Best Headphones for Working From Home and Video Calls

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When you work from home, your headphones do two jobs: they have to make you sound clear to other people, and they have to keep you comfortable and focused for hours. A pair that is great for music is not automatically great for meetings, because microphone quality and call features matter just as much as sound.

Below are five options that cover the main needs: dedicated office headsets with boom microphones, and premium noise-cancelling headphones for busy households.

Quick Comparison

Our Picks in Detail

1. Jabra Evolve2 65 – Best for Calls

The Evolve2 65 is built for people who spend much of the day in meetings. The boom arm places the microphones close to your mouth, a red busylight tells the household you are on a call, and the USB adapter gives a stable connection to your computer while your phone stays paired over Bluetooth.

The Evolve2 65 suits people whose calendar is mostly meetings: managers, sales and support staff, teachers and recruiters. If colleagues or clients need to hear you clearly for hours every day, a dedicated headset like this is the professional choice.

Check the current price of the Jabra Evolve2 65 on Amazon

2. Sony WH-1000XM5 – Best Noise Cancelling for Busy Homes

If your main problem is noise around you, the WH-1000XM5 is a strong choice. Its noise cancelling quiets appliances, traffic and chatter, and the beamforming microphones do a good job of isolating your voice on calls.

The WH-1000XM5 is for workers in noisy homes who also want excellent headphones for music and travel. It is a good fit if you have a few calls a day and spend the rest of the time concentrating.

Check the current price of the Sony WH-1000XM5 on Amazon

3. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones – Most Comfortable

Bose is known for comfort, and the QuietComfort Ultra continues that reputation with soft padding and light clamping force. Noise cancelling is among the best available, and an aware mode lets you hear the doorbell without taking them off.

Choose the QuietComfort Ultra if comfort is your first concern, for example if you wear glasses or get headaches from tighter headphones. It is also the easier of the two premium options to pack for trips.

Check the current price of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones on Amazon

4. Logitech Zone Vibe 100 – Best Lightweight Budget Pick

The Zone Vibe 100 looks more like casual headphones than an office headset, yet it has a proper boom microphone that mutes when you flip it up. It is light enough to forget you are wearing it.

The Zone Vibe 100 is for people who want better call quality than earbuds without the look or weight of a call-centre headset. It is a strong choice for students and hybrid workers on a budget.

Check the current price of the Logitech Zone Vibe 100 on Amazon

5. Poly Voyager Focus 2 – Best Microphone in Noisy Rooms

The Voyager Focus 2 is designed to remove background noise from what your callers hear. Its boom microphone creates a zone around your mouth and filters out sounds outside it, which helps if you share a room.

The Voyager Focus 2 is for shared spaces: a kitchen table, a room with children or pets nearby, or an open-plan office. Its strength is making sure the people you speak to hear only you.

Check the current price of the Poly Voyager Focus 2 on Amazon

How We Chose These Headsets and Headphones

We compared manufacturer specifications, feature sets and typical selling prices, and gave priority to headsets and headphones from established brands with a long track record and easy access to spare parts or support. We have not listed prices because they change often; use the links to see what each model costs today. Where a newer generation exists, we say so, because the previous model is often the better value.

What to Look For in Work-From-Home Headphones

Start with how you spend your day. Someone on calls for six hours needs different things from someone who has two short meetings and listens to music the rest of the time.

• Microphone: a boom microphone close to your mouth nearly always beats microphones built into the ear cups.
• Comfort: look at weight and padding. Over-ear designs are usually more comfortable for long sessions; on-ear designs are lighter and cooler.
• Connection: multipoint lets you stay connected to a laptop and phone together. A USB adapter is more reliable than a computer’s built-in Bluetooth.
• Noise cancelling: it reduces what you hear, not what your callers hear. For that, you need good microphone noise rejection.
• Controls: a physical mute button or flip-to-mute boom saves a lot of fumbling.

Headset or Headphones: Which Is Right for Remote Work?

A headset has a boom microphone that reaches towards your mouth. Headphones rely on small microphones in the ear cups and software to pick out your voice. Headsets nearly always sound clearer to the people you are talking to, especially when there is noise around you. Headphones are more versatile and usually sound better for music.

A simple rule works well: if you spend more than half your day on calls, buy a headset. If calls are occasional and you mostly want quiet and music, buy noise-cancelling headphones. Some people keep both, using the headset at the desk and the headphones everywhere else.

Setting Up Your Headphones for Better Calls

• Use the USB adapter if one is included. It is more stable than a laptop’s built-in Bluetooth and enables the mute and call buttons in meeting apps.
• Choose the headset as both microphone and speaker in Zoom, Teams or Meet, and run the test call before important meetings.
• Position a boom microphone about two finger widths from the corner of your mouth, not directly in front of it, to avoid breath noise.
• Turn on sidetone if the app offers it. Hearing a little of your own voice stops you from speaking too loudly.
• Keep the firmware updated through the maker’s desktop app; call quality fixes are common.

Comfort and Hearing During Long Workdays

Wearing headphones for eight hours is demanding. Take them off for a few minutes every hour, keep the volume at a moderate level and choose breathable ear pads if you tend to get warm. On-ear designs feel cooler but press on the ear, while over-ear designs spread the pressure and isolate better. If you wear glasses, softer and deeper pads make a clear difference by the end of the day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a headset with a boom microphone?

If calls are a large part of your job, yes. A boom microphone sits close to your mouth, so your voice is louder relative to the room and the result is clearer for everyone listening.

Are gaming headsets good for video calls?

Many are, because they also use boom microphones. They tend to be heavier and more colourful, but the call quality is often very good.

Is wired better than wireless for calls?

Wired connections are the most reliable and never need charging. Wireless is more convenient, and with a USB adapter the difference in stability is small.

Will these headsets work with Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet?

Yes. All of them work as standard audio devices on Windows and macOS. Some versions are certified for particular platforms, which mainly adds a dedicated button for that app.

Can I connect one headset to my laptop and phone at the same time?

Yes, if it supports multipoint, which all five models here do. The headset switches to whichever device has an active call.

Final Thoughts

Pick the Jabra Evolve2 65 or Poly Voyager Focus 2 if calls come first. Choose the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra if you want one pair for meetings, music and travel, and the Logitech Zone Vibe 100 if you want a light, affordable all-rounder.

Related guides: Best Wireless Headphones Under $100 | Best USB Microphones for Zoom Calls | Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds

Specifications are taken from manufacturer information and can change between production runs. Prices and availability vary, so check the current listing before you buy.