We've tested the best sports headphones to help boost your motivation (2024)

The best sports headphones are packed with features like noise cancellation, transparency modes, and water-resistant designs. Plus, they're durable, stay in place during exercise, and easily last an entire workout.

But because music, podcasts, and audiobooks are a great way to stay motivated while you're working out, it's important to have a set of workout earbuds that'll suit the way you like to train without breaking the bank.

To help you decide, we've tested the best sports headphones and found our favorites based on the design, comfort, battery life, and sound quality. There are iPhone-friendly choices like Beats and AirPods alongside unique bone conduction sets and buds that come with fitness-tracking sensors.

The best sport headphones you can buy right now

Best sports headphones overall

It's hard to find a better designed, more comfortable set of sports headphones than the Beats Fit Pro. These earbuds have small wings on each bud to keep them locked in place, making them ideal for working out.

However, that's not the only reason to like them. We were impressed by the noise cancelation, which easily blocked out unwanted distractions like background and traffic noise. And they have Apple's H1 chip, which means they integrate seamlessly with your other Apple devices, like your Mac.

And the chip helps power Siri's hands-free commands, and the Find My feature that allows you to recover misplaced buds. Of course, many of these features only work with Apple products, but you can still get a well-fitted, high-performing set even if you use an Android phone.

• Read our full Beats Fit Pro review

Best value sports headphones

If you like the design of Apple's Beats brand, but prefer the security of over-ear hooks, then the Beats Powerbeats Pro may be the best sports headphones for you. These sweat-resistant buds have Apple's H1 chip, so they play well with other Apple devices.

But, importantly, they also work with Android phones too, ideal if you're a fan of the Beats sound profile, although you don't get access to some iPhone-specific features like Siri and Spatial Audio.

However, whichever device you use, we found that the Powerbeats Pro have a well-balance audio output — gone is the super-heavy-bass approach found in older Beats sets. You get 24 hours of battery with the case, and 9 hours per bud.

• Read our full Beats Powerbeats Pro earbuds review

Best bone conduction sports headphones

The Shokz OpenRun Pro are a bit different to the others on this list. Rather than popping the buds into your ear, the OpenRun Pro wrap around your head and sit on your cheekbones, and use vibrations to create sound.

Of course, this will never sound quite the same as in-ear buds, but, depending on how you like to exercise, it could be a lot more practical. As you don't have an obstruction in your ear, you can still hear everything around too.

This makes them an ideal choice if you're into running, hiking, or cycling — activities where you need to keep an ear out for road traffic or other people. And because of the headband-style design, we found they are some of the comfiest sports headphones to wear as well.

• Read our full Shokz OpenRun Pro review

Best sports headphones for iPhone

Apple doesn't aim the AirPods Pro 2 at exercise — they have the Beats Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro for that — but the popular buds do come with many of the same features and that distinctive Apple-white stemmed design.

And just because they're not workout-themed, doesn't mean you can't use them for exercise too. In fact, we took the AirPods 2 out on a run and found that the combination of changeable ear tips and a dynamic Adaptive Transparency mode make them ideal for indoor and outdoor workouts.

As with Apple's original ANC buds, the AirPods Pro 2 are sweat and water resistance to IPX4, but slippage has been improved to feel more secure whether you're on a run or working out, plus Apple’s Ear Tip Fit Test helps achieve optimal fit

Battery life has been increased compared to the first-gen AirPods Pro, with 6 hours on the earbuds and 30 hours from the wireless charging case. And the noise cancelation is easily some of the best we've ever used.

• Read the fullApple AirPods Pro 2 review

Best sports headphones for durability

The Jabra Elite 8 Active are some of the most durable sports headphones we've tested. The materials don't chip or fade, the ShakeGrip ear tip design stops them from falling out on runs and high-intensity workouts, and they come with an IP68 rating for water resistance.

They have Jabra’s warm sound signature to jumpstart workouts the moment you press play, along with adaptiveactive noise cancellation (with a transparency mode),spatial audio, and some of the longest battery life available.

Noise cancelation does a fantastic job of reducing unwanted sounds, be it on runs or during video chats. The Elite 8 Active are one of the strongest pairs of workout headphones we've seen, and benefit from solid feature support across both iOS and Android devices.

• Read our fullJabra Elite 8 Active review

Best sports headphones under $100

The JLab Epic Air Sport ANC (2nd Gen) are a budget-friendly set of sports headphones that may be the ideal choice if you're after a set to through into your gym bag or take out on runs and hikes.

The buds last for 11 hours with noise cancelation on, and this can be topped up to 70 hours with the charging case, so you won't need to recharge them after a couple of uses. The large ear hooks keep them firmly in place too.

The buds have the brand's lively sound profile, so your favorite playlists and podcasts will still sound good, and there's a transparency mode for when you're training outside and need to stay aware of your surroundings.

