Best Open Earbuds for 2025

Shokz has released the second-gen OpenFit 2 with a slightly upgraded design, upgraded drivers that noticeably improve the sound quality, better battery life and a new physical control button. The changes don't seem huge on the surface, but the improvements are significant. They fit my ears more comfortably than the originals and have superior sound quality with more bass and better clarity. They sound excellent for open earbuds -- at least in quieter environments.

Why I like them

The AirPods 4 are, unsurprisingly, the fourth generation of Apple's original true-wireless earbuds that feature an open design, which means they don't have silicone ear tips like the AirPods Pro 2. Not only do they feature a slightly smaller design and better sound than their predecessor, but they're equipped with Apple's H2 chip that improves overall performance and powers Apple's ever expanding AirPods features, though they don't have the AirPods Pro 2's Hearing Aid mode. Read my Apple AirPods 4 review.

The AirPods 4 comes in two versions: a $129 entry-level model and a $179 step-up model with active noise canceling. ANC is a rare feature for open earbuds because it typically doesn't work with an open design, but these are the first open buds I've tried to have active noise canceling that actually works (it's about half as strong as the AirPods Pro 2's noise canceling). That's pretty cool and worth the extra $50 if you can afford it.

Reasons to buy

A lot of people don't like having ear tips jammed in their ears and find open earbuds more comfortable (plus, you can hear the the outside world for safety reasons), and the AirPods 4 are made for those Apple users. They also sound very good for open earbuds and feature excellent voice-calling performance along with Apple's spatial audio and likable pinch controls. The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Canceling are more special simply because noise canceling . While the AirPods 4 with ANC noise muffling capabilities aren't that great compared with what you get with the AirPods Pro 2 and top noise-canceling earbuds like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or the Sony WF-1000XM5. But that it works at all and is reasonably effective is kind of wild because, as I said, noise canceling and open earbuds usually aren't a good mix.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

While their slightly smaller, updated design fits a wider range of ears more securely, some folks may not get a secure fit. The AirPods Pro 2 offer a more flexible fit because they include four different sizes of ear tips. They also deliver better sound with more bass and significantly better noise canceling in a noise-isolating design.

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have one of the most unusual designs of any earbuds I've tested over the last several years. They literally clip onto the side of your ears, kind of like earrings, and their open design has micro speakers that fire sound into your ears while still being able to hear what's happening around you. They're still true wireless earbuds, and at $299, they're somewhat overpriced. Otherwise, there's a lot to like about them, including a surprisingly comfortable, secure fit and very good sound quality for open buds.

The well-designed OpenDots One are among the best open earbuds out there right now. While they don't sound quite as good as the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, they're pretty close and fit my ears slightly better and have better battery life. Like the Ultra Open Earbuds, which list for $299 but are currently on sale for $249, they're overpriced, but at least they cost less than the Bose and their case has wireless charging. Read review. 

Anker's Soundcore AeroFit 2 open earbuds have been completely redesigned and look quite different from the original AeroFit buds, which also listed for $100. The second-gen Aerofit are not only more comfortable but look sleeker, sound significantly better and offer all-around improvements. The buds aren't as light as the Shokz OpenFit 2 buds and don't sound quite as good, but they cost quite a bit less and offer good all-around performance with augmented bass response. Available in multiple colors, they're a good option for those looking for ear-hook style open earbuds with a fairly premium design and good sound quality without the high price tag of top-end models.

The Soundcore by AeroClip are Anker's current flagship clip-on earbuds. Not only do I like their design -- they have a premium look and feel -- but they're comfortable to wear and feature very good sound for clip-on buds. Equipped with 12mm drivers, they serve up ample bass with good volume and decent clarity. The buds sound fuller and more open than many cheaper clip-on buds and are among the better-sounding open earbuds I've tried (Android users should note that they have support for Sony's high-quality LDAC audio codec). I also thought they worked well for making calls. For the most part, callers said they could hear me clearly -- even in noisier environments like the streets of New York City (Anker says they have four beamforming mics, wind-blocking meshes and advanced AI). Battery life is rated at up to 8 hours at moderate volume levels, and the buds are IPX4 sweat- and water-resistant (they're splash-proof). Their only drawback is their somewhat high price tag.

