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Nov 11, 2024

The best cheap running headphones 2024 | Tom's Guide

Durable, good sound, and long battery life When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. The best cheap running headphones are the perfect way

Durable, good sound, and long battery life

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The best cheap running headphones are the perfect way to soundtrack your runs without breaking the bank. These affordable earbuds are long-lasting, can withstand sweat and light rain, and help you stay aware of your surroundings.

But if you're working on a budget, you want to be sure that the pair you choose is actually worth your money, which is why we put these low cost alternatives to the best running headphones to the test to see how they actually fare on a run.

Our top choice are the JLab Go Air Pop, as they're excellent value, sound good, and stay in place during exercise. But they're not your only option, as we've also picked out our favorite cheap running headphones across a range of styles and designs.

Best overall

The JLab Go Air Pop punch well above their price tag, offering great sound, long battery life and a secure enough fit for running. They also come in a wide range of colors and you can use each bud independently.

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Best open headphones

The 1MORE Fit SE S30 headphones have an open design that allows you to hear your surroundings, making them ideal for exercising outdoors. They sound good too, and the fit is secure thanks to the earhook.

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Best for calls

The Skullcandy Dime 3 have a stemmed design closer to Apple's AirPods than the JLab or Plantronics models. We liked how they sounded and they're comfortable, but we were most impressed with the call quality, so these are perfect if you like to chat while you run.

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Best for fit

These budget-friendly running headphones are designed with runners in mind, using ear hooks to keep them in place during outdoor sessions. We were impressed with the sound quality and the 8-hour per bud battery life, which should see you through most runs.

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Best under $100

The Jabra Elite 3 earbuds have a comfortable and secure fit for workouts and general use, and offer better sound quality than you’ll find on most cheap headphones, plus a useful transparency mode.

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Best bone conduction headphones

The Creative Outlier Free Pro uses bone conduction tech to play audio while leaving your ears clear to hear what's around you. They offer MP3 playback as well as Bluetooth connectivity, making them the best budget bone conduction buds for runners.

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Best for battery life

The JLab JBuds Sport ANC 4 impress on several fronts including fit and handy awarenesss mode, but its their battery life that really stands out, with the buds lasting 14 hours on a charge, and up to 60 hours with the carry case.

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Our expert review:

If you want the best cheap running headphones, more importantly, a pair that comes in true wireless form, seek out the JLab Go Air Pop. Our favorite pair can be had for just $20 and has strong audio, steady battery life, and durable design, which is IPX4-certified for sweat and water resistance.

The lightweight, compact form of these buds allows them to rest pleasantly on the ears during long workouts. We've worn them for a full marathon and the fit was secure throughout. Music is well handled, and JLab’s three well-engineered EQs (JLab Signature, Balanced, and Bass Boost) present a decent sound.

Battery life is just as impressive with 8 hours of listening time, plus you receive a tiny charging case that has an integrated USB cable for charging on the go. Obviously, a price this low presents compromises, which, in the Go Air Pop’s case, are weak call quality and no extra features.

Open headphones are becoming more and more popular with runners because they offer greater awareness of what's around you, which is helpful when running in busy environments. The 1MORE Fit SE S30 headphones are best value open headphones we've tested, offering great sound quality and a secure fit thanks to the earhook design.

They're a bargain at their $70 MRSP, but are also regular in sales for less than that and can usually be found for under $50. That's a lot cheaper than most open headphones, which are usually well over $100, and the 1MORE Fit SE S30 mostly match the performance of those pricier buds.

As with all open headphones you don't get any passive noise cancellation and the sound quality is not quite as good as with in-ear buds, but we found the 1MORE headphones still packed enough of a punch to motivate us during workouts, and their long battery life is another plus point.

Our expert review:

While the Skullcandy Dime 3 aren't aimed specifically at active lifestyle users, we found that they offered acceptable awareness mode and strong call quality for taking calls while on the move.

The buds secure and comfortable to wear, too. The small-stem design doesn’t stick out awkwardly and durability is rated at IPX4, so they'll survive some splashes and a bit of sweat, making them the ideal companion for summer runs or indoor sessions.

Sound quality was strong while listening to these buds, and they come with three built-in EQs, and boom-filled bangers handle monstrous lows like a pro. The buds lasted around 7.5 hours in our tests, and a 10-minute quick charge gives up to 2 hours of playback.

Not everything hits the mark though. There’s no way to assign and personalize the controls, and we're also surprised by the absence of wear detection to auto-pause content when removing the buds. The charging case is nicely compact though and small enough to be a neat key-fob addition.

Our expert review:

The JLab Go Air Sport earbuds are a little more expensive than the Go Air Pop buds, but still great value and they have an earhook design that creates a more secure fit for running. If you find in-ear buds often squirm loose during sweaty workouts, them it'll be worth the upgrade to the Go Air Sport.

The bass-forward sound profile will stimulate energy levels, plus the long battery life make these buds an ideal pitch for exercise enthusiasts who want acceptable performance on a budget.

