Best Noise-Cancelling Earplugs for Travel (2026)

TL;DR

Top pick: Loop Quiet 2 ($24.95) — soft, reusable silicone earplugs. Wirecutter names them its best reusable earplugs for sleeping (its testers' most comfortable by a large margin, 24 dB average noise reduction in its lab) and SoundGuys its best earplugs for sleeping (72.8% average loudness reduction measured); HearingTracker's audiologist calls them great for sleep, studying or travel. [src1, src7, src10]
Best budget: Mack's Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs (about $9.37 for 50 pairs) — disposable foam. Wirecutter's top foam pick, which it recommends for plane noise and snoring, and first in Reviewed's lab sound-blocking tests; Wirecutter's testers with larger ear canals found them loose. [src7, src11]
No value pick this cycle: the Etymotic ER20XS, our previous value pick, is recommended by one testing group only (HearingTracker and its HearAdvisor lab, which call it the best budget concert earplug), and we do not award a slot on a single review. It stays on the card as an alternative; it was out of stock on Amazon and sold out at Etymotic's own store when we checked on 2026-10-08. [src2, src3, src20]
Best for side sleepers: Loop Dream ($49.95) — silicone shell with memory-foam tips. Sleep Foundation's most comfortable earplug, CNN Underscored's editor favorite for sleeping on a plane and TechRadar's comfiest for side sleepers; Wirecutter measured about the same noise reduction as the Quiet 2 for twice the price. [src7, src13, src15, src17]
Best active noise cancellation: QuietOn 4 Sleep ($299 list) — the only earplug here with active noise cancelling, aimed at snoring, traffic and engine rumble, with no Bluetooth, app or audio. Gadgets & Wearables and Tom's Guide both tested it and both recommend it for flights. [src4, src16]
Best sleep earbuds: Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 ($279) — passive isolation plus masking sounds or your own audio, 14-hour battery, no ANC. Sleep Foundation's best overall; SoundGuys calls them the most comfortable sleep earbuds you can buy and tested their airplane mode on a flight. [src5, src8, src15]
Best for concerts and staying aware: Loop Experience 2 ($34.95) — filtered plugs that turn the volume down while keeping music and speech clear. Wirecutter's best earplugs for concerts and Louder's best overall; a travel blogger quoted by CNN Underscored wears them on planes to still hear cabin announcements. [src9, src13, src18]

"Noise-cancelling earplugs" covers three kinds of product, and only one of them cancels anything.

Passive earplugs only lower the volume. They come as disposable foam (Mack's Slim Fit, Mack's Ultra Soft), soft reusable silicone (Loop Quiet 2, Loop Dream) and filtered "high-fidelity" plugs that cut noise more evenly so speech and music stay clear (Loop Experience 2, Loop Switch 2, Loop Engage 2, Eargasm High Fidelity, Vibes High Fidelity, Etymotic ER20XS, EarPeace Music Pro). [src1, src2, src7, src9, src11] In Wirecutter's sleep testing, reusable silicone plugs blocked more noise overall than foam and were easier to insert and more comfortable; foam costs about 30 cents a pair or less. [src7] Filtered plugs trade some blocking for clarity, and none is perfectly flat: Wirecutter measured a dip between 2 and 8 kHz in its top concert pick, the Loop Experience 2. [src9]

Active noise cancellation in an earplug means the QuietOn 4 Sleep here. A microphone and a tiny speaker in each bud cancel noise, most effectively below 3 kHz according to QuietOn, which covers snoring, traffic hum and engines; Gadgets & Wearables found sudden clanks and high-pitched voices still come through. It plays nothing — no music, no white noise, no Bluetooth. [src4, src22]

Sleep earbuds are a third category. The Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 have no ANC: they rely on a seal plus masking sound or your own audio. SoundGuys measured them cutting 30 dB or more above 2 kHz, where voices and clatter sit, but only 5 to 10 dB below 200 Hz, where engine drone sits. [src5]

