The Best Gifts You Can Get From Amazon Between $25 to $250

The Echo Dot is in just about every home in America, right? You can't seem to go anywhere without seeing two or three of them scattered around on people's desks or kitchen counters. They can be difficult to place if you have limited counter space. So I use this plug-in Echo Dot hanger, and it helps to declutter, especially as the cords and charging block fit neatly inside the hanger, too.

Many home cooks have tried to balance a pot lid so that it's open just enough to pour water or oil through but not enough to let the food fall out. Sometimes, it works -- often, it doesn't. This cool little gadget makes that entire process easier by clipping to the edge of your pot or pan and acting like a colander to strain off liquid without losing the most important part -- your delicious food.

Did you know that Kit Kats in other countries taste very different from American Kit Kats? It's true, and Japan takes it to a whole new level with tons of different flavors, including apple, orange -- even sweet potato. This variety pack may seem a little pricey for candy bars, but if you have a chocolate lover with a sense of adventure in your life, they will likely appreciate this as a gift.

My son loves to play the piano, but it isn't the easiest thing to carry around. This fun little Kalimba lets him plink away at something that offers a small, but beautiful, sound when we're out and about and the urge to be musical strikes him.

This is one of the many cases of "TikTok made me buy it" that you'll see while looking for gifts this year. My wife and I ended up buying several sets of these to organize everything from our pantry to our bathroom drawers. These kinds of organizers aren't the first thing people think of to buy themselves, which makes them a great gift.

Seeing the CMY Cube in person for the first time is almost magical. On the surface, it's a glass cube with the colors of cyan, magenta and yellow -- hence the name CMY Cube -- but as you spin it around, the colors mix, showing you more colors in the spectrum. I'm sure there are a lot of benefits to teaching color theory, and I know that it can help stimulate children with learning difficulties, but my main reason for giving this as a gift is its sheer joy. It's a simple cube that fires my imagination -- and I love it.

Stanley is a popular drinking vessel of choice -- and for good reason. It's known for keeping beverages hot or cold for hours on end. The Stanley Aerolight Transit Bottle is CNET's top choice for the best travel coffee mug, thanks to its excellent heat retention and thoughtfully designed flip mechanism. It's also the recipient of a CNET Editors' Choice Award.

These smart lights from Govee are an upgrade to the lights further down the list. They add an ambient light behind your TV or gaming rig and can move to the music. And with the Govee app, you can select what color and brightness you want. Govee has managed to build a strong reputation for delivering excellent-quality products on a budget, and these lights show why. They feel a lot more expensive than they are.

If you spend any time at concerts, in loud public spaces or even in the theater, you’ll know that the sound can become overwhelming. These earplugs from Vibes are super lightweight, easy to reuse and reduce the incoming noise level without muffling the sounds. I was at a massive Oasis concert this year, and the Vibes killed a lot of the excess noise without me losing Liam's mad vocals or Noel's guitar shredding. Prices vary by color, but the clear model is the cheapest -- and right now there's an on-page coupon that will save you an additional $4.50.

Playing games with your kids can be incredibly rewarding, and so can playing games by yourself. The GoCube gives you the chance to do both. I've always wanted to know how to complete a Rubik's cube but could never get the hang of it. The GoCube connects to your phone or tablet and takes you through the steps of solving a cube using "algorithms." It's the first time I've felt I had a handle on manipulating a puzzle cube without it being completely random. Learning a new skill as a dad, especially one that can impress your kids, is always worthwhile -- and the app even lets you play battle games with your kids to make it more family-oriented.

Over the last few years, phone makers have stopped including charging bricks with new phone purchases. It makes sense, but it means people are using outdated chargers that can't keep up with their phone's maximum charging speed. Make sure your loved ones have a power brick worthy of the latest and greatest device with this fast 65-watt charger from Anker. It's way faster than those offered by almost any standard manufacturer. 

Getting a lovely bunch of flowers is always nice, but they rarely last longer than a week or so. I found this beautiful bouquet of preserved roses for my wife for Valentine's Day, and they've lasted the whole year looking as fresh as ever. They may not actually be "eternal," but they're real and will last several years, bringing beauty and joy that whole time.

If you know someone who loves the spa -- or at least all its fragrant scents, like eucalyptus and lavender -- this is for them. Plus, they can power it from their smart speaker, like Amazon Echo or Google Home. And this model also made CNET's pick for best essential oil diffuser.

Opening wine bottles can be an unpredictable, tricky process. Many people -- my wife included -- still use the old twist corkscrew to open bottles and invariably get some cork in the wine. This kind of opener solves that issue and greatly speeds up cork removal. It also looks really clean and sleek with the stainless steel and black finish. I ended up buying one for my wife and she likes it enough to want to use it more often.

No matter how good virtual tabletop games get, using a physical die to resolve a tense roll just feels better. I used to point my webcam into a dice box so everyone online could see the roll happen, but with a GoDice D20, I don't have to. This smart die connects to my phone and shares my die roll with Roll20, FoundryVTT and even Discord. All you need to do is log in to your tabletop gaming app of choice and connect your GoDice, and the roll in real life quickly becomes a roll in the virtual space. It also lights up in fun colors when you hit a 20 or a 1, making it extra fun for the people in the room with you too.

Vinyl records never really go out of fashion as they give an audio experience that's hard to match in today's digital age. Victrola makes a line of budget-friendly vinyl players that keep that retro feel while adding in some modern smarts like Bluetooth connectivity. While the onboard sound is only average, the outputs let you connect it to a proper set of speakers that offer a rich and enjoyable sound.
My wife bought me this Union Flag version as she knows how much I love my homeland. It also looks awesome on my shelf of things I love. 

