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A person wearing earbuds takes a moment to stretch in a city parking lot. Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

The Best Running Headphones of 2024

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A person wearing earbuds takes a moment to stretch in a city parking lot. Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

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1
Editor's Choice Product image of Jabra Elite 7 Active
Best Overall

Jabra Elite 7 Active

Check Price at Amazon

Jabra's Elite 7 Active provide a stable fit, sporty performance, and great features, from solid ANC and multipoint pairing to rugged waterproofing. Read More

Pros

  • Snug and stable fit
  • Great battery and waterproofing
  • Loaded with features

Cons

  • So-so default sound
2
Editor's Choice Product image of JLab Audio Epic Air Sport ANC True Wireless Earbuds
Best Value

JLab Audio Epic Air Sport ANC True Wireless Earbuds

Check Price at Amazon

A secure fit, long battery life, great sound, and a splash of noise canceling make for great all-around headphones—especially for the price point. Read More

Pros

  • Secure, adaptable fit
  • Multiple sound options
  • Very long battery life

Cons

  • Over-ear loop isn't for everyone
3
Editor's Choice Product image of Beats Fit Pro
Best For iPhone

Beats Fit Pro

Check Price at Best Buy

The Beats Fit Pro are a sporty, high-performance alternative to the AirPods Pro, offering tons of features, great sound, and a stable fit. Read More

Pros

  • Clear, balanced sound
  • Good noise canceling
  • Ample feature set

Cons

  • Can be finicky on Android
  • No EQ modes
  • Case lacks wireless charging
4
Product image of Sony Linkbuds (WF-L900)

Sony Linkbuds (WF-L900)

Check Price at Best Buy

Sony’s Linkbuds are a unique and fun way to stay aware while you jam out, but their always-open design won’t be for everyone (or every occasion). Read More

Pros

  • Natural audio awareness
  • Good sound and features
  • Slick, micro design

Cons

  • Mediocre battery life
  • Narrow use cases
  • Face-tap controls are limiting
5
Editor's Choice Product image of Jabra Elite 4 Active

Jabra Elite 4 Active

Check Price at Jabra

Jabra’s Elite 4 Active serve up good battery life, great features like active noise canceling, and a rugged design at a refreshing price point. Read More

Pros

  • Snug, weatherproof design
  • Active noise canceling
  • Great features and battery

Cons

  • No auto-pause
  • Sluggish app connection
  • Best Overall Jabra Elite 7 Active
  • Best Value JLab Epic Air Sport ANC
  • Best For iPhone Beats Fit Pro
  • Other Top Running Headphones We Tested
  • How We Test Running Headphones
  • How to Choose the Best Running Headphones
  • More Articles You Might Enjoy

A pair of great running headphones can make a huge difference for people hitting the streets or the treadmill at their gym. Knowing that you’ll be able to clearly hear your favorite music or podcast can inspire hesitant runners to lace up their running shoes and get out there.

The best running headphones are durable, water and dust resistant, easy to control, and have a long battery life. Most of all, though, they need to be comfortable, have a secure fit and great sound quality. Two great bonuses are noise cancellation to block out sounds and transparency mode to keep you safe while running on busy streets.

After testing dozens of the best earbuds for running, the Jabra Elite 7 Active (available at Amazon) are our go-to running companions. The Elite 7 Active earbuds represent a killer mix of form and function: a rugged and water-resistant design, tons of features (including both transparency mode and active noise canceling), and easy-press controls so you can keep your phone packed away.

But everyone has different needs, from fit and features to budget. We've carefully selected sporty picks from the very best wireless earbuds for running on the market to help you customize your workout.

A pair of blue earbuds sits on a wooden plank with their case open.
Credit: Reviewed/Ryan Waniata

The Jabra Elite 7 Active are fantastic running headphones, and much more.

Best Overall
Jabra Elite 7 Active
  • Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
  • Dust and water resistance: IP57
  • Battery life: 7-8 hours (with ANC); 35 hours with the case

The Jabra Elite 7 Active offer a superb overall performance, durability, and a well-rounded user experience. Runners will love their nimble design, IP57-rated dust and water resistance, and a stable, comfortable fit.

Audio performance is solid, though the Elite 7 Active’s brighter sound signature may need some EQ to smooth things out when listening to music. Even so, their sound will satisfy both casual listeners and power users, especially if you take Jabra's audio personalization sound test.

