Apple's line-up of AirPods has never been more confusing. What was once a choice between the standard AirPods and AirPods Pro has grown into a gaggle of three. There's the entry-level AirPods 4, the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation and the flagship AirPods Pro 3, all of which look so similar, how do you even decide?In fact, the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation now overlap so much with the AirPods Pro 3 that working out which pair is right for you practically requires wheeling out a whiteboard and listing every similarity and difference. But there’s no need. I’ve done all the hard work for you and have compared all three pairs of AirPods on price, design, sound quality, active noise cancellation, battery life and features to help you decide which pair is right for you.Read more: Best refurbished iPhone deals AirPods Pro 3In tech critic David Phelan’s AirPods Pro 3 review, he was impressed with the flagship bud’s active noise cancelling, which is a notable improvement on previous models. The battery life has also jumped up to eight hours with ANC, compared with the six hours you’d get with the AirPods Pro 2. You also get loads of new hearing health features, as well as a built-in heart rate monitor and a live translation feature. AirPods 4 with active noise cancellationIn his Airpods 4 review, tech critic David Phelan described the audio quality as “strong” and said: “Listening to music is exemplary, even with noise-cancelling off, offering decent breadth of sound and fidelity in vocals and mid-range notes.” AirPods 4These earbuds are very similar to the AirPods 4 above, with a few differences. “They feature the same comfortable fit and intuitive controls where you press to pause or play, for instance,” writes tech critic David Phelan in his review. However, they don’t come with active noise cancellation, as well as a Find My case and other premium features like live translation. That said, they are a lot cheaper. Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods 4: PriceThere are two AirPods 4 models to choose from – the standard AirPods 4 and the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation. The regular AirPods 4 cost £119 and the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation cost £169. They’re both cheaper than the flagship AirPods Pro 3, which cost £219.If you're buying purely on price and just want a set of AirPods – no matter the feature set – the regular AirPods 4 are for you. But if you spend £50 more, you can get the AirPods 4, which come with active noise cancellation, transparency mode, a wireless charging case that supports Find My and more.As for the AirPods Pro 3? They're Apple's best earbuds by a country mile. But are they £50-better than the AirPods 4 with ANC? Keep on reading below. Buy AirPods Pro 3 nowBuy AirPods 4 nowApple AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods 4: Design and fit Both versions of the AirPods 4 have an open-ear design. That basically means they rest in your ears and don’t have a silicone tip. They're also the closest thing you'll get to the old wired EarPods – just without the wires. Some people absolutely hated the fit of the AirPods 3, with many complaining that they fell out of their ears or just weren’t comfortable for long periods of wear. So Apple’s redesigned the shape of the AirPods 4 entirely, with The Independent’s tech critic David Phelan calling them “very comfortable” in his review. The AirPods Pro 3, meanwhile, use an in-ear design with silicone ear tips that are available in five sizes, from XXS to L. Silicone ear tips create a tighter seal, meaning they won’t fall out of your ears as easily and provide even better noise cancellation because of it. Like the AirPods 4, the AirPods Pro 3’s shape has also been redesigned. While the AirPods Pro 2 used to fall out of my ears, the AirPods Pro 3 just don’t, thanks to a more secure fit.The AirPods Pro 3 have a new design (Alex Lee/The Independent)All three pairs come in Apple's now-iconic white finish and boast those recognisable short stems with squeeze controls for playback, calls and switching listening modes. The AirPods Pro 3 have one extra onboard control, however, and feature a capacitive touch pad. You can swipe up and down on the stems to adjust the volume, so you don't have to take out your phone.The charging cases are where the biggest differences lie. Both AirPods 4 models come with a redesigned USB-C charging case that's 10 per cent smaller than the one that came with the AirPods 3. The case that comes with the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation also has Qi2 wireless charging and a built-in speaker for Find My.The AirPods Pro 3 swaps out Qi2 charging for MagSafe charging and include a built-in lanyard loop, as well as a slightly larger case compared to the AirPods Pro 2. All three models ditch the old physical pairing button for a capacitive touch sensor on the indicator light. Buy AirPods Pro 3 nowBuy AirPods 4 now AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods 4: Features and specsWhen Apple introduced the AirPods 3 in 2021, followed by the second-generation AirPods Pro 2 in 2022, the choice was always clear. Spend a little extra on the AirPods Pro – the chasm between the two in terms of features was so big. But the lines have really begun to blur with the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3.The standard AirPods 4 are arguably the most basic out of the three. While they use the same H2 chip as the AirPods Pro 3, meaning they suppport personalised spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, adaptive EQ, voice isolation for clearer calls, Bluetooth 5.3, Siri interactions and the ability to nod or shake your head to answer or reject calls, the AirPods 4 with ANC are even better. The AirPods 4 with ANC feature set is very similar to the AirPods Pro 3 (Apple / John Lewis)Spend another £50 