Why I like them

Baseus is known for its value earbuds, power banks and charging products. While its Bowie MC1 aren't in the same league as Bose's Ultra Open Earbuds, they cost around a sixth of the price and sound pretty decent for this style of of clip-on earbuds, particularly with less demanding tracks that don't feature heavy bass and a lot of instruments playing at the same time. On Amazon, you'll find clip-on buds with a similar design, including the Tozo OpenEarRing ($30) and Amazfit Up ($50), so they're a little generic. But I found the sound quality to be slightly better many competing clip-on value buds. I also liked that they have a single physical control button on each bud for controlling playback and adjusting volume levels.

Battery life is rated for up to 9 hours at moderate volume levels, which is good, but expect to get les than that because you do tend to have to listen to open earbuds at higher volumes, especially in noisier environments. With an IP57 certification, the buds are splash-proof and dust-proof, making them suitable for runners and bikers. Voice-calling capabilities are also decent though don't expect business-class performance.

Reasons to buy

The Bowie MC1 are among the best budget clip-on earbuds.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

Baseus has been releasing new clip-on earbuds at a rapid clip with the upgraded MC1 Pro, which feature slightly fuller sound sound with more bass, available now for about $30 more than the MC1.

Shokz, the company formerly known as AfterShokz, has long been the leader in bone-conduction headphones. However, this model, like Shokz's step-up OpenFit true-wireless earbuds, doesn't use bone-conduction technology. They have an open design that fires sound into your ears using custom speaker drivers, which Shokz dubs "air conduction" technology.

While Shokz' flagship OpenFit 2 buds sound slightly better, have better battery life (up to 11 hours instead of 6 at moderate volume levels) and a physical control button, the Open Fit Air cost around $60 less and are a tad lighter and quite comfortable to wear. Available in three color options, they're lightweight (8.5 grams) and comfortable, and I liked how the ear hooks felt soft but had just the right amount of rigidity. They're IP54 splash-proof and dust-resistant and their charging case is fairly compact for this style of sports buds with ear hooks.

While the earbuds sound quite good for open earbuds, they don't sound quite as good as a set of noise-isolating earbuds in this price range (they're a tad bass shy). Nor do they sound as good Bose's Ultra Open Earbuds, which do cost more and serve up a little more bass and fuller sound (the Bose also sound slightly better than Shokz Open Fit buds). Equipped with two microphones in each bud, the Open Fit Air offer good voice-calling performance. Additionally, the feature multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can pair them to two devices simultaneously.

Bose's Ultra Open Earbuds may be the best-sounding and most comfortable clip-on earbuds. But they list for $300. In contrast, Edifier's new LolliClip buds cost $130 and their sound is pretty close to what you get with the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds -- and they're almost as comfortable to wear while fitting my ears securely. They also have some features the Bose buds don't have, including active noise canceling (it's not all that effective but you do sense it muffling some noise in the lower frequencies), a heart-rate monitor, blood oxygen sensor and spatial audio with head-tracking. There's also a low-latency mode for gaming and support the LDAC audio codec for Android users.

The buds have a battery life rating of up to 6 hours with noise canceling on and 9 hours with it off at moderate volume levels. As for water-resistance, their IP56 rating means they can withstand a sustained spray of water and they're also dust-resistant. As I said, I was overall impressed with the sound quality. It's not going to be quite as good as what you get with noise-isolating earbuds with silicone ear tips that you jam in your ears, but for open buds it's quite good. With these type of buds, which allow you to hear the outside world for safety reasons, the bass tends to be a little weak. But the LolliClip buds output ample bass (you have a few EQ settings to choose from, including a bass boost mode) and offer decent clarity. Note that you will have to play around with the fit of the buds on your ears to optimize the sound quality -- a little adjustment can make a significant difference. Voice-calling performance was good but not exceptionally so.

My only gripe is with the touch controls. They're a little finicky (you have to figure out just what is the touch zone), but you do get several customization options in the Edifier ConneX companion app.

Cleer's Arc 2 earbuds were among the best-sounding open wireless earbuds with an ear-hook design. Among this style of open buds, the new Arc 3 buds are still near the top for sound but other companies like Shokz and Bose have caught up and arguably sound slightly better. But the Cleer Arc 3 buds have something that other buds of this ilk don't have: a touchscreen LCD built into its charging case. It allows you to control playback and access the buds' features, including EQ settings and even use the case as a remote to snap a photo on your smartphone.

In fact, the Arc 3 are probably the most feature-rich open earbuds out there right now -- and they're fully waterproof with an IPX7 rating. They have built-in voice-controls to raise and lower volume and skip tracks forward and back as well as Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head-tracking. Additionally, you can nod your head twice to take a call or shake your head back and forth to reject it (this feature is referred to as "gesture" controls). And finally, the UV light that sterilizes the buds when they're in the case and a step counter.

