I am a huge music fanatic and a bit of an audiophile. But when I’m not swaying at a concert or perusing through my vinyl collection, I’m listening to music on-the-go—daily walks, errands, commutes, and everything in between—which is why I rarely leave the house without a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones. However, quality headphones definitely come at a price—so, I understand wanting to make sure you’re purchasing something that is truly worth it. My search for the best pair of headphones—one that’s comfortable and stylish but also produces superior sound quality for all my music-listening needs—ultimately led me to two of the best-selling picks out there: the Beats Studio Pro and Bose QuietComfort headphones. Both are quality over-ear noise-cancelling headphones with major cult followings, but how do they compare—and is there one that comes out on top? To settle the Beats vs. Bose headphone debate once, I put these popular headphones to the test for months, evaluating and comparing them on sound quality, fit and comfort, noise cancellation, battery life, and more. Read on ahead to see how both pairs performed—and make sure to check out our reviews of the Sony vs. Bose headphones and the new Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, too. Since its founding in 2006 by legendary rapper Dr. Dre, Beats has long been an iconic audio brand for headphones, speakers, and the like. The best-selling Beats Studio Pros are engineered to the most powerful and precise over-ear headphones the brand has ever made—complete with superior sound quality, active noise cancelling, personalized spatial audio, and more. They come in four neutral color options, with three additional nude colorways from the special-edition Beats x Kim Kardashian collaboration. Unsurprisingly, they have been included in Oprah’s Favorite Things list multiple times—including this recent past year—with the lifestyle mogul calling it “the best of the best.” Bose has a long history of producing high-quality audio products for music lovers—from Bluetooth speakers to innovative open-ear earbuds—since they were first founded in 1964 (by a professor of electrical engineering, no less!). Their best-selling QuietComfort headphones are no exception. These bold wireless headphones are equipped to deliver high-fidelity audio and legendary noise cancellation with customizable listening modes—all in a comfortable, lightweight design that comes in six gorgeous color options. I tested both the Beats and Bose headphones over the course of one month for each pair. Throughout this period, I used both headphones in a wide range of settings and situations within my daily routine—including during walks along noisy city streets, crowded subway commutes, strolls in the park, and errands at the grocery store. I also tested them while I wasn’t on the go, including working at home, at the office, and at busy coffee shops. I mostly used both headphones to listen to music, but also made sure to use them to watch videos and entertainment, too, for a well-rounded testing experience. Both the Beats and Bose headphones come in a wireless, over-ear design, complete with plush leather cushions over the ears and an adjustable headband for a flexible, secure fit. Both pairs can also fold up when not in use, and come with a durable carrying case that’s convenient for travel. When it comes to overall comfort and fit, though, I found the Bose QuietComfort headphones to come out on top (comfort is literally in the name, after all!). First, these headphones are lighter weight, only 8.4 oz, compared to the 9.2 oz of the Beats—which I felt made them easier to wear, carry around, and slip on and off. Plus, the ear cups on the Bose are larger and deeper with a super soft, cushioned feel and more flexibility and range of motion—which I found made them feel super comfortable, even while wearing for long periods of time. Beats also has soft and plush ear cups, but are shallower, smaller, and have less flexibility than the Bose, lending to a more secure, snug fit that seemed to seal better over my ears. This made for a great listening experience, but I also found that the headphones felt a bit too tight and uncomfortable on my ears and head at times, especially when I wore them for an extended period of time. The biggest problem I had with the Beats was in removing them; my hair often snagged and got caught in between the ear cushion piece and ear cup (long-haired folks, beware). That being said, in terms of style, I personally prefer the look of the Beats—they feel more stylish and trendy to me, thanks to their sleek, iconic design with minimal buttons and neutral colorways. On the other hand, I found the Bose to have a more functional feel, thanks in part to the multiple control buttons and toggles on the ear cups. Both headphones offer wireless Bluetooth connectivity (along with wired audio sources), delivering high-fidelity sound and noise-cancelling features for an incredible listening experience. Here’s how the two compared when it came to