For that gadget-obsessed person in your life who seems to have everything, consider a soundbar. The Roku Streambar SE is an optimal choice for boosting the quality of their home theater experience. Not only is it budget-friendly, but it's ultra-compact, easy to set up and offers decent sound for its small size.

Sphero has been around for more than a decade at this point, and while the bigger robots have gone away, the mini ones remain to bring us joy. This set contains a Sphero Mini and everything you need to help a child learn to code and play with their own remote-controlled orb. My 7-year-old and I have been playing with it nonstop since it arrived, and I think any kids who enjoy science should have one this year.

This little tabletop air purifier is small enough to not be intrusive but large enough to filter a good-sized room twice an hour. It can remove animal dander and can significantly reduce mold spores, viruses and bacteria in the air. If you know someone who works from home in a stuffy office all day, this little device can make them feel a lot better.

A portable wireless speaker is a great gift for the music lover in your life. The Tribit XSound Plus 2 is one of our top choices for a budget-friendly Bluetooth speaker. It offers surprisingly good sound for its size and price, and it's fully waterproof. 

A good belt is an investment. I know that seems overblown, but it's true. I have some really good belts that I've owned for 20 years, and they're still going strong. The Groove Life belt feels like that. The buckle on the one I tested has a walnut veneer that looks great, and the magnetic clasp holds everything together tightly. The belt material is tough but has a little give. The stretch isn't so much that your pants fall down if you have heavy stuff in your pockets, but it has enough room to breathe when that meal is a little bigger than you thought.

If you know someone who travels frequently or misplaces things all the time, this is the perfect gift. These little item trackers can be slipped into purses, luggage and wallets, or attached to keys and many other things. With four of the devices in this pack, they can put AirTags in multiple spots for easy tracking.

I think we can all agree that ice-cold drinks are delicious. This little ice maker is incredibly easy to operate, and because it doesn't tap directly into your water line, you can put it anywhere. All you have to do is fill it with bottled or filtered water and it will make delicious clear ice -- in two different sizes, no less -- whenever you need it.

The first time I saw the Meater 2 Plus, I knew I had to use it. I live in Southern California, and the weather is pretty much always good enough to throw a rack of ribs or a spatchcocked chicken on the grill. I do a lot of cooking out in the backyard, but it takes a long time to cook. You really want to cook slowly and evenly on a grill to keep the juices in.

The Meater 2 Plus lets me put the temperature probe into the meat, close the grill lid and maintain a connection to my phone. Not only is the connection tremendous, but if you tell the app what meat you're cooking, it can work out the resting time too, giving you a perfect piece of meat every time. The update to the Meater 2 means it can be much closer to the heat, including deep frying turkeys.

Read more: Meater 2 Plus hands-on

Most people already own earbuds, but do they have a pair that's specifically designed for running and working out? CNET audio expert David Carnoy rated Shokz's OpenFit 2 the best earbuds for running in 2025, thanks to their comfortable, secure fit and great audio.

Help your giftee wake up more naturally -- versus a blaring beep-beep-beep -- with this sunrise alarm clock. The Hatch Restore 3 is the recipient of a CNET Editors' Choice Award and our pick for the best sunrise alarm clock. It offers a wide range of hues that you can customize to perfect your sunrise of choice. And you can pair it with over 80 soothing sounds. Right now you can take advantage of an on-page coupon that will save you $25.

The Echo Show 8 is one of our favorite smart displays, and it’ll make a great gift for smart home enthusiasts. Your recipient will be able to control everything from lights to appliances. The Echo Show 8 is also perfect for hosting impromptu karaoke sessions, checking who’s at the door and making hands-free video calls.

If, like me, you get fed up with the terrible choices on hotel TVs and you want something you can travel with that has all your settings already, try the Pocket TV from RayNeo. Originally designed to work with the RayNeo smart glasses, the output is just USB-C, meaning it will work with any USB-C monitor or, if you have a USB-C to HDMI cable, any standard TV. The Pocket TV is Google TV-powered, meaning it's easy to navigate. It also has 64GB storage and room for an SD card, so you can save your shows for offline travel on a plane. I've used it a lot with the RayNeo glasses and it's a fantastic little ecosystem for watching your favorite shows privately while traveling.

If you know someone who's always wanted a pair of Beats headphones, then these are the perfect gift. The battery life is up to 24 hours (ANC on) and 40 hours (ANC off). They’re also our pick for best Beats headphones, and as CNET’s David Carnoy says, “I'm tempted to describe them as more affordable plastic versions of the AirPods Max.” You be the judge. Read our Beats Studio Pro review to learn more about their sound quality and performance.

Building Lego sets has become a way to relax and unwind for many. Surprise the Twilight fan in your life with their very own model of the Cullens’ home. This set comes with 2,001 pieces and includes fan-favorite minifigures, like Bella Swan, Edward Cullen with sparkling skin and Jacob. Plus, there’s also a brick-built Jacob wolf figure. If you want more ideas, we’ve also got a list of the best Lego deals available.

The Ninja Creami took TikTok by storm by offering a quick and easy way to make healthier frozen treats. The Creami Deluxe was released later and includes even more treat options, including slushies, Italian ice, "Creamiccino," frozen yogurt and frozen drinks. The Creami will be a nice addition to the kitchen of your friend with that huge sweet tooth.