Best open-ear headphones (2026): Bose, Soundcore, and more

Honorable mentions

Open-ear headphones have become the trend in wireless audio, which means there are plenty of good options that don’t top our list. Here are some other pairs worth paying attention to.

Acefast Acefit Pro for $60-$125: Acefast’s Acefit Pro is sleeker than the cheaper Acefit Air above, most notably in its sleek transparent case that shows off battery life in cool LED lights when opened or closed. Other than that, the sound quality isn’t noticeably better than over the air, and the buds themselves are larger, so they don’t fit my ears as well. These are still a solid pair of wraparound open buds, especially since the price seems to be coming down, often available for well below the launch price of $125. If you can get it for $70 or less, it’s a great deal.

Earfun clip for $50-$70: These affordable buds seem to have it all. You’ll get a sleek design in a compact case, a comfortable fit, push-button controls, and extras like multipoint pairing and a headphone finder. The package seems a step or two above the asking price, except for the sound quality. Basic performance is good for podcasts and light listening, but it leaves too much meat on the bone for musical tones and detail, keeping this pair off our top list. However, at their lowest selling price of around $50, these are a good buy for basic use.

JLab Epic Open Sport for $115: JLab’s Epic Open Sport doesn’t have outstanding sound quality or a slim design, but its combination of a comfortable, stable fit and great ease of use makes it worth a look. Its combination of real buttons and touchpads provides comfortable, customizable control on the go, a rarity in this genre. I wish they had better call quality, and their lack of robotic body or detail makes the music somewhat boring, but they get the job done without breaking the bank.

Shokz OpenDots One for $200: Shokz’s first attempt at fixing open-ear headphones is a solid if expensive effort. You’ll get great battery life, a sleek, sporty design inspired by the Bose Ultra and Soundcore Aeroclip, and the ability to swap either speaker left or right (if that’s your thing). At this price, I would have liked more polished sound, better call quality, and more versatile controls, but features like the wireless charging case add good value. If you like this style and don’t mind paying for interchangeable buds, it’s worth considering.

Other open ear headphones we’ve tested

Soundpeats Clip1 for $70-$90: Soundpeats are one of my favorite brands, offering surprisingly good audio fidelity at great prices. The Clip1 is a decent effort, but the “crunchy” top side errs for me, making my favorite tunes and podcasts sound crisp, but presented awkwardly and inaccurately. The design feels a bit cheap (especially the case), and the controls are relegated to an awkward touchpad behind your ears. I appreciated the Clip1’s feature set, including extras that many pricier open-ear headphones lack, such as pause. It’s a real stretch at $90, but a sale price of around $60-70 might make it more tempting.

Shokz OpenFit Pro wireless earbuds for $250: Shokz is expanding its open-ear headphone lineup with a new coiled pair that, like the Lolliclip, aims to add noise cancellation to the open-ear mix. If you think that keeping your ears open while silencing the outside world is an ambitious endeavor, you’re not wrong. The results for our reviewer were disappointing and uncomfortable, including some pressure when using the noise-canceling feature. Otherwise, the OpenFit Pro delivers remarkably clear and full sound in an accessible design, but the price makes it a tough sell.

Skullcandy Push 720 for $150: I’m not entirely sure what Skullcandy was aiming for in Push 720, but they mostly missed the mark for me. The hybrid case/charging case doesn’t add anything noticeable to its size besides being difficult to fit in a pocket. The semi-open design is more intrusive than my favorite pairs, and the buds compress my ears over time. The sound is clear enough, but there’s an edge in the upper register that doesn’t quite mesh with my ears, and the bass is surprisingly small. There are some nice features here, and I love the push-button controls, but in this highly competitive sector, you can do better.

Earfun OpenJump for $80: Earfun’s OpenJump offers accessible sound and great waterproofing in one of the most comfortable designs I’ve ever worn. It’s hard to beat their price, but they fall into one of the biggest drawbacks of open-ear headphones right now: awkward controls with a hit-or-miss response, especially on the go. It’s still good value on sale, but only if you don’t mind fumbling with the controls.

Edifier LolliClip for $130: Edifier’s Lolliclip offers a hybrid open and semi-open design, with an AirPods-style tip wrapped around the battery back. The fit feels more intrusive than my favorite open-ear headphones and creates significant wind resistance while cycling. They are comfortable enough for short-term wear and allow you to switch the bud to the left or right. Edifier adds plenty of other extras, from multipoint pairing to health features, but the Lolliclip’s marquee, noise-canceling option does more harm than good in most scenarios.