For a flight, no earplug on this card silences the cabin. Wirecutter tests airplane-cabin noise (50 to 1,200 Hz) separately from snoring or traffic because no earplug reduces all frequencies equally. [src7]

Top Pick: Loop Quiet 2 ($19.95) — Check price

Wirecutter's panel voted the Quiet 2 the most comfortable earplugs to wear and insert by a large margin (4.8 out of 5 on both), and in its lab they cut ambient noise by 24 dB on average and snoring by 32 dB. Its complaints: they are a pricey thing to leave on a hotel nightstand or lose in luggage, and the case could be better. [src7] SoundGuys makes them its best earplugs for sleeping, measuring a 72.8% average loudness reduction, and describes them as made for sleep, work or travel. [src10] HearingTracker's audiologist calls them "great for sleep, studying, or travel" and especially comfortable for side sleepers; they come with double-loop tips that add a couple of decibels. [src1] One dissent: Forbes Vetted, which picked from expert advice and customer reviews rather than its own tests, lists them as its best silicone earplugs but says to skip them if you sleep on your side most of the night. [src12]

Best Budget: Mack's Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs (about $9 for 50 pairs) — Check price

The Mack's Slim Fit are Wirecutter's long-running top foam pick "whether you're dealing with plane noises, loud snoring, or a crying baby": its testers rated them the most comfortable foam plugs, and they come in a screw-top jar of 50 pairs. They averaged 15 dB of reduction in Wirecutter's lab, third among the foam plugs it tested, and testers with larger ear canals found them loose. [src7] Reviewed placed them first in its lab sound tests and found they slide easily into small ear canals, though they did less well in the tests where its staff wore them; it calls them a very good next choice after its top picks. [src11]

Best for Side Sleepers: Loop Dream ($49.95) — Check price

The Loop Dream is a silicone shell with memory-foam tips, rated at 27 dB by Loop. Sleep Foundation names it the most comfortable earplug it tested; TechRadar's reviewer calls the Dream the comfiest earplugs for side sleepers after months of use. [src15, src17] CNN Underscored's senior lifestyle editor, a side sleeper, says she barely felt them, and CNN names them its editor favorite for sleeping on a plane. [src13, src14] The counterpoint is Wirecutter's: in its tests the Dream blocked about the same noise as the Quiet 2 — about 1 dB more on average — for more than twice the price. [src7]

Best Active Noise Cancellation: QuietOn 4 Sleep ($299 list) — Check price

The QuietOn 4 Sleep is the only earplug here that cancels noise electronically. Tom's Guide found the cancellation outstanding on low-frequency sound such as snoring, the buds comfortable for side sleeping, and the 28-hour battery long enough for about three and a half nights; it calls them travel-friendly for a plane or a shared hotel room. The catches are the $299 price and a 15-second window to put them in after taking them out of the case. [src16] Gadgets & Wearables, which relied on the earlier QuietOn 3.1 for a couple of years, rates the 4 at 8.3 out of 10: better-shaped, with softer Comply-style foam tips and a new wax guard, useful on long-haul flights, but no help against high-pitched or sudden sounds. [src4] There is no Bluetooth, app, music or masking sound by design. [src4, src22] Tom's Guide says US buyers will not find it at major retailers; QuietOn's own shop showed a euro price when we checked on 2026-10-08. [src16, src22]

Best Sleep Earbuds: Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 ($279) — Check price

The Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 are Sleep Foundation's best earplugs for sleeping overall. [src15] SoundGuys calls the Sleepbuds 2 the most comfortable sleep earbuds you can buy and measured a 71.3% loudness reduction from the seal; on a flight, its reviewer found the airplane mode's masking sound "more than enough to drown out the cabin's constant drone". Battery life is up from 10 to 14 hours. The trade-offs: no ANC, only 5 to 10 dB of reduction below 200 Hz, and $279. [src5] Tom's Guide found them comfortable in every sleep position, and notes that without ANC you have nothing to fall back on when wearing them awake on a plane or in an office. [src8] They succeed the first-generation Ozlo Sleepbuds, and Ozlo's Sleepbuds product page sold the Sleepbuds 2 when we checked on 2026-10-08. [src21]

