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Oct 16, 2024

Best Running Headphones and Earbuds for 2024 - CNET

Article updated on October 1, 2024 at 2:06 PM PDT Enjoy quality audio while on those head-bobbing running workouts with the best CNET hand-tested earbuds. CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens

Article updated on October 1, 2024 at 2:06 PM PDT

Enjoy quality audio while on those head-bobbing running workouts with the best CNET hand-tested earbuds.

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

What to Consider

Budget

Determine how much you're willing to spend on running headphones and how that lines up with quality and functionality.

Noise-isolating or open design

Noise-canceling features in phones are great but can impact sound quality. You need to choose which is most important to you before buying.

Ear hooks or not

Some sports buds feature designs with integrated ear hooks or sports fins. Both help keep the buds more securely on or in your ears. They are not essential to getting a secure fit, but they do help. Not everybody finds these types of designs comfortable.

Fit

Your headphones should offer a comfortable, secure fit. Ensuring the headphones you choose fit your head helps minimize any discomfort from long runs.

Durability

You want sport buds that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality and a good water-resistance rating.

Return policy

In case the headphones aren't a great fit for your ears, it's important that the retailer offers a good return policy.

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CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

What to Consider

Budget

Determine how much you're willing to spend on running headphones and how that lines up with quality and functionality.

Noise-isolating or open design

Noise-canceling features in phones are great but can impact sound quality. You need to choose which is most important to you before buying.

Ear hooks or not

Some sports buds feature designs with integrated ear hooks or sports fins. Both help keep the buds more securely on or in your ears. They are not essential to getting a secure fit, but they do help. Not everybody finds these types of designs comfortable.

Fit

Your headphones should offer a comfortable, secure fit. Ensuring the headphones you choose fit your head helps minimize any discomfort from long runs.

Durability

You want sport buds that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality and a good water-resistance rating.

Return policy

In case the headphones aren't a great fit for your ears, it's important that the retailer offers a good return policy.

There are a variety of running headphones and earbuds on the market. It can be overwhelming to shop for a pair, but CNET is here to help. I've put my top picks toward the top of this list: the new Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, Shokz OpenFit earbuds and the recently released Soundcore by Anker X20 buds, which all offer exceptional value. All of these picks are based on my years of testing dozens, if not hundreds, of headphones and earbuds while running.

When choosing the best headphones and earbuds for running, it’s important to consider models that stay securely in place, even at high speeds. In addition to the fit, you also need to account for safety, which is why we look for headphones and earbuds that let you hear the outside world, including traffic. Many of the latest active noise-canceling running earbuds also include a transparency mode, while others feature an open design to help you stay more aware of your surroundings. Lastly, since we’re talking about headphones, we naturally test for sound quality.

Most of the models on this best list are true-wireless earbuds, but I've also included some neckband-style wireless headphones that come with bone conduction technology or have an open design. Runners and bikers typically prefer this type of headphones for their secure fit and open design, which allows you to hear your surroundings.

Read more: Best Wireless Earbuds of 2024

Shokz, the company formerly known as AfterShokz, has long been the leader in bone-conduction headphones. Models like the OpenRun Pro, which deliver sound to your ear through your cheekbones, are popular with runners and bikers who like to leave their ears open for safety reasons. Shokz's new OpenFit model, the company's first true wireless earbuds, doesn't use bone-conduction technology. They have an open design that fires sound into your ears using custom speaker drivers, which Shokz dubs "air conduction" technology.

I was impressed by how lightweight (8.3 grams) and comfortable they are. They have one of the best ear-hook designs I've tried (Shokz calls it a Dolphin Arc ear hook). It's soft and offers just the right amount of flexibility to conform to the shape of your ear, with "dual-layered liquid silicone that provides a pliable fit," according to Shokz. The earbuds also sound quite good for open earbuds, although not quite as good as Cleer's Arc 2 Open Ear Sport earbuds, which also have an ear-hook design.

The OpenRun Pro are Shokz' current top-of-the-line bone conduction headphones. Featuring 9th-generation bone-conduction headphones, they offer slightly improved bass performance compared to the company's earlier flagship model, the Aeropex (now called the Shokz OpenRun). That makes the OpenRun Pro the best bone-conduction headphones you can get right now, although they still can't match the sound quality of traditional headphones.

The OpenRun Pro have a lightweight, wraparound titanium frame and are rated for up to 10 hours of music playback and you can get 1.5 hours of battery life from a 5-minute charge (they have a proprietary charging cable instead of USB-C, which is unfortunate). I found them comfortable to wear but you may occasionally have to adjust them on your head to relieve potential pressure points. They do offer a bit fuller sound with more bass (an incremental improvement), but it's not a huge leap forward. Other bone-conduction headphones are strongest in the midrange where voices live so they're very good for podcasts, talk radio, newscasts and audiobooks. A hard carrying case is included as well as foam ear tips that you can jam into your ears to get better bass performance (most people use those tips sparingly).

