Whether you're commuting, working in a bustling café or just trying to tune out the world, the best noise-canceling earbuds can help you focus on what matters — your music, podcasts or a bit of peace and quiet. With advanced noise reduction and features like active noise cancellation, these compact in-ear buds are designed to block out distractions and deliver immersive sound, even in the most noisy environments.
Today’s top models offer everything from seamless Bluetooth connectivity and customizable ear tips to long-lasting batteries with a pocketable charging case — some even charge via USB-C and come with added perks like touch controls and water resistance. Whether you're a casual listener or a true audiophile, there’s a pair out there that fits your lifestyle and budget.
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Best noise-cancelling earbuds for 2025
Billy Steele for Engadget 88 100 Expert Score Best noise-canceling earbuds overall Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen) ANC type: Hybrid Adaptive | Customizable ANC: Yes | Max battery life with ANC: 6 hours | Transparency mode: Yes Read our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen) review Bose’s Immersive Audio feature may be the headline grabber on its QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, but these also come with the company’s stellar noise-canceling abilities. This model is especially adept at battling airplane noise during a flight, a task I typically rely on over-ear headphones for. The second-gen QC Ultra Earbuds are effective with human voices too, blocking that distraction better than much of the competition. But with any kind of constant roar, and many irregular sounds, these earbuds will serve you well. Plus, Bose’s CustomTune tool analyzes the shape of your ears and personalizes both sound and ANC. While the QC Ultra Earbuds offer the best pure noise-blocking performance on this list, the extra audio features mean they have less battery life than the rest of our picks. It lasts six hours with ANC on and Immersive Audio off, but turn on the latter and that number dips to four hours. And although Bose’s take on spatial audio yields mixed results at times, the stock tuning is an improvement over the company’s last flagship model. Thanks to small tuning tweaks, the overall sound profile is more balanced on the second-gen version as well. Pros Stronger ANC filters out more distractions
Enhanced call quality Cons Battery life isn’t improved
Bulky design is unchanged $299 at Bose
Sony 87 100 Expert Score Best noise-canceling earbuds - runner-up Sony WF-1000XM5 ANC type: Hybrid Adaptive | Customizable ANC: Yes | Max battery life with ANC: 8 hours | Transparency mode: Yes Read our full Sony WF-1000XM5 review If I could pick two best options, Sony’s WF-1000XM5 would be the co-champion. Since its introduction, the company has improved the 1000X line of earbuds from model to model – especially in ANC performance. The gap between Sony and Bose in this respect is so slim, you’ll be happy with either set if noise-cancellation is your top priority. You’ll also get Sony’s DSEE Extreme upscaling to recover sound detail lost to compression and handy features like onboard volume controls and automatic pausing when you speak. Like it does on its 1000X over-ear headphones, Sony uses two separate chips for audio and ANC processing on the M5 earbuds, which leads to more robust noise-blocking than on previous models. Six dual-feedback mics are better than the M4 at combating the low-frequency roar of airplanes, vehicles and transit scenarios and the ANC is adjustable in Sony’s app. What’s more, the company’s Adaptive Sound Control allows you to configure presets that can automatically change based on your activity or location. Even if you don’t want to give the software permission to track your whereabouts, there are plenty of options, including the ability to dial-in transparency mode when you need to hear more (or less) of your environment. Pros Excellent sound quality
Improved design
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