How do the most popular open-ear clip-on earbuds around $25 perform? Are they any good? And which one is the best? Time to put the AliExpress bestsellers to the test! Last checked for June 2025
In this article:
Intro
Conclusion: which is the best?
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. 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.
Recently, I tested and compared six Open-Ear Clip-on Earbuds under and around $50. I've gotten quite a bit of emails after that test, with the question if I wanted to test and even more affordable models. That's why I went out and bought five popular Open-Clear earbuds under $25 from AliExpress to see what model is the best.
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.
For this test, I bought five $25 clip on- earbuds that easily popped-up when I looked for this type of earbuds on AliExpress. Let's put them into the (ear) ring!
Updated for June 2025
Baseus AirGo AS01 review: Don't buy these popular clip-ons
$20 — 6 hours playtime — No waterproof rating
The Baseus AirGo AS01 is likely one of the first open-ear earphones you'll see when you're browsing AliExpress. Unfortunately, these are terrible.
The Baseus AirGo AS01 comes in a compact charging case that scratches very easily. Throw them in your jeans pocket with some keys once, and the case looks like it's been beaten for a lifetime.
The case is quite powerful, happily, as it can recharge the earbuds 4 times fully - providing the earbuds easily 6 hours of playtime on a single charge.
The earbuds are easy to take out of the case and to put in your ears. The bigger part with the L or R on it goes on the backside of your ears, and the smaller part in the front.
Baseus uses stiff bridges between the two parts providing one of the tightest fits you can have for these kind of earphones - while it doesn't feel too uncomfortable to wear.
Unfortunately, it's not great for sports, as the Baseus AirGo AS01 doesn't have a waterproof rating and the guide actively advices against using them in the rain.
The controls are worse even. The touch panel on the front and bridge responds to every slight touch. Adjust the fit in your ears, and you'll likely pause the music or skip a track. That's not an exception - that's pretty much the standard here.
Every action is confirmed by a slow beep - and I've had queues of five beeps and three tracks skipped after a single comfort adjustment. Unusable.
Happily, you can deactivate some controls from the free Baseus app, that also lets you (de)activate the decent gaming mode and activate Bass Boost via a button. That's recommended, but even so…
The sound is horrendous. Music sounds paper thin and can't go loud. The mid-bass is a light slap that can still have a crackle somehow. Mid-tones and treble lack definition and impact, and lows are completely missing. You wouldn't want your enemy to listen to music like this.
Unfortunately, your enemies will hear your music, as the sound leaks enormously.
My advice is to treat the Baseus AirGo AS01 like it treats your touches: SKIP.
Design and comfort: 3/5 - Easily 6 hours of playtime per charge, tight yet comfortable fit, but no waterproof protection at all
Controls and connectivity: 2/5 - Decent app support; but horrible controls that trigger every time you touch these earbuds
Playback: 4/5 - Flawless in videos; gaming mode performs well
Call quality: 3.5/5 - Clear and natural, reduces surrounding noise alright too
Sound quality: 1/5 - Lacks volume, bass, lows and definition - and leaks way too much sound
VERDICT: TWO STARS (Disappointing)
$15 - $25
Buy on AliExpress
Monster Open Ear AC600 review: An original case
$20 — 7 hours playtime — No waterproof rating
Monster has multiple clip-on earbuds on offer under 20 dollars on AliExpress. The most popular Monster Open Ear AC600 is more gimmick than substance.
The charging case of the Monster Open Ear AC600 is a large oval. You have to push the middle part to open them. It then flings open and swings around. It's fun to fiddle with once you've taken the earbuds out, but due to its magnetic force, it can be tricky to take the earbuds out and put them back in again.
Like the Haylou Airfree underneath and the QCY C30 Crossky tested before, Monster paints the parts around your ear with a shiny plastic. The bridge is just a black rubber and it's flexible enough to provide both a comfortable and tight enough fit around your ears.
The earbuds offer a solid 7 hours of playtime on a single charge, but lack a waterproof rating, and the touch panels on the back piece don't always respond.
At least the control scheme is comprehensive, with single taps to change the volume, double-tap to pause, triple taps to change tracks, and hold for the voice assistent on your phone.
The Monster isn't very friendly for your surroundings. It easily leaks sound when you're playing music easily, while the people you're calling with really need to increase the volume to hear you.