The Elite 7 Active, which step in to replace the Elite Active 75t, have an improved, deeper fit that’s more grippy and comfortable. Also bolstered is battery life, with around 7-8 hours of battery life per charge with ANC.

These earbuds have nearly every bell and whistle you might need, including a finder function and multipoint pairing. Its noise canceling mode lets you shut the world out when you want, and transparency mode lets you hear sounds around you, so you can safely hit the streets for a run or jog.

The Elite 7 Active has push-button controls that are intuitive and customizable in the Jabra Sound+ app. It’s easy to adjust volume, skip songs, and turn on transparency mode while on the move.

Read our full review of the Jabra Elite 7 Active.

Pros

  • Snug and stable fit

  • Great battery and waterproofing

  • Loaded with features

Cons

  • So-so default sound

Buy now at Amazon

$179.99 from Best Buy

$104.99 from Walmart
JLab Epic Air Sport on table top
Credit: Reviewed/Geoffrey Morrison

The JLab Epic Air Sport ANC are an exceptional value and perfect workout companions for those on a budget.

Best Value
JLab Epic Air Sport ANC
  • Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
  • Dust and water resistance: IP66
  • Battery life: 13 hours; over 50 hours with case

JLab's Epic Air Sport ANC are a fantastic pair of earbuds available at a price that makes them very hard to pass up. We love the over-ear loop design, which makes them great for high-impact runs. Some people may not be fans of this style, but it allows for a far more secure fit than any other option.

We never found the fit annoying, and the loops feature soft silicone that was comfortable even with glasses. While the loops aren’t removable—see their non-Sport sibling for an option without loops—the Epic Air Sport come with multiple silicone ear tip options and a very comfortable foam tip. The design makes them a great trade-out if traditional earbuds like the Jabra Elite 7 Active won't work for your ears.

Epic Air Sport’s sound is a bit bass-heavy, which could be a good thing when you're on a heavy run. JLab's app also allows you to fine-tune your preferred sound with extensive EQ options. With an IP66 rating, they’ve got good dust and water/sweat resistance, but they aren’t submersible.

Like most true wireless earbuds at this price, noise canceling is pretty mild, so if you’re looking specifically for that, you’ll find a better options among our favorite noise-canceling headphones and noise-canceling earbuds. The Epic Air Sport features adjustable transparency mode, which JLab calls Be Aware, so you can hear your environment in high-traffic areas.

The battery life of the Epic Air Sport was slightly less than claimed—we measured around 13 hours per charge during testing to JLab’s claim of 15. Still, that’s good for true wireless headphones. Of course, if you enable features like noise canceling, you’ll get less battery life, but it still should be enough to get through an entire workday worth on a single charge.

The case also holds a big battery, offering about 3.5 additional charges. It has an attached USB cable, which is either a strength or a weakness depending on your gear. More importantly, it has wireless charging, which is a great touch. The case, however, is a bit larger than the others in this category.

Pros

  • Secure, adaptable fit

  • Multiple sound options

  • Very long battery life

Cons

  • Over-ear loop isn't for everyone

Buy now at Amazon

$99.99 from Best Buy

$99.99 from Target

$69.96 from Walmart
Credit: Reviewed / Lee Neikirk

The Beats Fit Pro are our pick for the best true wireless buds for iPhone

Best For iPhone
Beats Fit Pro
  • Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
  • Dust and water resistance: IPX4
  • Battery life: 6 hours (with ANC); 27 hours with the case

The Beats Fit Pro are an excellent choice as your go-to running headphones, offering lots of features, solid IPX4 water resistance, and excellent fit. The fit is one of the benefits the Beats Fit Pro have over the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) for iPhone users.

Thanks to their rubbery fins, the Beats Fit Pro have a more secure fit than the AirPods Pro, especially when running or jogging. The Beats Fit Pro also have an equal battery life and comparable sound quality as the AirPods Pro, while still offering plenty of iOS features, such iCloud/Music Sharing, Hands-Free Siri, Spatial Audio with Dynamic Head Tracking, and Find My tracking.

The Beats Fit Pro rely on Apple’s H1 chip while the AirPods Pro 2 use the newer H2, so noise canceling abilities aren’t as stellar, but they’re still good. More importantly for your daily jog, they offer natural-sounding transparency mode to hear the world around you for safety.

