There's a new shape of earbuds in town! In the last half year, more and more earphone brands released a pair of Open-Ear Clip-On earbuds. How do the most popular of well-known models around $50 perform - and which budget open-ear earbud is best? Updated for June 2025
In this article:
Intro
SoundPEATS POP Clip - new!
Conclusion: which are the best clip-ons?
Intro
Hi there! If you've never been on this site before, here's a short introduction. My name is Bart, and Scarbir.com is a solo project of mine on which I test, review and compare affordable wireless earbuds under $100.
So far, I've written 458+ wireless earbuds reviews and ranked them all in my Leaderboard. About 70 percent of the earbuds tested have rubber ear-tips, the other 30 percent looks like the original AirPods without rubber tips - so-called half-in-ears.
I have a passion for great sound quality, but I also extensively test and review earphones on comfort, battery life, controls, features, and call quality.
For this comparison, I've bought and received six earbuds in the still very new segment of Open-Ear Clip-On earbuds - or Earring type earbuds around the $50 price point. Some are as cheap as $30, some go for $60.
What you need to know about open-ear clip-on earbuds:
These have a much more personal comfort than earbuds that go into your ears, either with or without rubber tips.
Dependent on your ears, it can be more comfortable to wear them around the top, the middle or the bottom of your ears.
These earbuds let you hear still pretty much everything around you, much more than AirPods-like half-in-ears.
That's great for safety when you're walking or cycling, can be great to combine music with nature sounds, or music with conversations.
The sound quality is not yet on par with other type of earbuds, as the speaker is further away from your ears. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy them.
Now, there are way more models to choose from. You can drown in generic names when you're browsing Amazon or AliExpress. You may not have heard from all brands in this article, but all tested models are from brands that proved consistent and reliable in other earbuds categories over the last years.
Time for Edifier, Soundcore, SoundPEATS, QCY, Tozo and fitness brand Amazfit to step into the ring: which budget Open-Ear Clip-On earbuds are the best?
Updated for June 2025
Tozo OpenEarRing review: A safe choice for clip-on earbuds
$40 — 10 hours playtime — IPX5 waterproof
The Tozo OpenEarRing seems to be the pair of Clip-On earbuds with the most positive user reviews on Amazon, so let's kick of with these. How good are these really?
Functional is a word that comes to mind when you look and feel the Tozo OpenEarRing. The charging case is compact enough to carry in a jeans pocket, has a clever battery percentage on display at the front, and provides easy access to the earbuds.
The Tozo consists of a small round speaker that goes in the inside/ front of your ear, and the larger square piece goes behind it. The sides are held together by a slim, round bridge.
While the back part can apply a bit of pressure, these are comfortable to wear. It's also quite convenient to have the touch panels on the broad back part.
Once you're used to the location, it's easy to pause/play (double-tap), change tracks (triple-tap) or even change the volume (hold).
While these earbuds lack multipoint - meaning you can only connect them to one device at a time, other features are great. The Tozo has app support on iPhone and Android, delivers a staggering 10 hours playtime on a single charge and an IPX5 waterproof rating that resists your sweat and rain.
Taking a phone call with them is doable, in the sense that your voice is full and loud. It also comes with quite a bit of crackling, however, and everything loses clarity when more surrounding noise and/ or wind get involved.
The Tozo app comes with several sound equalizer options, of which the Bass+ option is commendable. It gives music a decent mid-bass slam, gives other lower frequencies a bit of body and livens up the otherwise shallow sound.
Mid-tones aren't very outspoken or detailed here, and as treble is toned down (until the highest volumes - where they become harsh), the OpenEarRing has a smooth, friendly, but not very engaging sound.
The Tozo OpenEarRing is a safe choice for everyone looking for a pair of earbuds that still allow you to hear all your surroundings. It will never wow you, but it's easy to wear for hours on end.
Design and comfort: 4/5 - Great 10 hours battery life, IPX5 waterproof, comfortable fit - even though you can feel the backside pressing a little
Controls and connectivity: 4/5 - Decent controls with volume changing, no multipoint connection
Playback: 4/5 - Flawless in videos; gaming mode from the app synchronizes well
Call quality: 3/5 - Full and loud voice, but comes with crackles when there's noise
Sound quality: 3/5 - Smooth, friendly, not very engaging
VERDICT: FOUR STARS (Good)
$30 - $50
Buy on your Amazon country
Amazfit Up review: Not that great for sports, actually
$50 — 6 hours playtime — IPX4 splashproof
Next to earphone brands, Xiaomi-owned fitness brand Amazfit also enters the stage with clip-on earbuds. The Amazfit Up is a questionable choice for fitness and running lovers, however.