The $30 MSRP means you’ll have to deal with compromises including dull-sounding highs, tricky controls, and awkward charging system. But the Go Air Sport accomplish what they need to for the price: a secure fit, long playtimes and reasonably good sound.

Jabra’s extensive range of earbuds contains some of our favorite running headphones available at any price, and while the entry-level Elite 3 buds aren’t specifically designed for workouts, we found them an excellent option for running.

The fit is comfortable and was secure for us on runs of any length, though some might prefer buds with wings or an ear hook to ensure they stay put, and the IP55 rating of the buds ensures the Elite 3 will withstand sweat and rain.

On almost every front the Elite 3 buds outperform other headphones available for under $100. The sound quality is excellent for such cheap buds, the battery life is outstanding given the small size of the headphones, and the button controls are easy to use on the run.

While there’s no active noise cancellation, the in-ear design does block external sounds passively, and there’s a handy transparency mode on the Elite 3 headphones that helps you stay aware of your surroundings without having to take them out.

The MSRP of $79.99 is great value but you’ll actually rarely have to pay that much, especially as the Elite 3 buds are a couple of years now — look out for them dropping below $50 in sales.

However, Jabra recently announced it would no longer be making consumer earbuds, but the app will still support its products and it could mean even better deals are available on the Elite 3 in the coming months.

The Creative Outlier Free Pro are bone conduction headphones that leave your ears open to your surroundings, making them safer to use when running in busy environments. They play sound through vibrations that travel along your bones and while the Creative Outlier Free Pro don't match the audio quality of the best bone conduction headphones or in-ear buds, they still sound pretty good and offer excellent value.

There are bone conduction headphones that come in cheaper like the Creative Outlier Free or Shokz OpenMove, but the Pro have the advantage of being able to store music as well as offering the Bluetooth connectivity you get on the cheaper models.

This means you can leave your phone behind and still listen to music or podcasts, which I find useful when running races in particular. It also makes the Creative Outlier Free Pro a great option for swimming, if you hit the pool regularly as well as running.

The headphones are lightweight and comfortable to use for long runs and while the original launch price was $129, this has since dropped to $99 and its not uncommon to find the Creative Outlier Free Pro available for even less than this in sales.

The JLab Jbuds Sport ANC 4 offer three things that will appeal to every runner on a budget; a secure fit for your workouts, a low price-tag, and exceptional battery life. The headphones themselves last up to 14 hours on a charge, and the charging case brings the total up to a whopping 60 hours, meaning you can go weeks or even months of use without having to find a socket.If you use the ANC on the headphones, the battery numbers come down, but it's not very effective noise cancellation anyway, so turning it off to save juice is the way to go. The headphones do have a useful awareness mode though, which means you can be safer during outdoor runs without having to turn off your music.

The sound quality is pretty good given the low price, and you get strong bass to help you power through your tough runs. The earhook design ensures a reliable fit even when pounding down hills or running into the wind, though note that the fit is not the most comfortable for extended use outside your workouts because the hook holds the ear quite firmly.

Although none of these cheap running headphones will break the bank, it's still worth thinking about the features you value the most before opening your wallet. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind.

Even if you don't plan on being caught in the rain, there's always a chance of a downpour when you're training. Plus, if you exercise in summer or hot environments, then you'll need a set that's sweat-proof.

If you're into short distance runs, then you'll want a set that comes with a charging case, so you don't have to remember to charge the buds that often. However, battery life is a bigger concern if you run longer distances, or are training for a marathon.

And when you're exercising, you want to focus on your running, not fiddle with annoying or uncomfortable earbuds. Ideally, what you're after is a set that you can pop in and forget about. But if you plan to wear them for long periods, make comfort a priority.

To ensure we recommend the best cheap running headphones that'll actually stay in place, we pop them in our ears and go running. At this price, we consider sound quality (that it's not terrible) but our main focus is on the comfort and durability.

So, we use them for several sessions, with some distance runs and some shorter jogs to see how they fare. Since running causes a lot of vibrations, it's easy for some headphones to slip out of place, so we only include sets that stay firmly in your ear.

As we do a few more intense runs, we put the headphones' durability to the test and see how they handle sweaty workouts and light rain. Generally, cheap running headphones don't have the top water resistance rating, but we check that they are durable enough to suit most runs.

And as with all of the best workout headphones, you don't want to fuss with them. So, we experiment with on-bud buttons and controls, try different in-ear tips, and evaluate the noise cancellation (often passive at this price).

Here at Tom’s Guide our expert editors are committed to bringing you the best news, reviews and guides to help you stay informed and ahead of the curve!

Nick Harris-fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.

Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 after six weeks of training for a magazine feature and subsequently became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 27min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K, and has run 13 marathons in total, as well as a 50-mile ultramarathon.

He runs 50-80 miles a week and races regularly with his club, which gives him a lot of opportunity to test out running gear: he has tested and reviewed hundreds of pairs of running shoes, as well as fitness trackers, running watches, sports headphones, treadmills, and all manner of other kit. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.

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