With the world getting louder by the day, you sure have been experiencing the disconcerting noises which steal away your peace. Even your home, which is your safe haven, has fallen victim to these chaotic sounds. If you are seeking the same calm, restorative lifestyle that people enjoyed decades ago, without having the need to move your home, we recommend you to fully soundproof your space. While acoustic foam is a great and most-often considered option for managing acoustics, there are a plethora of alternatives that are cheap, effective, and versatile.
Short on time? The best alternatives to acoustic foam are the Sure-Max Moving Blanket. They are an ideal combination of quality, durability and low-cost that help reduce noise reverberations. Other great substitutes are Nicetown Sound Blocking Curtains and Ultrug Fluffy Carpet. They both are excellent and budget-friendly sound dampeners that also help add a hint of elegance to your space.
Cheap Acoustic Foam Alternatives
1. Sure-Max Moving Blankets
Best Rated
Sure-max moving quilts are our leading choice when it comes to picking cheap and most effective soundproofing alternatives to acoustic foams.
They are inexpensive, practical, and a quick way to acoustic treat any room.
Sure-max moving blankets have a substantial weight of 34.9 lbs. and they are crafted with premium-grade materials, which includes ultra-plush, padded soft cotton.
The zig-zag stitching and polyester binding give them extra sturdiness. This heavy-duty stitching is the secret that allows moving blankets to trap sound waves.
They acoustically treat the room by reducing noise reflections, echoes, and sound reverberations. The makeup of the blankets help prevent air and sound particles from passing through them.
This means the sound will be partially absorbed into the blankets and will not easily reflect into your space.
The best way to use them is by hanging them from the walls with grommets and command hooks and hanging them like you would hang regular drapes.
Another way is to lay them on hard floors that reflect sounds from below you. These blankets are versatile and can be used in a multitude of situations. Read more: best acoustic blankets 2025: do sound blankets work
Pros
- Durable
- Superior cushioning
- Professional & commercial grade
Cons
- Lack Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating
2. Nicetown Sound Blocking Curtains
Runner Up
Nicetown sound blocking curtains are another excellent pick for sound deadening your space.
Drapes like these muffle high-end sound frequencies and give the semblance of a soundproofed room.
These drapes are heavy, lined curtains that block the window completely to filter out noise pollution.
They are special because the effect of absorbing sound is x2 higher than the ordinary 1 layered curtain. These curtains are designed to be from floor to ceiling, quite heavy-duty and tightly woven.
This is critical to help avoid outside noise to leak into the room from any side of the window or door.
These sound blocking curtains are a great way to make nice improvements in a room’s acoustics at a very low cost. They are a fantastic way to dampen sound in your room and keep it from bouncing sounds back and forth.
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Easy to hang
- Multi-purpose
Cons
- Thick and heavy which makes it a bit harder to install but more effective in sound deadening
3. Ultrug Fluffy Carpet
Best Floor Alternative to Acoustic Foam
Ultrug shaggy area rugs are a great alternative to acoustic foams as they insulate sounds by soaking up ambient sounds.
These rugs are extremely effective sound absorbers because the polyester fibers, woven nylon tufts and underlays have varying resonant frequencies at which they absorb different decibel levels.
Ultra-soft rugs have a velvety high pile and provide great surface area (5.3ft x 7.5ft) that helps soak noises and prevents echoes.
Also, this rug is covered with thousands of anti-slip spots on the back to prevent it from sliding on the floor.
The rule of thumb is the thicker the carpet pile is, the more treble frequency it is going to absorb and denser the material the less sound vibration can pass through it.
This Ultrug fluffy sound reduction rug be-fits these all.
Pros
- Adds a luxurious touch
- Value for money
- Easy to wipe and clean
Cons
- Can lead to dust allergies as it easily traps dirt
4. Jber Cheap Acoustic Foam Panels
Cheapest Acoustic Foam
Acoustic foam panels are the best-known, traditional way of managing room acoustics.
The panels are an effective sound deadener for reverberation, flutter echoes, and undesirable acoustic reflections.
This type of foam is usually installed in smaller spaces because it has the capability to reduce the resonance inside a room.
To lessen the mid to high frequency sounds regular plain squared design of acoustic foams are used, while to reduce the low frequency sounds thick and weighted pieces of acoustic foam are needed.
Foam panels can be used as an acoustic cover for walls, ceilings and doors. To install these panels on your walls and ceiling you need to use mounting strips or adhesive spray.
Pros
- Flexible
- Light
- Fire resistant
Cons
- Need to be handled with care
5. TMS Soundproofing Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV)
Best Flexible Alternative to Acoustic Foam
TMS MLV is a special soundproofing material that is designed with the primary purpose of serving as a sound barrier by adding mass.
The best way to use MLV is to sandwich it between two sheets of drywall.
Adding mass between walls acts as a resilient blocker that helps in sound insulation.
TMS soundproofing MLV is a versatile and premium quality product that really ups one’s soundproofing game.
It is highly flexible so it can be bent and installed in a variety of places for multiple purposes.
This means you get the density of concrete or hard board but flexibility of rubber. The flexibility aspect allows you to wrap, fold and mold as you please to achieve your noise reduction goals.
Pros
- Flexible
- User-friendly installation
- Non-Toxic
Cons
- Low tensile strength
6. Henley Egg Carton
Most Cheap Alternative to Acoustic Foam Panels
If you’re extremely tight on budget but would really want to fix your room acoustics-then egg cartons will come to your rescue.
There is a great possibility that you can find empty egg cartons in your pantry and put them to acoustic management use.
However, if by any chance if you aren’t an egg person then you can purchase these cartons online. These cartons help deaden certain sounds by absorbing sound waves and frequencies.
To better improve the soundproofing capabilities of egg cartons, install small pieces of fabric or foam inside the openings of the carton before hanging them on the walls as this will help improve the absorption density of the cartons and their capacity to soak sounds.
Pros
- Environmentally friendly
- Economical
Cons
- Can make the room look peculiar and bizarre
Final Words About Alternatives To Acoustic Foam
Living in 2025, there are many alternatives to acoustic foams on the market.
If you are looking to soundproof a room with cheap and effective products we highly recommend Sure-Max Moving Blanket and Nicetown Sound Blocking Curtains. You can take a do-it-yourself approach with these products and easily and effectively manage room acoustics without any expert help.
However, if you want to add a touch of luxury as well, you may want to consider Ultrug Fluffy Carpet that will also perfectly insulate noises from your space.
Dave Pearson is a Canadian musician, sound editor, and audiophile. He is also the founder and owner of the website SoundProofGeek. On SoundProofGeek, Pearson offers advice and resources on audio equipment, including how to assess and improve audio quality, how to troubleshoot and repair audio equipment, and how to improve the music listening experience.
Table of Contents