We literally test hundreds of earbuds a year. This gives us heaps of knowledge about the market, and huge experience in assessing sound quality and weighing up the most important features for buyers, so you can rest assured that the models covered in this list deliver on sound quality despite their affordable price tag.
For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom's Guide
Gone are the days of wireless in-ears being for those without a budget, as there are plenty of the best cheap wireless earbuds in Australia that deliver some incredible features — without a hefty price tag.
But what constitutes 'cheap' in Australia? For us, it hovers around the AU$150 mark, at the absolute maximum. Anything less is a steal. Fortunately, when it comes to delivering sweet music to your ears, you actually have a fair amount of choice around this price point.
You do have to remember you're still going to need to make some compromises to keep the costs low and that some of these may have an influence on sound quality. Just because these models are cheap though, it doesn't mean they skimp on features. In some cases, you may get models with active noise cancelling (ANC), but you don’t always need extra features to become one of the best cheap wireless earbuds around.
Read on to find the best cheap wireless earbuds available to buy right now.
Top 3 best cheap wireless earbuds
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The best cheap wireless earbuds to buy right now
The OnePlus Buds 3 set a new standard for true wireless performance on cheap earbuds. Upscaled features like adaptive ANC deliver at a premium level, eliminating nearly 90% of unwanted noises from the soundstage, which only the best noise-cancelling buds can do. A powerful mic array grants superb digital assistance and voice calling. OnePlus even equipped their latest buds with advanced audio specs such as dual dynamic driver units (6mm tweeter + 10.4mm woofer) and Bluetooth 5.3 with hi-res LHDC codec support. The result is stellar audio output that can be personalized through multiple sound-enhancing features unavailable on most models.
Compromises were made to accommodate the low price point, but the middling 3D audio and poor battery management are easy to overlook at the price. These are outstanding value and the best wireless earbuds under AU$150 around right now.
Read our full OnePlus Buds 3 review.
JLab's JBuds Mini wireless earbuds blend powerful sound and special features into one of the smallest true wireless designs ever created. They tap into the neglected market of users with smaller ears, or those that just don't like the look or discomfort of larger buds protruding from ear canals. They have an impossibly tiny form, and the non-bulky charging case means they can be easily attached to a keyfob. JLab even threw in upscale features like an ambient listening mode and Bluetooth multipoint for pairing to two devices simultaneously.
Comfort levels are high, and our reviewer found they barely noticed wearing them even after several hours. These buds don't feature active noise cancellation but they successfully manage to block out noise passively when listening to music. They form a tight seal around the ear canal that prevents external sounds from creeping in.
The JBuds Mini are some of the brand’s best-sounding buds under AU$100. The bass-forward profile produces lively sound right out of the box, courtesy of the default JLab Signature EQ, but you can experience better sound by swapping out the Equalizer setting via the companion app.
Read our full JLab JBuds Mini review.
Sony's WF-C500 earbuds may not wow you with their looks, but arguably these are the best wireless earbuds under AU$150. Music sounds punchy and although their profile might not be as depth-filled as Sony’s WF-1000XM4 (which should be expected given the price difference), you can expect powerful lows and crisp highs, along with under-emphasised mids. Should you want to tweak the sound, there’s an Equalizer feature in the Sony Headphones Connect app that allows you to manually adjust frequencies or select from nine presets that prioritise different sonic elements, depending on the music genre or content.
The WF-C500 isn’t perfect, though, with slightly impractical controls that can inflict some discomfort when attempting to activate, and mediocre capacity from the charging case. However, these are trivial complaints when factoring in the level of sound Sony has managed to engineer into these tiny buds, and they're a bargain-priced model that really shouldn't be overlooked.
Read our full Sony WF-C500 review.
Soundcore's newest entry-level buds are stacked with features and offer strong performance for the money. For AU$170, the Liberty 4 NC are fantastic-sounding buds that should be marketed towards budget audiophiles. They have an adjustable EQ with multiple customization settings, fine-tuned 11mm drivers, LDAC codec support, and spatial audio. You can expect an engaging and satisfying listening experience across the board. These buds give plenty of sonic versatility, be it booming bass, crisp mids, or a well-balanced frequency range.
Battery life is rated at 10 hours with noise cancelling off, while enabling the feature reduces playtime to 8 hours, and LDAC brings it down to 7 hours. The charging case holds up to 50 hours, which is considerably longer than many here and stronger than the AirPods Pro 2 case (30 hours) and WF-1000XM5 case (34 hours), which are both more than double the price.
Only noise-cancelling performance lets it down. It struggles with mid- and high-frequency sounds, and the unstable fit didn’t help isolate noise either.
Read our full Soundcore Anker Liberty 4 NC review.
The PistonBuds Pro are a win for budget-conscious consumers who desire outstanding ANC and sound in a stylish, affordable package. Are they going to have the AirPods Pro 2 quaking in their boots? No, but they are easily one of the best AirPods alternatives that can be had for a third of the price.
The downside? Battery life isn’t anything to write home about, nor is call quality. But these shortcomings are forgivable when factoring in the audio and noise cancellation these buds deliver, which is what you're most likely going to be buying them for, right? In fact, they do more than enough to satisfy (especially at the AU$90 price) giving the Piston Buds Pro mass appeal.
Read our full 1More PistonBuds Pro review.
