Shokz OpenRun Pro
Style: Bone conduction | Waterproof: IP55 | Battery life: Up to 10 hours | Drivers: N/A
Best for: Knowing exactly what’s going on around you on your runs.
Pros:
- Sealed, water-resistant design
- Open ear design for maximum situational awareness
Cons:
- Bone conduction takes some getting used to
- The fit is unique compared to other kinds of headphones
- Bass could be better
Bone conduction is a newer form of headphones that doesn’t rely on your ears at all. Instead, sound is transmitted through your cheekbones directly into your eardrum. Even if you plug your ears, you can still hear the sound produced by the headphones. Plus, since nothing goes into your ears, you can also hear everything around you so your situational awareness is still at the forefront—which is vital when you’re out on a run.
Unlike most earbuds, these headphones come with a neck band that connects both sides. This neckband is stiff and helps keep the headphones in place, which is important for running, given all the movement involved. Plus, since the headphones rely on bone conduction instead of through-the-air sound transmission, they’re completely sealed, so they’re much less vulnerable to water and sweat.
These headphones will last around 10 hours on a single charge, so if you’re an ultramarathoner, you might want to look elsewhere. But otherwise, these headphones will last for just about any length of run you have in you. If you forget to charge them, a quick 10-minute top-off will get you 90 minutes of playback. There’s a distinct lack of bass in these headphones since bone conduction doesn’t carry bass very well, so if you’re really into music with some thumping low-end, these may not be the right pick for you.
Best Budget Earbuds For Running
Tack These Tiny Earbuds Onto Your Key Ring
JLab JBuds Mini
Style: In-ear | Waterproof: IP55 | Battery life: Up to 20 hours | Drivers: 6mm
Best for: Enjoying your music on a budget.
Pros:
- Ultraportable
- Great sound
- Case can attach to your keyring
Cons:
- No active noise canceling
- Only 5.5 hours of playback time
- Might be too small for some ears
The JLab Jbuds Mini checks many boxes you might be looking for in a great set of running earbuds. First and foremost, they are tiny. The charging case fits on your keyring and is no bigger than an average car fob. Inside the case, the two minuscule buds are easy to grab and put in your ears, and they really sound good.
You get a wide range of sound coming from these tiny buds, including some deep bass. The app has three sound presets for you to choose from. The buds also have great passive noise cancellation—they don’t have Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), but the seal the silicon tips form against your ear canal is solid, and keeps out a lot of noise. Speaking of ANC, though these buds lack that particular feature, they have a “Be Aware” feature that lets noise in so you can know what’s going on around you. The best part is these buds cost less than $50. Keeping a pair on your keyring as a backup is totally worth it, too, but if you want to hit the road with them, they’re great for accommodating that as well.
What our writers say: Social video producer Natalie Steinman says, “I was scared at first that the sound wouldn’t be as good compared to normal sized headphones. But even though they are tiny, they’re able to go louder than some of my more expensive/bigger headphones. I really like to use them when I’m running because of how small their case is and how well they fit in my ear.”
Best Waterproof Earbuds For Running
Sweatproof And (Almost) Bulletproof
Jabra Elite 8 Active
Style: In-ear | IP Rating: MIL-STD 810H | Battery life: Up to 56 hours | Drivers: 6mm
Best for: If you want a pair of really sturdy and durable earbuds.
Pros:
- Darn near indestructible
- Long lasting
Cons:
- Sound is good, not great
- Expensive
Jabra set out to make the toughest earbuds on the market, and it succeeded admirably. The Jabra Elite 8 Active not only are waterproof and sweatproof, but they comply with Military Standards of toughness. Put simply, you can drop these earbuds into a puddle and accidentally step on them and they’ll probably still work. Of course, Jabra doesn’t recommend that, but it’s good to know all the same.
One big way where these earbuds differ from most other earbuds is the buttons on the buds. These are not controlled by capacitive areas on the outside of the earbuds. Rather, there are physical buttons on both buds that you can press to play/pause your music, skip forward and bac, etc. This is a big deal because when you’re our running on a hot day, your fingers may sweat too much and render capacitive buttons useless. That’s not a problem here.
On the sound side, these buds sound good, but not great, which belies their relatively high price tag. You can get buds that sound this good for a lot less. But those other buds will not be as tough, and that’s pretty much a guarantee. Runners have been known to put their earbuds through the wringer; these buds will tackle the wringer and come out smiling on the other side.
What our writers say: Audio expert Christian de Looper says, “The Jabra Elite 8 earbuds are perfect for running, working out and nearly any other activity, thanks to their incredible durability. I love the fact that they’re some of the only earbuds to offer an IP68 water-resistance rating, which makes them easily up to the task of surviving heavy sweat, rain and even the accidental drop in the pool.”
Best Over-The-Ear Running Headphones
Comfortable Ear Cups And Solid ANC
Anker Soundcore Life Q20
Style: Over-ear | IP Rating: N/A| Battery life: Up to 40 hours | Drivers: 40mm
Best for: Swapping for an over-the-ear option that’s both comfortable and affordable.
Pros:
- Soft foam ear cups are comfortable
- Physical controls are useful when sweaty
Cons
- No water resistance
- Cheap build
Over-ear headphones are not very common on the track, mostly because they tend to be bulky and take up a lot of space in a gym bag. However, not everyone likes having earbuds inserted into their ear canals. If that’s the case for you, and you aren’t interested in bone conduction, then the Soundcore Life Q20 headphones are a great choice.