The Soundcore Sport X20 has some nice upgrades over Anker's original Soundcore X10 earbuds. They include an improved design, adaptive noise canceling, superior battery life, slightly better sound and multipoint Bluetooth pairing. Like the previous model, these have an interesting design with rotating swiveling ear hooks. They don't swivel as much as the X10's ear hooks, which is a good thing (they stayed on my ears very securely). I also liked that the charging case has a smaller footprint than a lot of buds with ear hooks.

Fully waterproof and dust-proof with an IP68 rating, the X20 has slightly larger drivers than the X10 (11mm instead of 10mm). As long as you get a tight seal from the included ear tips (you get five sizes), they're able to deliver good sound with punchy bass and good detail. They lack a bit of clarity, particularly at higher volumes (there was a touch of distortion), and the noise canceling isn't as good as Sony or Bose's noise canceling. The buds are affordable and a good value overall.

As for battery life, it's rated at up to 12 hours with noise canceling off and 7 hours with it on. Voice-calling performance is also decent but not exceptionally good.

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The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have one of the most unusual designs of any earbuds I've tested over the last several years. They clip onto the side of your ears, kind of like earrings, and their open design has micro speakers that fire sound into your ears while still being able to hear what's happening around you. At $299, they're somewhat overpriced, but otherwise, there's a lot to like about them, including a surprisingly comfortable, secure fit and very good sound quality for open buds.

1More makes a couple of open sports earbuds with ear hooks. The Fit S50 buds are the flagship ($85 currently with 35% off on-page coupon on Amazon) and feature a little better sound than the Fit SE S30, have a more premium design and are fully waterproof (IPX7 rating). I like the fit a little better on the step-down S30, which is IPX5 splash-proof (can sustain a spray of water) and costs half the price, making it a better value.

The case is bulky and feels a little cheap (the lid is flimsy) but the buds themselves seem sturdily built and the ear hooks are nice and flexible. They have 14.2mm drivers that output decent but not great sound (there's a bit of distortion at higher volumes), which is par for the course for these types of open buds that sit on top of your ears and fire sound into them. They're also good but not great for voice calling. A companion app for iOS and Android allows you to tweak the sound with an equalizer and you can update the buds' firmware. The buds are available in black or white and offer up to 10 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels.

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The Beats Fit Pro technically aren't AirPods, but they're built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro (yes, Apple owns Beats). Unlike Beats' earlier and less expensive Studio Buds and 2023 Studio Buds Plus, the Beats Fit Pro includes Apple's H1 chip and has most of the AirPods Pro's features, including active noise cancellation, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I'd venture to call them the sports AirPods you've always wanted.

Shokz's OpenMove bone-conduction headphones list for $80. The OpenMove headphones have some small design upgrades over their predecessors. I found them comfortable to wear, and while the sound isn't great, it's relatively good for a bone-conduction headphone. Again, keep your sound quality expectations in check or you'll be disappointed. They're very good for listening to podcasts, audiobooks and news broadcasts while you run. I tend to listen to Sirius XM radio while running.

This model charges via USB-C and includes a simple carrying pouch. Battery life is rated at up to 6 hours.

The Soundcore by Anker AeroFit Pro are among the best open-ear "air conduction" earbuds, with a premium look and feel, and are comfortable to wear. (I had no problem keeping them on my ears while running or working out.) On the downside, they're expensive, but they do feature strong audio quality for these types of earbuds, with ample bass and volume, plus decent clarity. They're good for making calls (they do a pretty good job reducing background noise reduction) and also offer strong battery life -- up to 14 hours at moderate volume levels.

They don't have ear-detection sensors, but I liked that they have physical buttons to control playback and also come with a cord, should you want to turn them into neckband-style wireless headphones. It's also worth noting that they have a spatial audio feature and offer the LDAC audio codec for devices like Android smartphones that support Bluetooth streaming.

Anker's standard AeroFit fit model ($100) has smaller drivers (14mm versus 16.2mm for the Pro), so it doesn't sound quite as good and has a battery life rating of 11 hours. Those buds are fully waterproof with an IPX7 rating, while these are splash-proof with an IPX5 rating.

After releasing the RunFree Lite neckband-style open sports buds last year, Soundpeats has come up with a new, upgraded version with a more flexible and comfortable design and better sound. Like its predecessor, the buds sit just outside your ears and fire sound into them from small speakers with 16.2mm drivers. The sound quality still isn't the greatest, but this new model does offer better clarity with slightly better bass definition. They're just fine for casual listening.