Their IPX4 water resistance doesn’t make them dunkable, but iPhone users looking for running earbuds that also unlock all their favorite AirPods features will be happy with the Beats Fit Pro. Plus, they're versatile enough for everyday use, and they’re also a solid choice for Android users, thanks to the dedicated Beats app.

Read our full review of the Beats Fit Pro.

Pros

  • Clear, balanced sound

  • Good noise canceling

  • Ample feature set

Cons

  • Can be finicky on Android

  • No EQ modes

  • Case lacks wireless charging

$199.99 from Best Buy

$199.99 from Target

$199.95 from Abt

$199.95 from Walmart

Other Top Running Headphones We Tested

Product image of Sony Linkbuds (WF-L900)
Sony Linkbuds (WF-L900)
  • Ambient sound modes: Adaptive audio (semi-open ear)
  • Dust and water resistance: IPX4
  • Battery life: 5.5 hours per charge; 17.5 hours with the case

The Sony Linkbuds, because of their trademark "donut hole" design, are an excellent option for people who enjoy outdoor activities, including running, hiking, and biking, in areas where you don't want to lose your aural awareness (i.e. surface streets, highways, and trails).

The Linkbuds’ design shapes the drivers into tiny circlets with a hole in the middle to keep your ears open. While this allows you to be aware of your surroundings, you'll have to give up any form of noise canceling. That means they may not be your best option for noisy gyms, among many other scenarios.

Linkbuds offer relatively clear and full sound, though bass response suffers due to their lack of a tight seal in your ear canal. They stand out for their weight—only 4 grams per bud—and relatively stable fit. In place of ear tips, they employ little ear wings in multiple sizes to keep them in your ears. The hard plastic design can wear on the ears after extended use, though.

Their IPX4 rating gives them decent sweat and water resistance. They also offer a number of features, controllable through Sony's headphone app, including a 5-band EQ, Sony's Speak to Chat feature that pauses sound when you speak, and Adaptive Audio, which ramps up the sound automatically when your environment gets loud.

Their touch controls allow you to tap on the buds themselves or your face to control playback, but we found that to be hit or miss during testing. Battery life was workable at 5.5 hours per charge, but a less impressive 17.5 hours total with the case.

Read our full review of the Sony Linkbuds.

Pros

  • Natural audio awareness

  • Good sound and features

  • Slick, micro design

Cons

  • Mediocre battery life

  • Narrow use cases

  • Face-tap controls are limiting

$139.99 from Best Buy

$138.00 from Walmart
Product image of Jabra Elite 4 Active
Jabra Elite 4 Active
  • Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
  • Dust and water resistance: IP57
  • Battery life: ~7 hours per charge; 28 hours with the case

The Jabra Elite 4 offer about everything you could want in a pair of sport-friendly wireless earbuds, including a dunkable, sweat-resistant housing that stays put even under duress, all at a price that’s among the lowest we’ve ever seen for a pair of buds this loaded.

The Elite 4 Active's noise canceling and overall sound performance doesn’t match what you’ll get from the best earbuds, but it doesn’t come with sticker-shocking prices, either. In fact, they’re a close runner-up as the best value in the category.

Like the Elite 7, the Elite 4 offer push-button controls for everything from volume to song skip and transparency mode/noise canceling. You also get plenty of functionality in Jabra’s Sound+ app like a 5-band EQ and an earbuds finder.

These earbuds don’t have it all, of course. You won’t get the seamless connection to Apple’s ecosystem, and you’ll have to forgo the multipoint pairing of Jabra’s top pairs. Some features that come standard in other options at this price are also missing, such as auto-pause when you pull an earbud out or a wireless charging case. Jabra attempts to make up for those omissions for Android users with extras like Google Fast Pair and one-tap access to Spotify.

Read our full review of the Jabra Elite 4.

Pros

  • Snug, weatherproof design

  • Active noise canceling

  • Great features and battery

Cons

  • No auto-pause

  • Sluggish app connection

Buy now at Jabra

$89.99 from Amazon

$89.99 from Walmart
Product image of Beats by Dre Powerbeats Pro
Beats by Dre Powerbeats Pro
  • Ambient sound modes: None
  • Dust and water resistance: IPX4
  • Battery life: 9 hours per charge; 24 hours with the case

The Beats Powerbeats Pro may have lost some luster in recent years due to heated competition, but they still offer impressive playback time per charge, great sound, and a durable, sporty design that makes them a solid pair of running earbuds.