While the sound can be a tad uneven from track to track and the buds' bass lacks a little punch compared to what you get with a good set of noise-isolating buds in this price range, they fit my ears comfortably and securely. They also offered solid voice-calling performance. They're a little expensive but their price seems to be creeping down a bit.

While the LinkBuds Open retain the ring-shaped open driver of the original LinkBuds, it's slightly smaller than the original's driver (11mm versus 12mm). Also, the Air Fitting Supporters are an improvement over the original's Arc Supporters, which were quite slim and didn't conform to the shape of your ear as well as these new supporters do. The combination of the slightly smaller driver design and the new supporters should allow the buds to fit more ears more comfortably and securely. However, those with smaller ears may have some issues with them.

I personally got a very secure fit and was able to run with the buds without a problem (they're IPX4 splashproof). The originals created some pressure points for some wearers. I had to fiddle around with their positioning in my ears from time to time, but I didn't experience any pain points with the LinkBuds Fit. However, Apple's new AirPods 4 were slightly more comfortable in my ears, though they didn't fit as securely. 

Aside from the fit, the other big change is to the sound quality. It's definitely improved. Despite the smaller drivers, the buds play more loudly and also deliver a little more bass. The buds are equipped with Sony's V2 digital processing chip and Sony says the driver's have a "high-compliance diaphragm and powerful neodymium magnet" that were "specifically selected to reproduce clear mid- and high-frequency sound." I also liked the built-in voice controls.

Amazon's 2023 Echo Buds impressed me in a few ways that I wasn't expecting. For starters, they sound good for inexpensive open earbuds, delivering decent clarity and ample bass. But they also have a robust feature set, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, hands-free Alexa and ear-detection sensors that pause your audio when you take one or both buds out of your ears. 

Their sound falls short of that of Apple's AirPods 4, which deliver better bass performance and overall fuller, cleaner sound (they're better at handling more complicated music tracks with a lot of instruments playing at the same time). But the AirPods 4, even the entry-level model ($129), cost significantly more.

In short, if you're looking for open earbuds -- or "semi-open" as these types of earbuds are sometimes called -- the Echo Buds are good value at their $50 list price and even easier to recommend when they go on sale for $30.

The Nothing Ear (Open) buds may not sound quite as good as Shokz' OpenFit 2 buds, but they do offer very respectable sound for open earbuds and I found them lightweight and comfortable to wear (the overall fit and where the buds end up sitting on your ears will impact sound quality, particularly when it comes to bass performance). Overall, the buds are well-designed and feature Nothing's signature translucent plastic on the exterior of the bud. They're IP54 certified, which means they're splash-proof and dust-resistant.

Aside from their design, I liked their pinch controls and slim, elongated case. Voice-calling performance was also good, though it can be a little harder to hear callers in noisy environments because these are open earbuds. Battery life is rated at 8 hours at moderate volume levels with an additional 22 hours in the charging case. While there's a bass boost mode as part of the equalizer settings in Nothing's companion app for iOS and Android (there's also a "low-lag gaming mode), the buds can deliver only so much bass. But I was happy wearing them nevertheless.

What makes these Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS buds special is that they sound surprisingly good for open earbuds -- they're pretty close to what you get from Apple's AirPods 3 for sound. On top of that, they support Sony's LDAC audio codec for devices that offer it. Not too many cheap open earbuds have good sound but these Soundpeats have good bass response and clarity. They're also good for making calls and have a low-latency gaming mode. Battery life is rated at 5 hours at moderate volume levels, and these are IPX4 splash-proof.

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Beyerdynamic is known for its sound quality, so it's not surprising the Verio 200, its first open earbuds with ear hooks, deliver top-notch sound with nice depth and richness. They have very good clarity and bass performance for this type of open earbuds and match the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and Shokz OpenFit 2 for sound quality, and they may sound slightly better than those models depending on the fit you get. Unfortunately, how they fit your ears is the one big caveat about these buds. While they fit my ears comfortably and securely, they bent the top of my ears back a little so I looked a little funny wearing them. That said, they fit my wife's smaller ears perfectly.

I should also note that they feature good build quality and voice-calling performance, but their feature set is somewhat limited (they support the AAC audio codec as well as the highest tiers of AptX, including AptX Lossless). I also found their touch controls a little finicky at first but then I got them working well by holding onto the outside of the bud as I tapped on them. The long and short of it is these will be very good open earbuds for some people but not everybody.