They're nice and lightweight, and they fit my head securely. The headphones' design feels more premium (by that I mean less cheap). Equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, they're IPX4 splash-proof and are rated for up to 14 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels. Expect to get less than that, because you'll likely play these at high volume levels, especially outdoors where you'll encounter more ambient noise. They also work decently for making voice calls but don't expect business-class performance.

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Equipped with six microphones instead of four, slightly improved adaptive noise canceling and wind-reduction technology along with a higher durability rating, the Elite 8 Active looks, feels and performs like a modestly upgraded version of the Elite 7 Pro and Elite 7 Active. Jabra is billing them as the "world's toughest earbuds," and based on our tests (they survived several drops without a scratch), that may very well be true.

JBL upgraded its ear-hook style sport earbuds in 2023. Available in black or white, the Endurance Peak 3 buds offer better battery life (up to 10 hours with four extra charges in their case) improved voice-calling performance and an IP68 rating that makes them fully water- and dust-proof. They also have an Ambient Aware transparency mode and Talk Thru mode that can automatically lower your music's volume level and open up the buds to the outside world. That means you can have a conversation with someone without removing the buds from your ears.

They stayed on my ears very securely during runs and I thought they sounded quite good, although they do have a bit of bass push (i.e. they have powerful bass). Just be aware that if you don't get a tight seal, sound quality will be significantly worse. Also, like other earbuds with ear-hook designs, the case is on the beefy side. The buds do seem durable and if you get a good fit, they're an excellent and less pricey alternative to the Beats Powerbeats Pro. I also thought the touch controls worked well; I was easily able to toggle through the sound modes.

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As long as you can get a good, secure fit, the lightweight AirPods Pro (2nd generation) make excellent earbuds for running and feature a top-notch transparency mode that allows you to hear the outside world (they now come with extra small ear tips for those with very small ears, but Apple still doesn't have extra-large tips for those with larger ears).

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Take one look at the new design of the third-gen AirPods ($140), and the first thing you'll probably think is: "Those look like the AirPods Pro without ear tips." You wouldn't be wrong. They're more fraternal than identical twins, but the AirPods 3 are shaped like the AirPods Pro, with the same shorter stems and pinch controls as those of the Pro. Aside from the design change, which should fit most ears better than the AirPods 2nd Generation (although not very small ears), the biggest change is to the sound quality: It's much improved. Also, battery life is better and the AirPods 3 are officially water-resistant.

Since they're open earbuds, they let some sound in, so they're not as good as the AirPods Pro 2 for both listening and making calls in noisy environments. They do a nice job reducing background noise during calls and picking up your voice.

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The Beats Powerbeats Pro earbuds have been on the market for several years but remain popular and are now available in several color options. Their jumbo charging case is a notable drawback, but they offer many of the same features as Apple's AirPods 2 (they're equipped with Apple's H1 chip) and have better sound so long as you get a tight seal (they should fit most ears well). There's no active noise canceling, but battery life is strong at up to 9 hours, and they're IPX4 splash-proof.

Note that the Powerbeats Pro are frequently on sale, so you should only buy them if they're substantially discounted.

What makes these Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS buds special is that they sound surprisingly good for open earbuds -- they're pretty close to what you get from Apple's AirPods 3 for sound. On top of that, they support Sony's LDAC audio codec for devices that offer it. Not too many cheap open earbuds have good sound, but these Soundpeats have good bass response and clarity. They're also good for making calls and have a low-latency gaming mode. Battery life is rated at 5 hours at moderate volume levels, and these are IPX4 splash-proof.

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The Bose Frames are one of those products you have to try to fully appreciate -- or dismiss. The concept is that you're getting a decent pair of sunglasses with a pair of headphones that don't actually go in your ears. Rather, integrated micro speakers in each arm direct a beam of sound to your ears. That design could be appealing to people who don't like having headphones in or on their ears and also offers a degree of safety for runners and bikers who want their ears open to the world.

Bose has updated its line of audio sunglasses with three new models, including the Tempo sports model, which offers better sound and battery life than the more traditional-looking Tenor and Soprano. The Tempo has better specs all around, with USB-C charging and larger 22mm drivers. It also delivers up to eight hours of battery life.

Their sound is improved from the original Frames. Bose says the Tempo plays "deeper and louder -- loud enough for cycling at 25 mph -- while [you're] still able to hear traffic and your training partners." They're sweat-, weather-, scratch- and shatter-resistant, according to Bose, and fit under most protective helmets. (I had no problem using them with a couple of bike helmets.) They also work well for making calls, thanks to a new dual-microphone system. Optional lenses are available for $39, and you can order prescription lenses through Lensabl.

Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on new wireless sports buds. The quality of value-priced earbuds and headphones continues to improve, so you can find good affordable sports buds for less than $75. The premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost more than $100 and sometimes more than $150.

