Good noise canceling turns a roaring plane cabin into a low hum and makes a busy office feel calm. These picks, chosen from RTINGS' lab tests and all sold new on Amazon, include seven over-ear headphones from under $50 to flagship, plus the three best noise-canceling earbuds.
The best noise-canceling headphones are the Sony WH-1000XM6 (~$460): they block more noise than anything else RTINGS has tested, including mid-range chatter, with about 32 hours of battery and a warm, punchy sound.
For comfort, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) (~$359). iPhone owners should look at the AirPods Max 2 (~$449). On a budget, the Anker Soundcore Space 2 (~$130) are excellent. The best earbuds are the Sony WF-1000XM6 (~$298).
Noise-canceling headphones use tiny microphones to measure the sound around you and play an opposite signal that cancels it out. Good ones turn a roaring plane cabin into a low hum and make an open office or a city bus feel calm. How well that works varies hugely, though: some headphones barely dent background noise, while the best block engine rumble, air conditioning, and much of the chatter around you.
Our picks are based on RTINGS' lab measurements and its noise-canceling recommendations, which test noise isolation across the whole range of pitches, plus battery life, comfort, sound, and microphones. We only include headphones sold new on Amazon. The first seven picks are over-ear headphones; after them, we cover the best noise-canceling earbuds for people who'd rather carry something pocket-sized. Prices are per pair.
| Headphones | Type | Battery with ANC (RTINGS) | Sound | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony WH-1000XM6 | Over-ear | About 32 hours | Warm, punchy | Most people | ~$460 |
| Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) | Over-ear | About 37 hours | Full bass, slightly dark | Comfort, glasses wearers | ~$359 |
| Apple AirPods Max 2 | Over-ear | About 22 hours | Warm, controlled | iPhone and Mac users | ~$449 |
| Sennheiser HDB 630 | Over-ear | About 54 hours | Balanced, with EQ | Best sound | ~$448 |
| Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC | Over-ear | About 62 hours | Adjustable heavy bass | Bass lovers, battery life | ~$263 |
| Anker Soundcore Space 2 | Over-ear | About 42 hours | Best with some EQ | Under $200, comfort | ~$130 |
| Anker Soundcore Q20i | Over-ear | Up to 40 hours (Soundcore) | Bass-forward | Tight budgets | ~$45 |
| Sony WF-1000XM6 | Earbuds | About 8 hours, plus case | Warm | Best earbuds | ~$298 |
| Apple AirPods Pro 3 | Earbuds | About 9 hours, plus case | Flat mids | iPhone users | ~$199 |
| Anker Soundcore Space A40 | Earbuds | About 8 hours, plus case | Warm | Budget earbuds | ~$60 |
The best noise-canceling headphones RTINGS has tested. They block low bus and plane rumble and high-pitched air-conditioner whine, and unlike most rivals they also cut a lot of mid-range noise, like office chatter and the din of a plane cabin. Battery life tops 31 hours with noise canceling on, they're light and comfortable for long trips, and the redesigned case closes with a magnet.
Worth knowing: the earpads are fairly shallow and don't seal well on every head, especially if you wear glasses, which lets more noise in. If that's you, look at the Bose below.
Check WH-1000XM6 price on Amazon Prices change often — check Amazon for the current price.Bose's flagship is the noise canceler to get if comfort comes first. The light frame and generous padding are easy to wear for an entire long-haul flight, and the earpads fit a wider range of head shapes than the Sony's, so you're more likely to get a good seal. Noise canceling is excellent, just a touch behind the Sony in ideal conditions, and battery life is even longer.
Worth knowing: they fold, but they're still bulky to carry even in their padded zip case. The default sound is a bit dark up top, though the app's EQ can brighten it.
Check QC Ultra price on Amazon Prices change often — check Amazon for the current price.For iPhone, iPad, and Mac owners, these are neck-and-neck with the Sony for noise canceling, cutting everything from engine rumble to street noise. The aluminum-and-mesh design feels luxurious, the plush earpads snap off for easy replacement, and Apple features like automatic device switching, Adaptive Audio, and Live Translation work seamlessly with Apple devices.
Worth knowing: many features are limited on Android. The 22-hour battery is the shortest here, they clamp harder than most, they're bulky, and the included pouch doesn't protect them like a real case.
Check AirPods Max 2 price on Amazon Prices change often — check Amazon for the current price.The best-sounding noise-canceling headphones RTINGS has tested. Where most rivals are tuned with extra bass, these have a balanced sound that suits every kind of music and movie, and the app adds a full parametric EQ and a crossfeed option. The included USB-C dongle bypasses your phone or laptop's Bluetooth for higher-quality streaming, and the battery lasts for days.