The Donner DoBuds One are one of the most affordable ANC models we've seen that have a fantastic fake AirPods-style design and are one of the most competitive cheap noise-cancelling earbuds on the market.
Any noise-cancelling earbuds that come with more playtime than the AirPods Pro (4.5 to 5 hours) are a win in our book, and the DoBuds One give up to 6.5 hours of play with ANC on, and 8 hours with ANC off. They undercut several mid-range models by delivering superb sound and surprisingly good ANC in an affordable package. Not everything hits its mark, such as app connectivity, comfort, and the EQ, but you’re still getting an incredible deal for the price.
Read our full Donner DoBuds One review.
The Go Air Pop is one of the most affordable pair of true wireless earbuds you're going to find, especially when you factor in the list of features on offer. These include water resistance, a choice of EQ settings and even a case with a built-in charging cable. To put into comparison just how affordable they are, when we tested the cheapest headphones on Amazon, even the no-name brands didn't produce true wireless models that were this affordable.
Even so, this is much better than bargain bin fare. While you can tweak the EQ, the default sound has plenty of bass, and the lightweight design actually avoids some of the comfort issues we had with the JBuds Air. Battery life is good too, although while JLab claims 8+ hours per earbud, we achieved closer to 7 hours of normal use per charge. But, for AU$50, this is perfectly acceptable.
Read our full JLab Go Air Pop review.
The JLab JBuds Air Pro offer durable construction, instant auto-connect capabilities, and a tiny charging case with an integrated USB cable. Although they're not marketed towards active lifestyles, our reviewer found the fit to be stable and the gel tips created a tight seal that kept the buds locked in. He commented that he never had to adjust them while out on runs, and slippage never became a problem.
These aren't the strongest earbuds when it comes to call quality. But with music playback, and workout favourites like Jamiroquai’s “Shake It On,” the 6mm driver produced punchy bass, which intensified in Bass Boost mode and felt like bass drumsticks were striking against my ear drums. Essentially, that is the forceful low end you want to consume before kickstarting a run. There are three EQ modes for those who wish to tinker, and their bold sound, responsive controls, stable connectivity, and respectable playtime in a water-resistant design make the JBuds Air Pro a worthwhile purchase for budget-conscious exercisers everywhere.
Read the full JLab JBuds Air Pro review.
The Skullcandy Dime 3 wireless earbuds are an enticing option with strong call quality and multipoint connectivity. The effective mics do a solid job with noise reduction and voice recognition.
Sound quality while listening to music is great, as these buds come with three built-in EQs, and boom-filled bangers handle monstrous lows like a pro. Sadly, there's no companion to let you tweak the sound profile to suit your preference, but Music (the default), Bass Boost, and Podcast serve listeners well.
Not everything hits the mark though. There’s no way to assign and personalise the controls, and we're also surprised by the absence of wear detection to auto-pause content when removing the buds. The charging case is nicely compact though and small enough to be a neat key-fob addition.
Battery life in our tests ran up to 7.5 hours, and total recharge time from the case maxes out at 20 hours. A 10-minute quick charge boosts these enough to give 2 hours of playback.
Read our full Skullcandy Dime 3 review.
How to choose the best cheap wireless earbuds for you
Obviously, price is a big consideration when looking for the best cheap wireless earbuds. Many cheap models have listed prices of less than AU$150, but with sales and discounts at online retailers, you can easily bag a bargain for even less. You may even find more expensive earbuds have their prices significantly discounted, too, but because these aren't guaranteed, we haven't listed them in this article.
Any money you save on your earbuds purchase won't do you much good if you're constantly needing to recharge your audio gear. So pay attention to rated battery life and whether any carrying case comes with the earbuds to provide additional power. You'll also want to see what reviews from both professional testers and people who bought the earbuds have to say about sound quality. That goes for both listening to music via the earbuds as well as fielding phone calls.
How well wireless earbuds fit your ears can vary from person to person. But some models come with additional tips and fins to offer something approaching a customised fit. Without the right fit, you're not going to be able to take full advantage of your earbuds' audio capabilities.
How we test the best cheap wireless earbuds
When rating the best cheap wireless earbuds, we look not only at price but also design, sound quality and battery life. We also consider how easy it is to pair earbuds with a smartphone and what kind of controls are accessible through the device.
In terms of audio, we listen to many sample tracks that span a number of genres, including hip-hop, rock, jazz, classical, R&B, and electronic, while assessing volume levels and how easy the earbuds are to drive. Movies, podcasts and video games are also used where necessary. We also make phone calls to assess both call quality and microphone performance.
Find out what we listen for during our testing process and how to get the best headphone sound for you.
During the testing phase, our reviewers wear each pair of headphones for hours at a time throughout the course of a week. Reviewers will make note of battery life and how well it matches the rated battery life provided by earbud makers.
As with the best wireless headphones, we evaluate earbuds based on our five-point system (1 = worst, 5 = best). If a product hits nearly every mark, it’s awarded an Editor's Choice badge.
For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom's Guide.
Contributions from: Alex Bracetti
Next: Have more to spend? Check out the best wireless earbuds.
If you're undecided about what headphone style is right for you, then take a look at our guide to the best cheap headphones overall, which includes over-ear models. Or if you've decided that you definitely want active noise cancelling then you need to take a look at the best noise-cancelling headphones to get a complete picture of the all the top-rated ANC models we've tested.
More: Find out why Tom's Guide audio editor says I'd still choose wired headphones over wireless.