For a product from a fitness-oriented brand, it's a big miss that the Amazfit Up only comes with an IPX4 splashproof rating. That means these earbuds aren’t officially protected against rain and sweat, killing the possibility to safely take them out for a spin.
That's unfortunate, as the big square piece you put on the backside after your ears contains an actual button. The Up is the only model on this page you can still control with a cold, wet or sweaty finger, even though the button is tiny and can be tricky to press while on the move.
Controls react quickly, though: press to play/pause, double-press to skip a track, triple to activate the voice assistant, and hold to change the volume. Great to have them all at hand.
There's more to like here. The earbuds’ battery lasts 6 hours on a single charge, and the earbuds have multipoint connectivity, meaning you can connect them to two devices at the same time.
Comfort is a mixed bag. On one hand, the earbuds are easy to put in and the stretchy bridges ensure a fit on many sized ears. On the other hand, the back part is the biggest of all competitors, and there likely isn't a moment where you won't feel them.
In the sound department, the Amazfit Up has a nicely, quickly slamming mid-bass that will make you tap your foot. Lower electronic tones and darker instruments are slightly lifted, yet it's the treble that takes the upper hand in the sound.
The Up can feel airy and around you. Vocals are prominent and higher instruments get room to shine, but… treble quickly gets out of bounds and turns into sharpness on higher volumes.
Also, the Up isn't the loudest out there. But that's only a minor problem compared to the call quality - or lack thereof. Your voice comes across too muffled and is surrounded by little cracks and sound effects, even on moments where there isn't much noise around you.
This ultimately leaves the Amazfit Up with empty hands. It's not specialised enough to be a great pair of clip-on earbuds for working out, and it's not versatile enough for everyday use.
Design and comfort: 3/5 - 6 hours battery life, but comfort is a bit of a mixed bag and the IPX4 splashproof rating is on the lower side
Controls and connectivity: 4.5/5 - Tiny actual buttons respond well to your input, multipoint connection too
Playback: 4/5 - Flawless in videos, decent synchronisation in games
Call quality: 1.5/5 - Muffled and full of crackles
Sound quality: 3/5 - Nice bass slam and airy, but harshness lurks everywhere
VERDICT: 3 STARS (Worth considering)
$40 - $60
Buy on your Amazon country
Buy on AliExpress
Soundcore C30i review: The brands most questionable product, by far
$60 — 10 hours playtime — IPX4 splashproof
Unlike its competitors, the Soundcore C30i is made from hard, stiff plastic. This choice can make these earbuds almost unbearable uncomfortable and tricky to use.
Leave it to Anker's subbrand Soundcore to create great looking products. The C30i comes in a compact square case from which the semi-transparant earbuds can be picked easily. The earbuds have an outspoken design, with semi-transparant panels on the front, on the back and on the bridge between those sides.
It's also cleverly designed: the front-part is easy recognisable by it's square-ish shape, while the part behind your ears is round. The touch panel on this part resides in a subtle cave, making it very easy to operate the C30i on touch.
Yet, the shape is also its weakest point. The C30i not only has a tiny bridge, but it's made from a stiff and hard plastic.
This design gives no flexibility at all, and even though Soundcore throws in two plastic sets to alter the fit of the backside a little bit, it can be an immense struggle to put these on if you don't have the smoothest of ear calves. Like in my case.
When they're finally on, they gripe so hard that they're painful to wear. This tight grip could be great for working out and running, but unfortunately, the C30i is only IPX4 splashproof waterproof rating - too little to resist sweat and rain.
Of course, comfort is personal, so let me also add that I've handed oud these earbuds to an office full of people. Three persons shared my experience, for one it was mostly okay, two others really liked it, saying it provided them a very safe fit.
The problem is, when you're buying these from the internet, is that you don't know how they will fit you - and there's no flexibility at all to compensate for your less that ideal fit. That's different on all other pairs, that do have a flexible bridge.
If they do fit your perfectly, you're up to a brilliant 10 hours playtime on a single charge.
If you're into it sound-wise, that is. The Soundcore C30i doesn't have the most engaging sound. It combines a slightly kicking yet slim mid-bass, and overdrawn treble. Voices and higher instruments are prominent, but without much nuance. Many songs sound shallow and overly bright.
The Soundcore C30i comes with a slick app on iPhone and Android, which lets you alter some controls and shift to a Bass EQ. Sadly, that doesn't really improve the punching power of the bass. It does add some weight to the lower tones, but slices off so much treble, the end result is pretty dull.