Best for Concerts and Staying Aware: Loop Experience 2 ($27.95) — Check price

The Loop Experience 2 is Wirecutter's best earplug for concerts: the only universal-fit set all of its testers would use regularly, with four sizes of tips and an NRR of 12 that lets you hear what is going on at a safer level. Wirecutter also measured a dip between 2 and 8 kHz that makes them more muffled than custom plugs. [src9] Louder makes them its best concert earplugs overall. [src18] For travel, a travel blogger quoted by CNN Underscored wears them on planes because "you can still hear cabin announcements and flight attendant instructions" while the background din softens. [src13] The Experience 2 Plus adds foam tips and Mute inserts; HearingTracker's best overall concert pick is that Plus version, and Wirecutter calls it a good buy if you know you want the extra reduction. [src2, src9]

Adjustable Alternative: Loop Switch 2 ($47.95) — Check price

The Loop Switch 2 is one plug with a dial for three levels (NRR 16, 13 and 11 by Wirecutter's figures). Wirecutter makes it its upgrade concert pick for anyone who also wants to quiet a desk or a subway; HearingTracker's lab graded two of its modes A and B but found it pricier, bulkier and possibly less durable; TechRadar's reviewer calls it her favorite pair. [src1, src9, src17]

Best-Sounding Concert Alternative: Eargasm High Fidelity ($36.95) — Check price

The Eargasm High Fidelity is HearingTracker's best earplug for sound quality (NRR 16, with a metal keychain case), and second in HearAdvisor's lab rankings with a SoundScore of 5.0. [src2, src3] CNN Underscored's reviewer took them to 45 concerts and prefers them to the Loop Experience 2, which he found made shows sound dull. [src6] The catch is fit: Wirecutter's panel found the pine-tree shape uncomfortable, and HearingTracker says the sizes run large. [src2, src9]

Discreet Concert Alternative: Vibes High Fidelity ($36.95) — Check price

The Vibes High Fidelity are Louder's best concert earplugs for comfort, discreet enough that its reviewer's gig-going friends remarked on how little they showed, though some top-end detail is lost. [src18] HearingTracker found them light and nearly invisible but less even than its top picks (NRR 15). [src2] Your Best Digs made them its best concert earplugs in a guide last updated in 2021. [src19]

Budget Hi-Fi Alternative: Etymotic ER20XS (out of stock when we checked on 2026-10-08) — Check price

The ER20XS is HearingTracker's best budget concert earplug: a no-frills filtered plug with an NRR of 13 and "remarkable sound quality", whose deeper fit reduces the boomy, plugged-up feeling of most earplugs. Its caveats are that the deep insertion can be uncomfortable and only one size and filter come in the box. [src1, src2] HearAdvisor's lab grades it A. [src3] Your Best Digs, in a guide last updated in 2021, preferred the Vibes. [src19] Availability: the Amazon listing we link was out of stock, and Etymotic's own store listed the Universal set (standard, large and foam tips) as sold out, when we checked on 2026-10-08. [src20]

Filtered Alternative: EarPeace Music Pro ($42.95 at EarPeace) — Check price

EarPeace's Music Pro performed very well in Wirecutter's concert tests, with sound close to the Loop Experience 2 and a double-flange body that sits flush in the ear; it comes with one filter, NRR 9, 12 or 16. [src9] HearingTracker tested the NPR Music x EarPeace edition, which EarPeace told it is the Music Pro with its high-protection filter, and found it comfortable but with clarity reduced considerably. [src2] EarPeace sells it for $42.95. [src23]