Worth knowing: like the Sony, they don't seal well on every head or with glasses. For more audiophile picks, see our best audiophile headphones.
Check HDB 630 price on Amazon Prices change often — check Amazon for the current price.Skullcandy's new flagship pairs its signature Crusher Bass, an adjustable haptic bass you can feel, with noise canceling and tuning technology from Bose. RTINGS found the noise isolation impressive, blocking most street sounds and nearby conversations, and measured 62.5 hours of battery with noise canceling on, the longest of any pick here. A bass wheel on the earcup and a 5-band EQ in the app let you dial the sound in, and they also play over USB-C.
Worth knowing: they can't cancel the deepest train and plane engine rumble the way the Sony can. They're heavy and bulky, the earcups are fairly small for larger ears, and the mic loses clarity in loud places.
Check Crusher 1080 ANC price on Amazon Prices change often — check Amazon for the current price.Mid-range noise canceling and comfort at a budget price. The successor to the popular Space One, the Space 2 use memory foam in the headband and earpads, and RTINGS found them very comfortable, with little clamping force. Their noise canceling impressed too, handling the swirl of a busy street and the rumble of jet engines well, and the battery lasted about 42 hours in RTINGS' test, enough for the longest trips.
Worth knowing: they fold inward but not flat, and come with only a basic pouch. There's no water-resistance rating, Bluetooth lag is too high for gaming, and reviewers suggest tweaking the app's EQ to get the best sound.
Check Space 2 price on Amazon Prices change often — check Amazon for the current price.Real noise canceling for the price of a pair of basic earbuds. The Q20i use hybrid noise canceling, with microphones inside and outside the earcups, to cut steady sounds like engine rumble and air-conditioner hum, and Soundcore rates the battery at up to 40 hours with noise canceling on and 60 hours with it off. They connect to two devices at once, fold up for travel, and keep playing over a cable if the battery runs out.
Worth knowing: don't expect flagship-level quiet at this price, and the single call mic and older Bluetooth 5.0 are basic. RTINGS hasn't tested the Q20i, so this pick is based on Soundcore's specs and independent reviews.
Check Q20i price on Amazon Prices change often — check Amazon for the current price.Earbuds seal inside your ear canal, so they block some noise before the noise canceling even starts, and they fit in a pocket. The best now come close to the top over-ears, though their batteries are smaller and they rely on a charging case.
RTINGS' top noise-canceling earbuds. The combination of memory foam tips and Sony's noise canceling tunes out everything from plane engines to a whining air conditioner, and they cut low rumble noticeably better than the previous WF-1000XM5. Unlike AirPods, all their features, including a graphic EQ, work on Android and iPhone, and the mic separates your voice well from background noise.
Worth knowing: the buds are chunky, so people with small ears may find them awkward or loose.
Check WF-1000XM6 price on Amazon Prices change often — check Amazon for the current price.Technically even better than the Sony at blocking voices and mid-range chatter, and just as good at engine rumble. They're comfortable, light, and water resistant, with excellent Transparency modes for hearing announcements, plus heart-rate tracking for workouts. With an iPhone, setup, switching, and spatial audio are effortless.
Worth knowing: many features, including sound adjustments, only work with Apple devices. Some people dislike the suction feeling of sealed earbuds.
Check AirPods Pro 3 price on Amazon Prices change often — check Amazon for the current price.Noise canceling that matches many far pricier earbuds, for a budget price. They handle plane and bus engines and do an excellent job on chatter and computer-fan hum, and they're comfortable and well-built. The wireless charging case holds four extra charges, so you'll rarely run out.
Worth knowing: the mic makes your voice sound distant and harsh, so they're poor for calls, and without fins they can slip out during workouts.
Check Space A40 price on Amazon Prices change often — check Amazon for the current price.Noise canceling is best at steady, low-pitched sound: engines, train rumble, air conditioning, and fans. It's less effective on voices and sudden, irregular noises like a car horn, because the system needs time to react. That's why the best headphones here stand out: they cut mid-range sounds like chatter, not just rumble.
The seal matters as much as the electronics. Earpads that don't seal around your ears, or ear tips that are the wrong size, let noise leak in and also cost bass. Glasses break the seal on most over-ears, which is why we flag fit on each pick. Some people also feel a slight "cabin pressure" sensation with strong noise canceling; most get used to it, and many headphones let you turn it down.