The Soundcore C30i is among the slickest open-ear earbuds on a budget, but due to its design it can be downright tricky to put them on and painful to wear. Make sure you can test or return them somewhere before trying these.
Design and comfort: 2/5 - Slick looks, 10 hours battery life, but oly IPX4 splashproof and can be extremely uncomfortable to put in and wear.
Controls and connectivity: 5/5 - Responsive and easy to find touch controls, good app support and multipoint - so you can connect it to two devices
Playback: 3.5/5 - Good for videos, some delay in games
Call quality: 4/5 - Natural voice reproduction, shakier with other sounds or wind
Sound quality: 2/5 - A slim yet slightly kicking mid-bass, overly boosted treble
VERDICT: THREE STARS (Worth considering)
$40 - $70
Buy on Amazon US
Buy on your Amazon country
QCY Crossky C30 review: The C30 you could consider
$40 - 5,5 hours playtime - IPX4 splashproof
There's another C30 in town. Priced at a friendly 40 dollars, the QCY Crossky Q30 are comfortable clip-on earbuds with some less favourable aspects.
The QCY Crossky C30 comes in a pocketable charging case that stratches easily and looks cheap. Inside, things take a turn. The earbuds can be taken out and put into the case with a satisfying ‘click’ from the magnets, and look polished themselves too.
The droplets have a shiny metallic finish on the outside, giving the Crossky sort of a jewelry-like vibe in your ears. As both parts look a lot like each other, you have to get used to putting them in right: the small piece should be near your ear canal.
The controls however, reside on the back part, and oof… the touch panels are terrible. A double-tap should let you play/ pause the music, but the panels respond so bad that you always get the feeling you're not touching the right area or that the controls have somehow stopped working at all. Even after two weeks of testing these earbuds intensively, controlling these earbuds is a total hit-and-miss.
QCY uses a flexible, matte rubber bridge to connect the two droplet-shaped earpieces. This setup provides a secure enough fit. You can feel the outsides clinging onto your ears at first, but this feeling fades away after a while. I found these earbuds comfortable to wear for its maximum of 5,5 hours playtime in a row.
Sadly, the IPX4 splashproof level won't protect the earbuds against sweat or rain during your workouts or runs.
The sound, however, is quite decent. Balanced too. Most of the attention goes to the mid-tones. Instruments like the guitar and piano play sound natural, lower electronic tones and instruments have a slightly boosted presence, and vocals are forward enough to take a prominent position over them.
As the bass consists of a mere slam and highs are rolled-off quickly, the sound is rather smooth. It makes the QCY a good listen for acoustic genres like jazz, blues, singer-songwriter songs, older pop songs, and soft rock. The bass falls short for more electronic or modern genres.
Still, this C30 is worth considering. The combination of comfort and fit is great here - I loved dismantling a christmas tree and taking a call with these at the same time, without any fear of the earbuds falling out. Plus: the other end of the line couldn't tell I was busy. Your voice sounds natural and loud enough, and surrounding noises are repressed well. If wind joins the scenario, your voice becomes less audible - but it's safe to take a call with these.
The QCY Crossky C30 is a good pair of clip-on earbuds for everyday use, at a friendly price too. Just know that you'll likely always use the controls on your phone or laptop instead of on the buds.
Design and comfort: 4/5 - Only IPX4 splashproof and 5,5 hours battery life, but a great comfortable and secure enough fit
Controls and connectivity: 2/5 - Can be connected to two devices at the same time thanks to multipoint, but controlling them is a nightmare.
Playback: 4.5/5 - Handles videos well, great gaming mode from the app
Call quality: 3.5/5 - Natural and clear, but wind and noise at the same time threaten your clarity
Sound quality: 3.5/5 - Balanced and smooth, lacks bass punch
VERDICT: 4 STARS (Good)
$30 - $40
Buy on Amazon US
Buy on your Amazon country
Buy on AliExpress
SoundPEATS PearlClip Pro review: The best clip-on earbuds on a budget!
$60 - 6 hours playtime - IPX5 waterproof
The SoundPEATS PearlClip Pro rises far above other clip-on earbuds in terms of sound quality, while also delivering good comfort and clear calls.
The SoundPEATS PearlClip Pro has a very similar shape to the QCY Crossky C30, combining two shiny droplets with an extremely flexible bridge. It has the same jewelry-vibe in your ears, whether you like it or not.
Happily, the touch panels are on top of the inner earbud here, and respond well. It can be tricky to locate the precise touch point, but it's no issue playing or pausing music (double tap), skipping a track (three taps) or changing the volume with a single tap. It's a bit annoying that the earbuds launch a sound effect for every time you operate it, though.
