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Updated: 2026-10-06 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a big, cheap, do-everything stash of moldable silicone plugs for sleeping, swimming and blocking out the world while the TV drones on, choose Frienda 21; if you need actual wireless earbuds you can wear lying on your side — tiny, flat, comfortable — for tv watching and quiet audio at night, choose Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds.
• Frienda 21 — biggest strength: 21 pairs of soft, moldable silicone ear plugs with 6 storage boxes, reusable, water-resistant and designed to sit in the ear canal without pressure. In my opinion the value-per-use here is hard to beat.
• Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds — biggest strength: a genuinely flat, low-profile in-ear design (about 1cm thin, under 4g per bud) built specifically for side sleepers, with physical push buttons instead of touch controls.
• Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds — biggest trade-off: roughly 4 hours of battery per charge, and the tuning prioritizes comfort over bass. They are built for calm audio, not for thumping music or all-day listening.
• Who Frienda 21 is for: anyone who wants cheap, reusable noise reduction for sleep, snoring, travel, concerts or swimming — and who prefers a plug over a gadget.
• Who Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds is for: side sleepers and small-ear-canal users who want discreet wireless earbuds they can actually lie on, including in-ear earbuds for tv watching in bed.
Frienda 21 is not a pair of headphones, and it never pretends to be. It is a bulk pack of 21 pairs of moldable silicone ear plugs in white, blue and orange, plus three large boxes and three travel-size storage boxes. The material is soft silicone, lightweight, reusable — you clean them, let them air dry, and they go back in the case. That's the entire proposition, and it's a good one.
What it does best is simple, physical noise reduction. The plugs are shaped to fit the ear canal without creating pressure, and the design covers the canal tightly enough that, per the product's own description, they stay put even when you sleep on your side. Because they're water-resistant, they double as swimming plugs, and the same softness that makes them sleep-friendly also makes them useful for concerts, construction noise, traffic, studying and snoring partners. The manufacturer explicitly notes the plugs are meant to sit on the ear rather than be shoved deep into the canal, and warns against use if your ears are prone to inflammation or if you feel any discomfort — a sensible caveat worth reading before you buy.
Who should buy it? Anyone who wants a large, replaceable supply of soft plugs without thinking about charging, pairing or batteries. If you lose one, you shrug and grab another pair from the box. If you travel, the small cases keep them clean. If you want to mute a noisy hotel room or a loud TV in the next room, this does that job with zero setup.
Who should skip it? Anyone expecting audio. Frienda 21 blocks sound; it doesn't deliver it. If you want to hear a show, a podcast or white noise, this is the wrong product — full stop. And if you need a plug that stays hygienic over months of heavy use, note that silicone plugs require regular cleaning to be reused safely.
Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds are the opposite approach: real wireless earbuds engineered around the problem of lying down. The headline spec is the profile — about 1cm thin, sculpted to follow the curve of the ear canal, so they distribute weight evenly instead of pressing a hard lump into your head when it hits the pillow. Each bud weighs under 4 grams. That combination of flat shape and low weight is the whole reason this product exists, and it's the detail a side sleeper should care about most.
The controls are a deliberate choice too. Xmenha uses physical push buttons rather than touch surfaces, which means adjusting volume or skipping a track doesn't accidentally trigger when your ear brushes the pillow. The noise control is passive, not electronic — snug silicone ear caps that seal off snoring and street noise acoustically, with no active circuitry involved. Connectivity is Bluetooth wireless with no headphone jack. Battery life is listed at about 4 hours, which the product frames around soft ambient sounds or white noise rather than marathon listening.
Who should buy it? Side sleepers, people with small or narrow ear canals, and anyone who wants discreet, hidden earbuds for work calls, quiet audio in bed, or low-volume background sound while watching something on a screen. The small, flat body makes them easy to pocket or drop in a travel case for flights and hotels.
Who should skip it? Listeners who want big bass, long battery life or all-day use. Xmenha openly prioritizes comfort over features like bass boost, and 4 hours per charge is a night's-worth-of-calm figure, not a workday figure. If you want thumping sound or a full eight-hour shift, look elsewhere. Also worth noting: they're an in-ear plastic design in black, sized for ages 8 and up, so they're not a one-size-fits-everyone universal fit.
• Best for pure noise blocking → Frienda 21. Moldable silicone plugs physically seal the canal; no battery, no pairing, no failure mode.
• Best for audio at night → Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds. These are the only ones of the two that actually play sound, via Bluetooth.
• Best for side sleeping → it depends on what you want from it. Both are designed around side sleepers, but Frienda blocks sound while Xmenha plays it.
• Best for swimming → Frienda 21. The plugs are water-resistant and explicitly intended for pool use, with a caution against outdoor swimming on hot days.
• Best for small ear canals → Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds. The flat, low-profile shape is built for narrow canals and discreet wear.
• Best for battery-free reliability → Frienda 21. No charging, ever. Xmenha runs about 4 hours per charge.
• Best for travel → both, differently. Frienda ships with 6 storage boxes; Xmenha's tiny buds slip into any case or pocket.
• Best for in-ear earbuds for tv watching in bed → Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds. They're the only option here that can actually carry the audio.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds — but only if audio matters to you. For tv watching in bed, white noise, or quiet listening while lying on your side, they solve a problem Frienda simply cannot: they play sound and stay flat against the pillow. If, on the other hand, you just want the world to go quiet — snoring, traffic, a loud hotel — I'd take Frienda 21 every time. In my opinion the honest answer is that these aren't really competitors. One is a plug; one is a speaker. Buy the one that matches the job.
what are the best earbuds to sleep in
For side sleepers who want audio, the flat, low-profile design of the Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds — roughly 1cm thin and under 4g per bud — is purpose-built for lying down. If you only need silence rather than sound, moldable silicone plugs like Frienda 21 are the simpler choice, since they cover the canal without pressure and are described as staying in place while side sleeping.
are there earbuds for sleeping
Yes. The Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds are wireless Bluetooth earbuds explicitly designed for sleeping, with physical push buttons to prevent accidental touches and passive noise isolation through silicone ear caps. Frienda 21 is not an earbud in the audio sense — it's a soft silicone ear plug, so it blocks noise but doesn't play anything.
how to put on silicone earbuds
For the Frienda 21 plugs, mold the soft silicone to fit your ear and seat it over the canal rather than pushing it deep — the manufacturer specifically warns against inserting too deeply. Stop using them if you feel discomfort or if your ears are prone to inflammation. The Xmenha buds instead use flanged silicone ear caps that sit in the ear like standard in-ear earbuds.
do i need rechargeable earbuds or just ear plugs
It comes down to whether you want sound. Xmenha Sleep Ear Buds run about 4 hours per charge and require Bluetooth pairing, which suits a night of ambient audio or white noise. Frienda 21 never needs charging and gives you 21 pairs plus 6 storage boxes, so it suits blocking noise for sleep, swimming, travel or studying. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding.
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