on the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation and you can get active noise cancellation, a transparency mode, adaptive audio, conversation awareness, personalised volume and Apple’s live translation feature when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.And you don’t even lose out on much by going for the AirPods 4 with ANC over the AirPods Pro 3 in terms of features. By going for the most expensive model, you’ll get Apple's new health and fitness features. The AirPods Pro 3 are the only model with a built-in heart-rate sensor, letting you track your heart rate during workouts in the Fitness app and compatible third-party fitness apps. The AirPods Pro 3 are also the only AirPods with a hearing test, hearing aid and hearing protection feature, which can help identify hearing loss, protect your hearing from loud environmental sounds and even function as clinical-grade hearing aids. The AirPods Pro 3 also support studio-quality audio recording, automatic conversation boost when using the hearing aid mode and lossless audio with ultra-low latency when paired with Apple Vision Pro. Not all of those things will appeal to you, and maybe you don’t think those extra features are worth £50. The improved active noise cancellation and more secure fit might, however. Buy AirPods Pro 3 nowBuy AirPods 4 now AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods 4: Active noise cancellationThe regular AirPods 4 don't have active noise cancellation at all, so don’t buy them expecting to be able to block out the world. The real battle is between the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation and the AirPods Pro 3. While they both boast adaptive audio and transparency mode, they deliver two very different experiences. The biggest reason is the design. The AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation are open-ear earbuds, so they don't create a seal inside your ear. That makes them more comfortable, sure, but it also means it’ll be easier for external noise to make it way into your ears. There’s only so much software can do when your earbuds aren't physically blocking sound.The AirPods Pro 3 benefit from their silicone ear tips that create a tight seal. Low-frequency sounds such as train rumbles, road traffic and office and office chatter sound almost invisible.The noise cancellation is twice as strong on the AirPods Pro 3 (David Phelan/The Independent)Apple says the AirPods Pro 3 deliver up to twice the active noise cancellation of the AirPods 4 with ANC, and having tested both – it’s evident. The AirPods 4 with ANC do a great job considering they’ve got an open-ear design, but you won’t get the eerie silence you get with the AirPods Pro 3.If noise cancellation is your number one priority, the AirPods Pro 3 are the best option out of the two. If you don’t mind merely dulling the sounds of your commute without wearing silicone ear tips, the AirPods 4 will suit you fine. Buy AirPods Pro 3 now Buy AirPods 4 now AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods 4: Sound qualityAll three pairs of AirPods sound fantastic, but the AirPods Pro 3 are still the best-sounding earbuds Apple has ever made. While all three earbuds share the same H2 chip, custom high-excursion driver, high dynamic range amplifier, adaptive EQ and support for personalised spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, the AirPods Pro 3 have a redesigned acoustic architecture that make them sound that much better. The AirPods Pro 3 have much deeper bass than the open-ear AirPods 4, and the new acoustic design creates a wider soundstage, better instrument separation and clearer vocals. It’s just much richer and more enveloping.That isn’t to say the AirPods 4 sound bad. They still deliver a warm, balanced sound with plenty of detail and crisp, natural vocals, but they’re not quite as good as the AirPods Pro 3. If sound is your priority, the AirPods Pro 3 are the ones to go for.Buy AirPods Pro 3 nowBuy AirPods 4 now AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods 4: Battery lifeAll three models provide up to 30 hours of listening time when used with their charging case, so you’ll rarely find yourself running out of juice. The main difference can be seen when it comes to listening on a single charge.The entry-level AirPods 4 last for up to five hours of listening on a single charge, while the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation only last four hours on a single charge with ANC switched on.The AirPods Pro 3 last the longest. You get up to eight hours on a single charge with active noise cancellation turned on, giving you around four extra hours of listening compared to the AirPods 4 with ANC.Thankfully, you do get fast charging with all three models. If you pop them back into their case for a few minutes, you'll get enough battery for around an hour of listening. Buy AirPods Pro 3 nowBuy AirPods 4 now Should you buy the AirPods Pro 3 or the AirPods 4?If you can afford them, the AirPods Pro 3 are Apple's best earbuds. They sound better, block out more noise, last longer on a charge and come with things like heart-rate tracking, hearing health features and swipe controls for adjusting the volume. If you want the best AirPods Apple makes, they're the pair to buy.But unless you think you’ll benefit from the stronger noise cancellation, improved sound quality or health and fitness features, the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation will offer almost the same feature set for £50 less. You get active noise cancellation, transparency mode, adaptive audio, conversation awareness and live translation.As for the standard AirPods 4, they're still a great option if you don't care about noise cancellation and just want a comfortable, open-ear pair of Apple earbuds. Buy AirPods Pro 3 nowBuy AirPods 4 now We’ve rounded up the best wireless earbuds for sound, noise cancellation and battery life