performance—specifically in terms of sound quality, noise-cancelling capabilities, and battery life. When it comes to sound quality, both headphones deliver on impressive, crystal-clear audio. One thing that’s especially great about the Bose headphones is that it offers customizable sound: With the Bose app, you can adjust the settings to your liking by modifying the levels of bass, mid-range, and treble. The app also allows you to make your own custom mode with your preferred noise cancellation level for different settings and situations. While the Bose definitely boasts excellent high-fidelity audio with the bonus of customizable sound, I found myself preferring the sound quality of the Beats more overall—I felt that they provided a richer, deeper, and more balanced sound, at least when it comes to music. I loved how all the songs I listened to came to life with the Beats headphones, with each note, instrument, and layer of the music coming through clearly and sharply. In fact, the Beats headphones offers one of my favorite ways to experience music: Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. This is a super cool listening feature that delivers surround sound with the help of built-in sensors that track the movement of your head to create an interactive, theater-like experience (the ideal listening experience for any audiophile!). The brand says that it feels like “being surrounded by 64 speakers at once,” and it truly does feel like that—almost like you’re literally, physically in the recording studio with the artist while they’re performing (or the next best thing, at least!). Bose does offer their own version of this spatial audio feature, Immersive Audio, in their QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, but these upgraded headphones come at a higher price—a whole $100 more than the standard QuietComfort pair. Both the Beats and Bose come equipped with excellent noise-cancelling features. Beats offers an Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) mode that’s fully adaptive to continuously monitor the noise around you—in fact, the brand claims that it creates a precisely-tuned filter to cancel noise at 48,000 times per second. On the other hand, Transparency Mode seamlessly blends your music with the sounds of your environment to help you stay aware of your surroundings. Bose also features two listening modes, Quiet and Aware. However, you can also create your own Custom modes with your preferred noise cancellation level to match different settings, moods, and situations (for example, you can create a personalized “Commute” mode with a medium level of noise cancellation, or a “Walk” or “Run” mode with the wind-blocking feature turned on, so it automatically adjusts the noise cancellation level to reduce noise in windy situations). While testing, I found both headphones to be great at dulling the sound of the loud city streets and noisy crowds that I often encounter while living in New York City—but one pair impressed me more with its outstanding noise-cancellation capabilities. While I could sometimes hear the low, whooshing sound of the wind while walking outside with the Beats, the Bose headphones truly excelled at shutting out the sounds of the outside world on Quiet mode—even while I was commuting on crowded subways or sitting at a bustling coffee shop. The Bose headphones offer up to 24 hours of battery life with noise-cancelling on. On the other hand, Beats can provide up to 40 hours of listening time on a single charge with ANC or Transparency turned off, or up to 24 hours with ANC turned on. Though both can go quite a long time before running out of battery, I found that I generally didn’t have to charge my Beats as often as the Bose headphones. In addition, Beats offers a convenient Fast Fuel charge option when you’re low on power, which provides up to for hours of playback with just a quick 10-minute charge. As an avid music lover, I was truly impressed by both the Beats Studio Pro and Bose QuietComfort—they’re two of the best pairs of headphones I’ve ever tried, and I can honestly say that you can’t go wrong with either pair. For me, though, the Bose headphones specifically win on comfort, fit, and noise-cancelling capabilities—while the Beats deliver a superior listening experience with sound quality that I think is richer, deeper, and more immersive, especially with its Spatial Audio feature. That’s why I’ll definitely continue to use both headphones in my daily routine—perhaps just for slightly different situations and settings. My trusty Bose headphones will probably be my go-to pair for daily, casual wear during times I want to prioritize comfort and shut the world out while I’m out and about—such as when I’m commuting to work, running errands, and hanging out at coffee shops. But whenever I’m looking to fully get lost in my music and want a rich, immersive listening experience (like when I’m listening to the new Lorde song for the very first time, or transcending to to my all-time favorite Taylor Swift album), I’ll definitely be reaching for my Beats.