There's two downsides of the PearlClip Pro's design: it can be hard to see which side goes in front of your ears and which is the backside. The other is that the flexibility may perhaps cause a loose fit for some. The IPX5 waterproof rating protects them for rain and sweat, yes, but it's questionable whether the earbuds will stay in after so many reps or bench presses.
For everyday use, the PearlClip Pro is very comfortable to wear. Even though I can feel them pushing against both sides of the ears a little, I don't have problems wearing them for their 6 hours playtime on a single charge.
The five-headed test panel shares this impression, saying these earbuds can be felt and feel looser than average - but four of them definitely find it comfortable.
More everyday-use goodness: it's no problem connecting them to two devices at the same time, or taking a phone call with them. The SoundPEATS puts your voice through loud and natural, with only minor dips when there's a lot of noise around you or when there's wind.
The PeatsAudio app for iPhone and Android gives the earbuds neat extra features, like the ability to turn off the controls, change the controls, change the sound equalizer, or select a Movie mode which tries to create a Dolby Surround-sound effect but fails laughably at it. The Game mode, however, does a great job of synchronizing the sound effects in challenging games with the action on your screen.
The biggest triumph of the app is the Dynamic EQ button. Switch that on and the sound far outweighs that of its competitors.
The PearlClip Pro has a punchy, full mid-bass with a solid kick. Mid-tones sound natural, with good separation between instruments, and forward vocals that actually feel nuanced - reaching both higher notes and dipping into lower tones with ease.
The overall picture is more articulated, sharper, feels more detailed than its rivals. There's a nice sense of air in the sound too, although the sense of all this is always dependent on your current fit with this type of earbuds.
Great sound quality towering above the competition, a comfortable fit, decent controls and clear calls: the SoundPEATS PearlClip Pro are hands-down the best clip-on earbuds around $50.
Design and comfort: 4/5 - IPX5 waterproof, 6 hours playtime, and above-average wearing comfort; can be too loose for some
Controls and connectivity: 4/5 - Multipoint connection, decent controls you can change via the app
Playback: 4.5/5 - Great gaming mode from the app, handles videos well too
Call quality: 4/5 - Natural voice reproduction, can dip a little with wind
Sound quality: 4/5 - Punchy bass, natural mid-tones, good separation and air
VERDICT: 4.5 STARS (Great)
$50 - $70
Buy on Amazon US
Buy on your Amazon country
Buy on AliExpress
Edifier Comfo C review: Budget clip-ons for calling and working out
$60 - 7 hours playtime - IP56 waterproof
The Edifier Comfo C is the newest release in the growing market of open-ear earbuds, and convinces with the clearest calls in its category.
Like the SoundPEATS PearlClip Pro, the Edifier Comfo C is a brand new release at the time of writing this multi-test. It clearly shows in a few points.
The call quality takes the cake in this test, offering a bit more vocal clarity and wind resistance than the SoundPEATS even. The gaming mode you can activate from the app, also works great for syncing audio with the gaming action on your screen.
The Edifier has the best implementation of multi-point connectivity, connecting immediately to your two devices the moment you take the earbuds out of the case. They directly start playing sound. Playback stops when you take a bud out and resumes once you put it back in again; the auto-pause works flawlessly here.
These are also the most suitable clip-on earbuds for sports. The Comfo C boasts 7 hours playtime on a single charge and a solid IP56 waterproof rating against rain and dust.
If some water still slips into a part of the earbuds, the Edifier ConneX app for iPhone and Android phones even has an option to drain the water out by rumbling the earbuds. Clever.
They have a good fit for sports and runs too, as the bridges of the Comfo C are flexible enough, and both earpieces subtly clam onto your ears. The downside of this, is that you can always feel these sitting in - they're among the less comfortable clip-on earbuds.
The touch panels on the back piece aren't the easiest to locate, and even though you can change the control sensitivity from the app, their response is sometimes lacking. You can change the options for the double-tap and the triple-tap on the left and right earbud independently, however.
It's a shame then, that the Edifier doesn't quite reach the sound quality of the SoundPEATS. The Comfo C can go very loud (again - very sports proof), but it's sound is somewhat soft, rounded - sometimes even a bit mushy.
It puts emphasis on the mid-tones, which are delightfully natural. They balance very well between clarity and warmth, and higher vocals are forward enough to separate themselves from instruments and other frequencies - while treble isn't harsh of piercing.
The bass, however, consists only of a mere mid-bass slam. Even with the Bass Boost EQ, the bass misses punching power. Lacks a kick. The other app equalizers only let you shift focus subtly from the lower tones to the treble.