In these phone calls or video meetings, your voice sounds clear and natural, but comes with harsh notes and disturbing crackles.
While the brand name Monster implies a hefty, big bass, the bass is the first thing you'll notice is missing from the music. Music is very thin. While higher male vocals/ female vocals can still sound fairly natural in easygoing songs, the AC600 isn’t capable of handling more crowded or energetic tracks. Lower tones are absent, and treble becomes too peaky easily.
The Monster Open Ear AC600 is more gimmick than substance. For its small price point, the accent may have be somewhere else than on its unique charging case.
Design and comfort: 3/5 - 7 hours battery life is a great score, but no waterproof rating and a finicky charging case
Controls and connectivity: 3.5/5 - Touch panels don't always respond well, but controls are comprehensive and easy to locate
Playback: 3/5 - Flawless in videos, falls short for games
Call quality: 2/5 - Clear but thin, comes with harshness and crackles
Sound quality: 1.5/5 - Absent bass and lows, treble sharpness when you turn the volume up, leaks sound
VERDICT: 2 STARS (Disappointing)
$15 - $20
Buy on AliExpress
Haylou Airfree review: The best clip-on earbuds under $25
$20 — 5 hours playtime — No waterproof rating
The Haylou Airfree is the only breath of fresh air in the segment of clip-on earbuds under 25 dollars. These sound better than the competition and come with a nice feature set.
The Haylou Airfree has the same shiny accents as the earlier reviewed sibling QCY Crossky C30. This time though, the shiny part is found on the lid of the charging case. This case also comes with a (low-res) indication of the remaining battery percentage - convenient.
The earbuds themselves look nondescript. It's easy to put them in, as the bridge is flexible and the round speaker on the front differs noticeably from the square you put behind your ears. While you can feel the latter, these earbuds are light and comfortable to wear during their 5 hours playtime on a single charge. They also stay well in its place - although the lack of a waterproof rating doesn't make them very suitable for runs and workouts.
The touch panels on the back part respond well to your input, like pausing (double-tap) and changing tracks (triple tap). You can customize the controls from the free Haylou Sound app for iPhone and Android, adding volume changing to triple taps for instance.
The Haylou Airfree convinces with its features too. It has a dual-device multipoint connection, meaning you can connect these earbuds to two devices at the same time.
The game mode is capable and synchronizes the sound effects well with the action on your screen. And even phone calls are doable - as your voice sounds natural and clear. The other persons can hear you walking around and pick up wind noise, however.
The winning streak of the Airfree goes on, as these clip-ons also sound better than the $20 rivals. Yep - the sound is thin, but it's rounder than the competition. It has more body in the lower frequencies and mid-tones. Treble can be harsh on the highest volumes, but is decently controlled otherwise. Furthermore, the bass actually has a bit of a kick - with the keyword here being a bit.
Last but not least, it leaks much less sound than the other models.
The Haylou Airfree is the best choice if you're looking for clip-on earbuds on a tight budget.
Design and comfort: 3/5 - Decent 5 hours of playtime and a comfortable fit, but no waterproof rating
Controls and connectivity: 5/5 - Responsive and customisable controls, multipoint connection, decent app support
Playback: 4.5/5 - Good for videos, minor delay in games
Call quality: 3.5/5 - Natural and clear, shakier with other sounds or wind
Sound quality: 3/5 - Slim mid-bass kick, controlled treble, decent balance in the mid-tones
VERDICT: FOUR STARS (Good)
$15 - $20
Buy on AliExpress
Sanag Z50s review: Large earbuds, mixed performance
$20 - 9 hours playtime - IPX5 Waterproof
Don't put the Sanag Z50S too quickly in your ears: you might turn deaf. Fortunately, these budget clip-on earbuds also have some good sports features.
While I've never tested a model before on Scarbir.com, Sanag isn't entirely new to the world of cheap wireless earbuds. The brand has multiple sports oriented open-clip and earring-type earbuds around $20 to $50 on AliExpress.
The Z50s seems focused towards sports too. It has a comfortable yet tight fit thanks to its grip and flexible bridges, comes with an IPX5 waterproof rating, making them withstand rain and sweat, and they play around 9 hours on a single charge. That's a terrific score.
