The Best Bluetooth Headsets for 2023 (2023)

The traditional Bluetooth headset, once the only game in town, is now one option among many. The single-ear headsets of 10 years ago have largely evolved into stereo Bluetooth headphones, almost all of which include microphones for calls. That means many people might want to head over to our list of thebest wireless headphonesand the best true wireless earbuds. Most have microphones and call control buttons, and we detail call quality in each review. If you're looking for Apple's AirPods Pro, for instance, or anything like them, those are in the true wireless earbuds roundup, not here.

This roundup is for people who prioritize voice calls above all else, so it's a collection of single-ear voice headsets and headphones that have big boom microphones. A Bluetooth headset with a good microphone is lighter than most music headphones and has better audio quality than most earbuds. If your work requires you to make calls all day, those factors matter.

Picking the right headset might seem simple, but there's one obvious challenge: It's tough (and not completely sanitary) to try products out before plunking down the cash for them. But a major component of a headset's success depends on how it fits and feels—and that varies widely from person to person, or even from ear to ear. Other important factors include sound quality, design, style, battery life, and extra features.

Read on for the top models we've tested, followed by all the main points you should consider when shopping for a Bluetooth headset.

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

Buying Guide: The Best Bluetooth Headsets for 2023

What's the Difference Between Bluetooth Headsets and Headphones?

Stereo headsets aren't just for listening to music. They also make calls, often quite well. So if you're thinking about a pair of wireless headphones to rock out to, you may not need a separate mono Bluetooth headset.

Plantronics Voyager Focus UC(Credit: Plantronics)

That said, stereo headsets are usually bigger and heavier than mono headsets, and while an over-the-ear pair of headphones may be great at listening to calls, the outbound noise cancellation abilities of their microphones may not be up to heavy street noise. The stereo headsets in this roundup are optimized for calls and often have boom mics that focus on your voice and exclude everything else. We compare the two options more decisively in our roundup of the best headsets and headphones for your home office.

Call Quality and Noise Cancellation

Call quality is an issue in both directions; a headset might sound full and crisp in the earpiece, but then transmit a thin, robotic version of your voice to the person on the other end. Make sure that good (or at least acceptable) call quality is mentioned in the review of any headset you plan to buy.

How well the other person can hear you when you're in a speeding car with the windows down or in your office on a VoIP call can quickly separate the good performers from the bad. Headsets with two or three mics usually perform the best because at least one of those detects and cancels ambient noise with adaptive digital signal processing algorithms.

You definitely pay a premium for advanced noise cancellation, but depending on what you need your headset for, it might be worth it. We test noise-cancelling performance in every one of our reviews. For more on noise cancellation, head over to our roundups of thebest noise-cancelling headphones and the best noise-cancelling true wireless earbuds, as well as our article on how we test noise cancellation.

BlueParrott C300-XT(Credit: BlueParrott)

Battery Life, Comfort, and Range

A guiding principle with mono headsets: If you don't want to charge, go large. Bigger headsets mean more room for big batteries.

Comfort is a very personal choice. The best in-ear headsets have a range of fit styles—for instance, several different sizes of eartips, plus an option for an over-the-ear hook if headsets always fall out of your ear. If you absolutely can't bear to put something in your ear, go for an over-the-ear stereo headphone pair.

Most Bluetooth headsets offer about 30 feet of range before they start popping badly or devolving into digital artifacts. Larger headsets with stronger antennas have a bit more range. BlueParrott's products, for instance, tend to have very good battery life and range, but at the cost of size and weight.

How Much Should You Spend on a Bluetooth Headset?

The sweet spot for a mono Bluetooth headset is around $100 and you can often find discounts that bring the price down a bit if you shop around. A good stereo headset generally runs between $150 and $300. The headsets in this roundup are on the high end of that price range because we focused on the absolute best-performing devices for people who rely on their headsets all day.

You can still find a decent headset for under $50 and sometimes even a really good one because headsets tend to stay available in retail channels for a long time after the manufacturer discontinues them. Cheaper Jabra, Motorola, and Plantronics headsets work fine; they just aren't up to the performance standards of the more expensive category leaders. Typically, they are a bit clunkier and don't offer as effective noise cancellation, but, then again, you aren't paying a premium for it.