Soundcore is the audio subbrand of Anker. The company is known for providing really good value in its audio products, and the Life Q20 headphones are no exception. They have 40mm drivers for really good sound and active noise cancellation along with a really good transparency mode. The headphones can provide up to 40 hours of play time with ANC turned on. If you turn it off, you’re looking at more like 60 hours of playback.
If your device has a headphone jack, you can connect these headphones with the included aux cable and not worry about interference, loss of signal or latency. Just be careful not to get caught out in the rain, because these headphones lack any IP rating. They are, however, very affordable, usually sitting in the $40 to $60 range.
What our writers say: Our writer says, “I usually use these headphones sitting at my desk—not out on a run—but when I do, I enjoy the all-day comfort of the memory foam ear cups, the quality sound and ANC.”
Best Apple Earbuds For Running
Perfect For Your iPhone
Beats Fit Pro
Style: In-ear | IP Rating: IP54 | Battery life: Up to 30 hours | Drivers: 9.5mm
Best for: Enjoying music on your iPhone.
Pros:
- Easy Apple integration
- Great sound
Cons:
- A little bass-heavy
- The wings might take getting used to
Apple bought the brand Beats by Dre years ago, and since has folded the headphone company into its portfolio. One of the key benefits to this relationship is the integration of Apple technology into the headphones. The Beats Fit Pro easily pair with your iPhone just by opening the case near the phone’s screen. A prompt will pop up asking you to pair the headphones—and just like that, you can listen.
You also get really good sound from these headphones, but be warned that they carry a bass-heavy profile. You can change the sound with a custom EQ, but out of the box, these headphones are designed for beats-heavy hip-hop music (hence the “by Dre” part of the name). You get six hours of listening time on a charge, which should be more than enough for all but the longest runs.
Beats Fit Pro are designed with wingtips that help to hold the earbuds in place when you’re active. These wing tips are rubber and wedge themselves into your ear lobe. This is handy for making sure you don’t lose one, but depending on your ear shape, that might not be conducive to long-term wearing. If you can get used to the fit and the feel, these earbuds will last you a good long time and are more than ready to stand up to mile after mile of a run.
What our writers say: De Looper also tested the Beats Fit Pro earbuds and says, “The Beats Fit Pro are great workout buds for Apple users, and some of my favorite sports earbuds. The reason is simple—they connect easily with my iPhone and Apple Watch, and they come with fit wings to help ensure they remain securely in my ears when I’m running. Their emphasis on bass response can help you stay motivated when workout out too—though don’t necessarily expect stunning high-end detail.”
Best Earbuds For Running For Android
A Fun Design That Sounds Great
Nothing Ear
Style: In-ear | IP Rating: IP54 | Battery life: Up to 40 hours | Drivers: 11mm
Best for: Getting great audio while using an Android device.
Pros:
- Great sound
- Fun, transparent design
- Easy pairing with Google Fast Pair
Cons:
- Not much change in design
- ANC and transparency mode is not great
Consumer electronics startup Nothing makes a number of design-focused products, including smartphones, but it started off with earbuds. The Nothing Ear TWS are the third generation of that product, but it’s not following the normal naming convention of “Nothing Ear (3)” and instead opted for just “Nothing Ear.”
Because the company focuses on design, the Nothing Ear earbuds come in a transparent case and are themselves largely transparent. You can see some of the electronics in the ear stems and serve as the control mechanism. Similar to Apple’s AirPods, you control these earbuds by pinching the stem. Controls are quite customizable, though Nothing did away with swiping up and down on the ear stalks to adjust the volume after the first generation, which is a shame.
The sound on the Nothing Ear headphones is quite good, though active noise cancellation and transparency mode are not the best. While they can pair with either an iPhone or Android phone, they’re better for Android since they come with Google’s Fast Pair. Similar to Apple’s pairing scheme, all you need to do is open the earbuds case near your Android phone and you’ll be prompted to pair the headphones. You’ll also want to download the Nothing X app for further customization.
What our writers say: De Looper says that in addition to a fun, intuitive design, the Nothing Ears, “sound excellent too, and easily compete with the best-sounding earbuds out there. They’re not the single best-sounding pair of earbuds out there. That title goes to Denon, with the Denon PerL Pro earbuds. But, they do sound almost as good, and the app has an advanced EQ that allows you to tweak the audio to your preferences. The app in general is well-designed and easy to use, and packed with helpful features.”
- Contributor Adam Doud has a background deeply rooted in tech journalism and a passion for all things consumer tech. He has extensive experience with audio products, and has personally tested over a dozen earbuds to find the best wireless earbuds. He has also compared many different headphones and earbuds, including pitting the Apple AirPods Pro versus Beats Studio Buds and the Sony WH-1000XM5 versus Apple AirPods Max headphones.
- All of the noise-canceling headphone recommendations in this guide were tested and tried by a member of our team. Many of them were personally tested by audio expert Christian de Looper who has written about the best wireless earbuds under $100 and the best waterproof headphones.
- We’ve published dozens of audio-related guides, from the best workout headphones to the best over-ear headphones.
- This guide is regularly updated to add new picks, expand on our methodology and provide helpful tips for shopping the best earbuds for running.
How We Chose The Best Earbuds For Running
We first looked at popular headphones from brands we know and love including Jabra, Nothing and more. We then compared the features of each by comparing them across key factors like sound quality, battery life, waterproofing and comfort.
- Our team tested and researched dozens of options. Each of our picks come personally recommended after trying them ourselves—many times upwards of 100 hours per pair.
- We included earbuds for running for a variety of runners. Whether you’re a marathoner or someone who jogs around the neighborhood or a park, we carefully chose an option to fit your specific needs.
- All of the noise-canceling headphones we’ve listed have stellar customer reviews with ratings no less than 4 out of 5 stars.