The PearlClip Pro has more bass impact, more lower-mids texture and more definition.
The Edifier Comfo C may be the best budget open-ear earbuds for working out or phone calls, but the comfort and sound quality prevent these from making desirable daily drivers.
Design and comfort: 3.5/5 - 7 hours playtime, IP56 waterproof rating and a stable fit even for workouts - but also less comfortable as it clams
Controls and connectivity: 4/5 - Rapid multipoint connection, auto-pause and play; touch panels could be more responsive
Playback: 4.5/5 - Great gaming mode from the app, flawless video syncing too
Call quality: 4/5 - Natural voice reproduction, handles noise and wind fairly well
Sound quality: 3.5/5 - Balanced mid-tones, friendly, but lacks bass impact and definition
VERDICT: 4 STARS (Good)
Buy on AliExpress
SoundPEATS POP Clip review: Better than the PearlClip Pro?
$35 - 8 hours playtime - IPX5 waterproof - real buttons
Only two months after the PearlClip Pro, SoundPEATS releases the POP Clip clip-on earbuds… that cost more or less the same and have more or less the same features. What's the deal here? Are they better?
The SoundPEATS POP Clip loses the jewel-like design of the PearlClip Pro, and has a shape much more similar to the Tozo Open EarRing and the cheaper Haylou AirFree. It plants a little round part in your ear, and a larger square behind it. A flexible bridge holds the parts together.
The POP Clip has a comfortable and safe fit without too much clamping force. It operates with a real button and while it's a bit too squishy to press multiple times in a row, it ensures that you can operate these earbuds with sweaty fingers. It helps that the earbuds are also IPX5 rain and sweatproof.
The POP Clip boasts up to 8 hours playtime on a single charge and supports multipoint connection so you can pair it to two devices at the same time and the gaming mode synchronizes sounds greatly with the action in your screen.
That's where the good news stops, sadly. Taking a phone call is only doable in easy circumstances without too much noise and wind and the sound…
When it comes to sound, I'm not sure whether the POP Clip is an upgrade over the PearlClip Pro. The POP puts more effort into treble and sounds clearer and a bit airier as a result - it's easier to pick up details on your left and right. However, the sound lacks the unique and engaging lows of the PearlClip Pro.
The PearlClip Pro has a fuller mid-bass and lower mid-tones. They give the sound a better balance and more energy. It's a more pleasant listen than the POP Clip, that can feel a bit thin in comparison.
Basically, the SoundPEATS POP Clip sounds better than most of its competitors - but not than the PearlClip Pro from SoundPEATS itself. It makes it a bit of a weird release.
Design and comfort: 4.5/5 - IPX5 waterproof rating, 8 hours battery life too and a comfortable and safe fit
Controls and connectivity: 4/5 - Multipoint connection and actual buttons that feel a bit squishy
Playback: 4.5/5 - Flawless in videos, great for games too
Call quality: 2/5 - Unclear and soft, heavily influenced by noise and wind
Sound quality: 3.5/5 - Clear, airy and with good separation, but lacks body in the lows and can feel a bit thin
VERDICT: 4 STARS (Good)
Buy on Amazon US
Buy on your Amazon country
Buy on AliExpress
Conclusion: What are the best cheap open-ear clip-on earbuds?
The SoundPEATS PearlClip Pro are the best open-ear clip-on earbuds on a budget.
SoundPEATS PearlClip Pro
The SoundPEATS are among the most comfortable pairs tested, offer multipoint-connectivity and a welcome IPX5 waterproof rating. They control well, handle phone calls well in most circumstances, and their 6 hours battery life per charge is fine for everyday use.
Most noticeably, the PearlClip Pro towers over the competition in sound quality. It sounds snappier, punchier, and more detailed than its rivals. The competition has new homework to do.
The SoundPEATS POP Clip comes in second. It combines a safe and comfortable fit with actual buttons and an IPX5 waterproof rating, a package that makes these suitable for sports. It doesn't sound as good, though. The Edifier Comfo C is the third choice. It's another model worth considering when you want to use them for working out and sports mostly, thanks to their grippy fit and water-cleaning function.
Buy the SoundPEATS PearlClip Pro on Amazon US
Buy the SoundPEATS PearlClip Pro on your Amazon country
Also read: Five clip-on earbuds under $25 tested!
Disclaimer: I bought these TWS true wireless earbuds myself or I received these products from the manufacturer or a distributor. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
Consider buying this earphone? I'd really appreciate it if you use the links in this article. It won't cost you extra, yet it will financially support me a bit in my ongoing quest for great affordable audio, as they are affiliate links. Thank you so much. <3
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