ability to swap either bud for left or right (if that's something you're into). At this price, I was hoping for a more polished sound, better call quality, and more versatile controls, but features like a wireless charging case add good value. If you like the style and don’t mind paying up for swappable buds, they could be worth considering.
Edifier Lolliclip for $130:Edifier’s Lolliclip offer a hybrid open/semi-open design, with an AirPods-style tip looped to a backside battery. The fit feels more intrusive than my favorite open earbuds and creates too much wind resistance for biking, but they're comfy enough for general wear and let you swap either bud for left or right. The buds pile on the extras, from multipoint pairing to health features, but their marquee option, noise canceling, does more harm than good in most scenarios. Their best asset is clear sound with relatively beefy bass, which combines with their long battery life for a viable option for the money.
Skullcandy Push 720 for $150:I’m not quite sure what Skullcandy was aiming for in the Push 720, but they mostly miss the mark for me. The hybrid pouch/charging case adds nothing notable in its pouchiness besides being harder to pocket. The semi-open fit is more intrusive than my favorite pairs, and the buds pinch my ears over time. The sound is clear enough, but there’s an edge to the upper register that doesn’t quite jive with my ears, and surprisingly little bass. There are some cool features here, and I do like the push-button controls, but in this highly competitive segment, you can do better.
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