Conversation Alternative: Loop Engage 2 ($28.75) — Check price

The Loop Engage 2 is Loop's conversation plug for restaurants and cafés, rated NRR 8 / SNR 16. HearingTracker graded it B and found it cuts a little too much at 3-6 kHz, where speech clarity lives; TechRadar's reviewer finds it comfortable enough for everyday wear. [src1, src17]

High-NRR Foam Alternative: Mack's Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs ($9.89 for 50 pairs) — Check price

The Mack's Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs are Forbes Vetted's best earplugs for sleep overall, on an NRR of 33 and an audiologist's recommendation rather than its own testing. [src12] Reviewed, which did test them, found them plump: worth trying if you have large ear canals, but not as a first try. [src11]

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Loop Quiet 2 vs Loop Dream

Wirecutter measured the two within about 1 dB of each other, so the Dream's extra cost buys comfort, not quiet. [src7] If the Quiet 2 presses when you sleep on your side, the Dream is the plug Sleep Foundation, TechRadar and CNN Underscored single out for comfort. [src14, src15, src17]

Pick Loop Quiet 2 if: you want the best-tested reusable plug for the least money.
Pick Loop Dream if: you sleep on your side and comfort matters more than $30.

Loop Quiet 2 vs Mack's Slim Fit Soft Foam

In Wirecutter's tests the Quiet 2 averaged 24 dB of reduction and the Slim Fit 15 dB, and its panel found the reusable plug far more comfortable; the foam costs about 30 cents a pair or less, against $19.95 for a pair of Quiet 2 you can lose. [src7]

Pick Loop Quiet 2 if: you will carry one pair on every trip and keep it clean.
Pick Mack's Slim Fit Soft Foam if: you want a cheap jar of disposables, and your ear canals are not on the large side.

QuietOn 4 Sleep vs Ozlo Sleepbuds 2

Opposite approaches at a similar price. The QuietOn 4 Sleep cancels low-frequency noise and plays nothing. [src4] The Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 have no ANC and cover noise with masking sound or your own audio, plus an alarm. [src5, src15] SoundGuys measured only 5 to 10 dB of reduction below 200 Hz on the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2, the band ANC handles best. [src5] The QuietOn 4 Sleep's battery lasts 28 hours per charge with its case, against 14 hours for the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2. [src5, src16]

Pick QuietOn 4 Sleep if: the problem is steady low rumble — a snorer, traffic, an engine — and you want silence rather than sound.
Pick Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 if: you fall asleep to sound or want an in-ear alarm.

Loop Experience 2 vs Eargasm High Fidelity

Both are filtered concert plugs. Wirecutter found the Eargasm slightly more even but uncomfortable for its panel, and kept the Loop as its top pick for fit and comfort. [src9] CNN Underscored's concert-going reviewer goes the other way: the Eargasm sounds crisper to him and the Loop made shows sound dull. [src6]

Pick Loop Experience 2 if: you want plugs most ears will tolerate for a whole show or flight.
Pick Eargasm High Fidelity if: sound quality comes first and the pine-tree tips fit you.

QuietOn 4 Sleep vs Loop Quiet 2

$299 against $19.95. The Quiet 2 lowers sound across the board; the QuietOn 4 actively cuts the low band that passive plugs handle worst, but high-pitched sounds still come through. [src4, src7, src16] Tom's Guide itself points people who just want to block background sound without sleep tech toward the Quiet 2. [src16]

Pick Loop Quiet 2 if: ordinary plugs have mostly worked for you.
Pick QuietOn 4 Sleep if: a snorer or engine drone has beaten every passive plug you have tried.