But it isn't out of nowhere. The back part of the earbuds is larger than average to house this vast battery, and the same applies to the charging case - which feels bulky, is scratchy, and too big to carry comfortably in a jeans pocket.
Controls are inconvenient too. I think the big back part should be able to pick up pause and track skipping commands, but somehow I only get it to change the volume.
Speaking of which: don't be speedy to put the earbuds in your ears after taking them out of the case, because oh dear - the Chinese ‘connected!’ voice prompts are painfully loud.
Music itself performs best at lower volumes, when a bit of lower mid-tones bring some balance in the sound. Turn the volume up, and these fade away - leaving a mid-bass with only slim slams and thin treble. While higher vocals sound clear, it's often the only aspect of the music that is represented well.
A shame, since you can take an indoor phone call with the Z50s, and an actual waterproof rating in this price range is a welcome addition to clip-on earbuds. The Sanag Z50s just isn't very refined.
Design and comfort: 4/5 - IPX5 waterproof rating and 9 hours of battery life per charge; big charging case
Controls and connectivity: 2/5 - Doesn't pick up controls well - apart from volume changing
Playback: 3/5 - Handles videos well, severe delay in games
Call quality: 3/5 - Slight crackle, mostly natural and loud enough
Sound quality: 2/5 - Thin yet smooth on lower volumes, lacks any impact and balance on active listening volume
VERDICT: 3 STARS (Worth considering)
$15 - $25
Buy on AliExpress
Lenovo Thinkplus XT83ii review: You get what you pay for
$15 - 4 hours playtime - No waterproof rating
Lenovo slams its brand logo on every cheap random earphone when it can lay its hands on, and the Lenovo Thinkplus XT83 ii is no exception.
The Thinkplus XT83 ii (who makes these names up, seriously?) looks the price, whether it's about the ultra-pocketable plastic shiny charging case, or the very basic black earphones itself.
Despite the flexible bridge, these clip-ons clamp on your ears a bit. The drip-shaped parts on both sides of your ears can always be felt during their 4 hours of playtime per charge. They are still quite comfortable after a while though - the big benefit of this form factor.
The touch panels on the back part don't always respond well, and when they work fine, the control scheme is weird. A single-tap to pause is easy to understand, but decreasing the volume and forwarding a track to the same (right) side? That's very counterintuitive.
Basic connectivity is sub-par as well, with Bluetooth connection dropouts happening at only 5-6 meters away from your device instead of the usual 10-12 meters.
This also makes them less versatile for phone calls, sadly, as the microphone output is rather good from. Your voice sounds clear and stable in easy circumstances.
The sound is ultra-thin, and sometimes even feels hollow. Claps and cymbals have more impact than the actual mid-bass, and lower frequencies are hard to find on any level higher than background listening.
If you want to get a good impression of how much Lenovo actually cares about its products: the earphones appear as ‘Lenvov’ in the Bluetooth list. If the manufacturer doesn't care, so shouldn't you.
Design and comfort: 3/5 - Can be felt while wearing, basic 4 hours battery life, cheap presentation
Controls and connectivity: 2/5 - Controls don't always respond well, illogical control scheme, sub-par Bluetooth distance
Playback: 3/5 - Good for videos, doesn't handle games well
Call quality: 3/5 - Clear and natural; held back by the bad connection
Sound quality: 1/5 - Thin, hollow, without bass and definition
VERDICT: 2 STARS (Disappointing)
$5 - $15
Buy on AliExpress
Conclusion: What are the best $25 clip-on earbuds from AliExpress?
The Haylou Airfree are the best ultra-cheap open-clip earbuds from AliExpress.
Haylou Airfree
While it doesn't have a waterproof rating and battery is only average with 5 hours of playtime per charge, the Haylou Airfree sounds better than its competitors.
It's also one of the more comfortable and better controlling offerings in this guide, and throws in decent call clarity, a capable gaming mode on top. Better yet: you can connect it to two devices at the same time.
If you're considering more expensive alternatives, the QCY Crossky C30 sounds better and fuller. As it has terrible controls, however, it may not be worth the upgrade from the Haylou. The real step-up is the SoundPEATS PearlClip Pro, especially in the sound quality and waterproof level - but that will set you back 60 dollars.
Under $25, the Haylou Airfree are the best open-ear clip-on earbuds.
Also read: The best half-in-ears under $50
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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