The Best Portable CD Players of 2024

Best Player With Radio

GPX PC332B

$25 at Walmart $24 at Home Depot View on Gpx.com

Many of the once high-end features on CD players are now available at budget-friendly prices. The GPX PC332B is undoubtedly on the low end of the price point, but you still get the option to listen to FM PLL radio and CDs. This option offers tremendous versatility for those who want to use a CD player in the car or while working out.

You also have the option for CDs, but nothing flashy like MP3 compatibility. There are 60 seconds of skip protection built-in, so this isn’t the best model for jogging or bouncy workouts. But, all of this is likely an acceptable trade-off if a simple CD player with FM functionality is your goal. And the price is compelling.

_{MP3-capable: No | Skip protection: 60 seconds | Rechargeable battery: No | Included accessories: Earbuds}

Best for Kids

Craig Electronics Personal CD Player with Headphones

$21 at Amazon View on Craigelectronics.com

The Craig Electronics CD2808 gives the aesthetic impression that it's straight out of 1999. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. The light blue color with contrasting black edges and the matching Koss-style headphones scream nostalgia and the classic CD era. This portable CD player is excellent for kids. Because it's got a resilient color that likely won't collect a ton of scuffs, and it's got straightforward controls.

It lacks some step-up features; there's no advertised skip protection, no MP3 compatibility, and the display is highly simplistic. But none of that matters if you're looking for a small portable player that you don't have to worry about knocking around. And the price point is just right for that use case.

_{MP3-capable: No | Skip protection: None | Rechargeable battery: No | Included accessories: On-ear headphones}

Best All-in-One

Lukasa Rechargeable Portable Bluetooth CD Player

$53 at Amazon

One of the significant drawbacks of a portable CD player is that you typically need to plug in a speaker or a pair of headphones to hear any sound. Thanks to modern speaker driver technology, manufacturers can fit sound-producing modules inside tiny enclosures. That's precisely what this rechargeable CD player from Lukasa brings to the table, with CD and MP3 CD support and the ability to play sound right from an onboard speaker setup.

If you'd prefer more powerful sound, you can use the auxiliary output to feed your CD playback to whatever sound system you want. It's also rechargeable, so you won't be fishing for new AA batteries, and you can even use the Lukasa as a Bluetooth speaker, bypassing the need to play CDs. This model is expensive for a portable CD player, and the thick, white design feels just a bit dated. But all in all, this is a lovely, all-in-one device.

_{MP3-capable: Yes | Skip protection: 100 seconds | Rechargeable battery: Yes | Included accessories: Earbuds, charging cable, AUX cable, carrying bag, protective case}

Runner-Up All-in-One

Arafuna Portable CD Player with Dual Stereo Speakers

$40 at Amazon

Putting speakers right inside a portable CD player gives you a lot of versatility for many different use cases. This Arafuna CD player puts a decently capable pair of stereo speakers inside the exact frame you’re used to in Walkman-style devices. This black, circular build is just a couple of inches thick and otherwise takes up the space of one single CD.

The built-in 1400 mAh battery provides about 12 hours of listening, and recharging with the included charging cable takes about four hours. You can play standard CD formats, plus MP3 and WMA format discs. The screen is pretty basic, and even though there are some added options like speed controls and A/B repeats, it’s a pretty basic CD player. It certainly isn’t the most full-featured option, but it delivers solid value for a player ready to go right out of the box.

_{MP3-capable: Yes | Skip protection: 100 seconds | Rechargeable battery: Yes | Included accessories: Earbuds, charging cable, and AUX cable}

Best Rechargable

Monodeal Portable CD Player

$55 at Amazon $70 at Monodeal.net

These days, a rechargeable portable CD player is standard, but this Monodeal CD player brings a few extra options that make it better than the rest of the field in that category. The 1400 mAh battery delivers 15 hours of listening time and takes about four hours to charge up fully—pretty competitive numbers for the space.

While most rechargeable CD players hover around 12 hours, the 15 available here means you can listen much longer. The oversized backlit display also gives you plenty of visibility and control of the device, even in dark rooms. The price is a little high for a portable CD player, and the design isn't the most cutting-edge, but it's a solid buy-on battery life alone.

_{MP3-capable: Yes | Skip protection: Yes, time unspecified | Rechargeable battery: Yes | Included accessories: Earbuds, charging cable, AUX cable, and carrying bag}

Best Design

HOTT CD611

$50 at Amazon $90 at Walmart

In the late '90s, portable CD players were in demand enough to incentivize manufacturers to create stunning, colorful devices with many design options. While there are a lot of shapes, colors, and sizes still available today, there are few options that are truly impressive from a design perspective. The HOTT CD611 is a genuinely new take on the look and feel of a portable CD player.

Sleek, handsome wood paneling covers the entire body, giving the CD611 an upscale look while offering a pleasant, organic feel. There's MP3 playback functionality, skip protection and easy-to-use controls. The HOTT player does require separate batteries and won't recharge, and the simple display isn't backlit, but that ultimately serves to underscore the sleek, professional look.

_{MP3-capable: Yes | Skip protection: 45 seconds | Rechargeable battery: No | Included accessories: Earbuds, power cable (to bypass batteries), AUX cable, and carrying bag}

Best for Exercise

GPX PC807BMP3U

View on Amazon

CD players and their spinning disks are vulnerable to the negative effects of sudden movement, which poses a real problem for those who want to take their CDs with them jogging or to the gym. The GPX PC807BMP3U offers up to 200 seconds of anti-skip protection so that all those bumps and jumps don’t interfere with your tunes. It also has a rubberized exterior which makes it easier to hold with sweaty hands.

Additionally, the GPX PC807BMP3U comes with earbuds and can use either AA batteries or a 12V car adapter for power. Unfortunately, there is no “last memory” function, nor is there a built-in radio, and customers report units arriving DOA. Fortunately, GPX offers a 90-day warranty to cover manufacturing defects and DOA CD players.