The best noise-cancelling headphones we use and love

The Mashable team tested the top noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds from Bose, Sony, Apple, and others. See which headphones earned our stamp of approval.

May 8, 2025 - 11:24

The best noise-cancelling headphones we use and love

hip young woman in yellow sunglasses wearing Sony headphones on city street

Whether you work from home, spend a lot of time on airplanes, or simply want to turn down the volume of the outside world, noise-cancelling headphones are exactly the tool you need.

Even the best value headphones will feel lacking if they don't come equipped with halfway decent noise cancellation. Besides, there are simply too many headphones on the market (our testing pool gets bigger by the month) for you to pay hundreds only to get subpar ANC.

To help you wade through the top options from brands like Apple, Beats, Bose, Sony, and Sonos, Mashable editors and reviewers tested dozens of headphones and earbuds. From flagship models to budget buds, we picked out the best noise-cancelling headphones of 2025.

How do noise-cancelling headphones actually work?

Even cheap headphones can block some noise from the outside world. And you can always blast your music loud enough to drown out nearby conversations and street noise via passive noise cancellation. However, if you really want to turn the volume of the world down to the limit, then you need headphones with active noise cancellation.

Active noise-cancelling headphones electronically cover up the sounds coming from your surroundings. They use internal microphones to listen to the world around you, then invert the noise and send it to the speakers. The idea is that both the output and the input will cancel out, leaving you with near-silence. The best over-ear headphones also create a tight seal around your ears, providing an extra layer of passive sound blocking.

apple airpods max headphones in mint green

Testing the Apple AirPods Max headphones, which didn't make the final cut for this guide. Credit: Zlata Ivleva / Mashable

close-up view of the ports on the sony xm5 headphones

Getting up close and personal with Sony WH-1000XM5 noise-cancelling headphones. Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

If you've tried a pair of noise-cancelling headphones before and haven't been impressed, don't be discouraged, as not all ANC performs equally. For instance, cheaper ANC headphones may have a more noticeable hissing sound that you'll hear when the noise cancellation is turned on, which can be distracting for some folks.

Other headphones may be great at blocking at low tones, but more prone to letting in high-pitched tones. Typically, premium headphones will yield better results all around, but we have budget picks below that still do a solid job.

In the past, not many wireless earbuds featured active noise cancellation that was comparable to over-ear headphones, but newer iterations like the AirPods Pro and Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds hold their own in the ANC space. However, even these earbuds can't quite get the same seal (or fit as many mics) that headphones can, so if you're looking for maximum silence, stick with over-ear headphones.

What are the best noise-cancelling headphones?

Bose is often a top name (and in our top picks) when it comes to noise-cancelling audio, often leading the industry for the best ANC available.

With that said, it's not the only brand worth checking out. If you want top-notch ANC with great sound quality, Sony makes excellent options. On the other hand, folks looking for a more affordable option might be drawn to EarFun, which brings great value to the noise-cancelling space. Essentially, what makes the best noise-cancelling headphones depends on what other features and price range you're looking for in a pair of headphones — our guide below lays out where each of our picks shines.

Recent testing updates

As of May 2025, we're considering whether the Panasonic Technics AZ100 earbuds, Sony WF-C710N, and Skullcandy Method 360 ANC earbuds deserve a place on this guide.

Our testing in February 2025 saw the addition of the EarFun Air Pro 4 earbuds as our favorite earbuds pick under $100. We decided that they deserved to knock the Beats Studio Buds+ off the list (after the Apple-owned earbuds beat out the newer AirPods 4), due to the Air Pro's superior noise cancellation, battery life, and value. We also added the Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones as an alternate pick for the best battery life headphones in March 2025.

In September 2024, we tried out the JBL Live Beam 3 earbuds, and we enjoyed their sound, unique design, and touchscreen case that made it easy to check the headphones' battery life and control audio. However, their noise cancellation wasn't quite up to par for $200 earbuds. We've also added the Dyson OnTrac headphones as our pick for the best battery life, thanks to the impressive 55-hour battery life.

In August 2024, we said goodbye to the Bose 700 headphones as our recommendation for the best noise-cancelling headphones with adjustable ANC. This was a long time coming — these headphones have technically been discontinued since the release of the Bose QC Ultra headphones in September 2023, but remained available from retailers other than Bose. We'll be on the lookout for any new models that match the adjustable noise cancellation that these Bose headphones once offered.