Decision Logic

If you mainly want to sleep on planes and in hotels

→ Loop Quiet 2 ($19.95). If it presses when you sleep on your side, the Loop Dream ($49.95). [src1, src7, src10, src15, src17]

If you want the cheapest option that works

→ Mack's Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs (about $9 for 50 pairs); with larger ear canals, try the Mack's Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs ($9.89 for 50 pairs). [src7, src11, src12]

If the noise is snoring, traffic or engine rumble and earplugs have not been enough

→ QuietOn 4 Sleep ($299 list), the only active noise cancellation here; it will not stop high-pitched or sudden sounds. [src4, src16]

If you want masking sound, your own audio or an in-ear alarm to sleep

→ Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 ($279), with an airplane mode SoundGuys tested on a flight; no ANC. [src5, src8, src15]

If you need to hear announcements or conversation

→ Loop Experience 2 ($27.95) to hear cabin announcements; the Loop Engage 2 ($28.75) is Loop's conversation plug, though HearingTracker found it cuts some speech frequencies. [src1, src13]

If you are going to concerts on the trip

→ Loop Experience 2 ($27.95) for fit; Eargasm High Fidelity ($36.95) for the most natural sound if the tips suit you; Vibes High Fidelity ($36.95) if you want them barely visible. [src2, src6, src9, src18]

If you switch between sleep, a meeting and a loud bar in one day

→ Loop Switch 2 ($47.95), three levels in one plug. [src1, src9, src17]

Default recommendation (unknown requirements)

→ Loop Quiet 2 ($19.95), the plug Wirecutter, SoundGuys and HearingTracker agree on. Add a jar of Mack's Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs as backup. [src1, src7, src10]

• Loop holds the tested top spots: Wirecutter's top picks for sleeping (Quiet 2) and for concerts (Experience 2, with the Switch 2 as its upgrade) are all Loop, and SoundGuys' best earplugs for sleeping is the Quiet 2. Wirecutter notes that Loop has discontinued the Quiet 2 Plus. [src7, src9, src10]
• Ozlo's second generation: the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 added a 14-hour battery (up from 10), an airplane mode and a case button, and SoundGuys gives their release date as July 29, 2026. Ozlo's Sleepbuds product page sold the second generation when we checked on 2026-10-08. [src5, src8, src21]
• QuietOn 4 is an iteration: the same 28-hour battery as the 3.1, with a more oval shell, softer Comply-style foam tips, improved microphones and a wax guard. [src4]
• Etymotic's ER20XS is hard to buy: out of stock on Amazon and sold out at Etymotic's own store when we checked on 2026-10-08. [src20]
• Foam or silicone is still argued: Wirecutter found reusable silicone plugs blocked more noise than foam in its tests, while Reviewed's top two picks for sleeping are foam (Hearos Xtreme and 3M E-A-Rsoft, neither on this card). [src7, src11]

• Only one product here actively cancels noise, the QuietOn 4 Sleep, and it leaves high-pitched and sudden sounds. Everything else lowers the volume; sleep earbuds without ANC, like the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2, cut little below 200 Hz. [src4, src5]
• NRR is not what you will hear. Wirecutter's rule of thumb is to subtract 7 from the NRR and halve it (an NRR of 31 is about 12 dB in practice), and the number says nothing about which frequencies are reduced. The European SNR often reads slightly higher than the US NRR, and fit decides the result either way. [src1, src7]
• Nightly use: otolaryngologists Wirecutter interviewed recommend against wearing earplugs to sleep every night; occasional use, such as when travelling, is what they suit. Throw foam plugs away once they are dirty. [src7]
• Concert exposure: HearingTracker estimates about two hours at a 100 dBA concert with the Loop Experience 2 Plus before reaching a daily sound-exposure limit, and about three with the Loop Switch 2 in its Experience mode. [src1]
• Prices and availability: the comparison table's prices are the latest US offers we had checked when this revision was written. The EarPeace Music Pro price is EarPeace's own ($42.95). The QuietOn 4 Sleep lists at $299 per Tom's Guide, and QuietOn's shop showed a euro price when we checked on 2026-10-08. The Etymotic ER20XS was out of stock on Amazon and at Etymotic on 2026-10-08. [src16, src20, src22, src23]