The only setback is that ANC performance as well as call quality and comfort has fallen behind market leaders, but you can only ask for so much when considering the $99 price point.

• Read our full JLab Epic Air Sport ANC (2nd Gen) review

The PowerBuds Pro are the an upgrade to our old favorite, the Amazfit PowerBuds. We were always impressed by how the older set managed to fit a heart rate sensor into the sports earbuds, but the PowerBuds Pro make this look like a mere toy.

In addition to heart rate monitoring it can also track your steps and distance, ideal for runs or bike rides, and can even detect if you're sitting in a way that will hurt your spine. Essentially, it's a set of headphones with a fitness tracker built in.

The fit can feel a bit loose, but it's the trade-off you make for a feature-packed pair at this price. There's also ANC, a transparency mode for outdoor exercise, and you can sync your fitness data to other apps like Runtastic and MapMyRun.

• Read our full Amazfit PowerBuds Pro review

The Jabra Elite 7 Active have been superseded by the Elite 8 Active, but they're also still available, which makes them a great way to pick up a set of Jabra sports headphones without breaking the bank.

These were the first set to come with the company's ShakeGrip earbud design — a blend of materials and positioning to prevent the buds accidentally falling out during exercise. It's not fool-proof, but you won't have to spend ages fiddling with them either.

They can connect to two devices simultaneously (ideal if you're working out with your phone, but need to stay connected to your professional device), and you can use the Jabra Sound+ app to customize the EQ and button functions.

They're a great companion for sweaty gym workouts and outdoor runs, thanks to the IP57 rating for sweat and waterproof protection. The ANC may not rival Bose, but it does a good job overall of blocking out distractions.

• Read our full Jabra Elite 7 Active review

How to choose the best sport headphones for your workouts

There are a lot of great sports headphones out there, but you can make it easier to narrow down your options by keeping in mind a few important considerations to help you find the best sports headphones for your workouts.

1. Durability

The best sport headphones offer some form of water or sweat-resistant protection. Some might say they can withstand water and sweat, and some are IP-certified. If you want your headphones to be protected, make sure you look for designs with at least an IPX4 (or higher) rating.

2. Design

You'll need a set of sports headphones that will stay in place during your preferred exercise. For running, it can be helpful to choose a set with ear hooks or a headband (like the Shokz OpenRun Pro).

Meanwhile, if you're doing high-intensity workouts or weightlifting, in-ear buds might work best. They'll often have materials or tips designed to keep them from falling out or feeling too heavy, like the Jabra Elite 8 Active's ShakeGrip desgin.

3. Battery life

None of us want to recharge our devices several times a day. Fortunately, many of the best sports headphones last up to 8 hours, with three or four full recharges in the case.

However, it's still important to factor battery life into your decision. If you plan on a multi-hour run or all-day hike, you'll want a set that can last the duration. Or if you're more into short, high-intensity workouts, this might be less of a problem.

4. Accessories

It's disappointing spending money on a new pair of wireless earbuds only to find that you need to buy the accessories separately. Any models that come with a carrying case, charging cable, user guide, and extra ear cups or tips are solid purchases.

5. Price

The cost of each set is a big factor, especially if you're working within a budget. Generally, big-name brands will cost more, but you can make your money go further by opting for a set from smaller names like JLab and Amazfit without too much compromise on features.

But you'll need to balance this against other areas like battery life and sound quality. Likewise, you might not want to spend a lot of a set to leave in the bottom of your gym bag, but may prefer to invest in a more premium set if you plan to use them all day for music, podcasts, and video calls.

How we test the best sport headphones and earbuds

When creating our list of the best sport headphones, Tom’s Guide tests every model to see how they stand up to vigorous workouts, evaluating both how securely they fit during exercises and how well they handle ambient sound (e.g. noise at the gym, oncoming traffic).

During the testing phase, each pair of headphones is worn for 2 hours at a time throughout the course of a week. On occasion, we’ll perform further testing when comparing top-rated and popular models for our face-offfeatures. Our reviewers also test every feature for app-enabled headphones, along with ease of setup.

To determine sound quality, our reviewer evaluates comfort and fit, ease of use, and audio. We test sound by listening to tracks across different music genres, including hip-hop, rock, jazz, classical, and pop. Volume, clarity, and fullness of sound are taken into consideration in our ratings.

Find out what we listen for during our testing process and how to get thebest headphone sound for you.

We evaluate earbuds based on a five-point system (1 = worst, 5 = best). If a product hits nearly every mark, it’s awarded a coveted Recommended badge, while our Best Value award speaks for itself. Only products with truly exceptional performance across the board are awarded an Editor's Choice badge.

For more information, check out ourhowwe test pagefor Tom's Guide.