Sports buds are available in a few styles. Some come with silicone tips that are designed to create a tight seal in your ear and keep sound out (they have a noise-isolating design). Others have an open design with the buds resting on top of your ears, firing sound into them. The noise-isolating style typically gives you better sound with stronger bass while the open design has the advantage of allowing sound in for safety reasons.

Some sports buds feature designs with integrated ear hooks or sports fins. Both help keep the buds more securely on or in your ears. They aren't essential to getting a secure fit (there are buds with no ear hooks or fins that fit some people securely), but they do help. Not everybody finds these types of designs comfortable.

It's key that sports earbuds fit your ears not only comfortably but securely. They should offer a comfortable fit that allows you to wear the earbuds for long periods without any irritation.

You want sports buds that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality and a good water-resistance rating.

It's critical to buy your sports at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer's remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days, and then return one.

We test running headphones and earbuds based on six key criteria and evaluate the models we test in both a gym environment and for outdoor three-mile runs. These criteria include design, sound quality, noise-canceling performance, voice-calling performance, features and value.

Sony Link Buds: The LinkBuds are, in a sense, Sony's answer to Apple's standard AirPods. They don't sound as good as Sony's flagship WF-1000XM5 noise-isolating earbuds, but they offer a discreet, innovative design and a more secure fit than the AirPods, as well as good sound and very good voice-calling performance.

Earfun Free Pro 2: We used to have the EarFun Free Pro 2 earbuds on this list. They're still available at a discount and are decent earbuds for running but EarFun has released the new EarFun Free Pro 3 buds, which are a definite upgrade.

JBL Live Pro 2: Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true-wireless earbuds, but nothing that really got me too excited. That's finally changed with the arrival of the Samsung-owned brand's new Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds -- the Live Pro 2 has stems while the Live Free 2 has a pill-shaped design -- offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise canceling, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance, plus a robust set of features, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-proof rating and wireless charging.

Shure Aonic 215 II: Shure's Aonic 215 II is kind of the audiophile equivalent of the Beats Powerbeats Pro. They have a hook that wraps around the top of your ear, and they stay in my ears very securely (even more securely than the Powerbeats Pro earbuds). Like that Beats model, they have a jumbo charging case. What's interesting about them is that the Bluetooth module is detachable. (I liked the physical control button they have instead of touch controls.) As the name implies, the Aonic 215 True Wireless Noise-Isolating Earphones incorporate Shure's SE215 buds, the $99 model in its line of earbuds that have detachable cables. The modules, which can be bought separately for $189, are designed to drive any Shure earbuds that have a detachable cable, including the $899 SE846.

Sennheiser Sport True Wireless: The Sport True Wireless earbuds are essentially Sennheiser's CX True Wireless earbuds with sport fins (for a more secure fit) and better durability. They have an IP54 rating that makes them splash-proof and dust-resistant. These aren't noise-cancelling earbuds but they do have an awareness mode that allows ambient sound to leak into the buds so you can hear what's going on around you for safety reasons. They use Bluetooth 5.2 and have support for the AAC and AptX audio codecs. Battery life is rated at up to 9 hours at moderate volume levels with an additional two charges in the charging case (there's no wireless charging).

Sony Float Run: Sony's Float Run is a unique take on "off-ear" headphones, which is another way to describe open earbuds that sit away from your ears. I can't say these have the greatest sound -- the bass is underwhelming -- but they fit my head securely and comfortably. They're designed for folks who don't like to have earbuds jammed into their ears, and runners who want to hear the outside world for safety reasons.

Skullcandy Push Active: With their ear-hook design, the Skullcandy Push Active are essentially a more affordable version of the Beats Powerbeats Pro, and they fit my ears slightly better than the Powerbeats Pro. I'm not usually a fan of ear-hook style buds, but this model is one of the better ones.

It's a matter of personal preference, but a lot of people like to listen to music, podcasts or even audiobooks while running to spur them or to take their mind somewhere else, which can help you forget how much you're exerting yourself. Some people don't like to hear themselves breathing heavily either.

Full-size over-ear headphones tend to be more comfortable than on-ear models for everyday use, but on-ear headphones allow for more airflow, so they're arguably better for running. Both stay on your head equally well. A few models offer some water and dust resistance, but most over- and on-ear models don't have water resistance as virtually all earbuds do.

If you're running in a race, you'll need to check whether you're allowed to wear headphones and, if so, what kind. Often, you're allowed to use only headphones that leave your ears open. That means bone-conduction models are permitted but little else.

If there aren't any headphone restrictions, you're going to want something that's light, comfortable to wear and also features good battery life. Something that has an open design or transparency mode is also critical. You're going to want to hear some sound around you and also not have your ear occluded, which may cause you to hear each footfall, which can be irritating. Some earbud models like the AirPods Pro 2 feature good venting that prevents that problem.