Their ear-hook design makes them incredibly stable for your most challenging running routine, though they can get uncomfortable over time. With an IPX4 rating, they offer decent sweat and water resistance over previous Beats earbuds. In comparison, sound quality is vastly improved, as well.

They don’t include active noise cancellation. Also, without transparency mode, they may be less-than-ideal for people who run in busy areas. You can use just one of them at a time, but you should keep aware of your surroundings.

They come with a pocketable charging case (thanks to their ear hooks, it’s a lot larger than most), but their impressive 9 hours of battery life per charge allows you to leave the case behind. As you'd expect from Beats, they're relatively stylish, and even years on they're an attractive pair of earbuds.

Pros

  • Water-resistant

  • Available in a number of colors

  • Long battery life

Cons

  • Bass-forward sound not for everyone

  • Ear hooks can be uncomfortable

$179.95 from Amazon

$219.33 from Walmart

How We Test Running Headphones

A navy earbud sits in the ear of a man with brown and grey hair with trees and grass in the background.
Credit: Reviewed/Ryan Waniata

Fully wireless earbuds make for the best running headphones.

There are some consistent issues that runners face with ear headphones. To find the best running headphones, we focused on comfort, sound quality, sound isolation, battery life, water and dust resistance, and ease of use, among other features.

Most features are tested in real-life situations, including sweat proofing, comfort, battery life, microphone quality, and connectivity. We also take them on workouts in and out of the gym to make sure they stay put under duress and allow for easy control while working out.

To analyze sound quality, we use a mix of real-world and lab testing, including data collection and A/B testing on factors such as maximum volume, passive and active noise attenuation (including active noise cancellation), and how well each earbud blocked outside and background noise. We also listen to a wide variety of music ranging from classical to hip-hop, rock, jazz, and more.

Durability is a huge factor for running headphones, and something with which earbuds have struggled. It’s difficult to test a pair of earbuds and conclude how well they'll hold up over time and with regular use (and abuse). During our testing, we look at things like their IP rating (for dust and water resistance), as well as noting any major issues noted in user reviews for our scores, which we may adjust over time as needed.

Whenever possible, we use earbuds over a prolonged period and update their firmware when available to test out the latest features and update our findings.

How to Choose the Best Running Headphones

There are some very important aspects specifically for running headphones, including durability, a stable fit, and water/sweat resistance. We also look at other important aspects, such as easy-access controls so you won't have to slow your roll to pump up your jams. Headphones with push-button controls, such as Jabra models or the latest Beats, are particularly easy to use when you're hitting the pavement.

Fit and comfort

A stable fit is among the biggest considerations for any pair of running earbuds. Our top picks offer either a specialized grip and tight fit or, more commonly, fins or ear hooks to keep them in place.

Comfort is also important, of course, and our top pick is well-rounded for multiple scenarios. But if you’re particularly worried about your buds falling out, we recommend considering buds with a fin or ear hook design.

Noise canceling and transparency mode

Most new wireless earbuds offer ambient sound modes, which would include noise canceling to block out external noise, and transparency mode to keep you aware of your environment.

Transparency mode, or some form of aural awareness features like open-ear design, is paramount to a pair of running headphones unless you’re someone who runs strictly on a treadmill.

With our recommendations, we emphasized transparency mode or other aural awareness features over active noise cancellation, which is more useful in workout earbuds in a gym rather than the track or street. Our top picks offer both options, however.

Dust and water resistance

What do waterproof and water-resistance ratings really mean?

Every pair of earbuds on this list has an IP certification, which measures each pair’s ability to stand up to dust and water. If the first number is an “X,” it means the headphones have not been tested or designed for keeping out dust/ingress. The second number refers to water resistance.

For both categories, the higher the number, the better the protection. Any good pair of running headphones should offer at least IPX4 certification, which protects against splashes and moderate sweat.

Price

A good pair of headphones can be an investment, but it likely will pay off for runners, who can be particularly tough on headphones. That doesn’t mean you have to break the bank to get a good pair.

While the top rated headphones might cost more and have better performance and more functions, more moderately priced headphones—like our budget pick, JLab's Epic Air Sport ANC (available at Amazon)—can still give you quality performance at a great value.


Meet the testers

Geoffrey Morrison

Geoffrey Morrison

Contributor

@techwritergeoff

Geoffrey Morrison is a freelance tech and travel writer.

See all of Geoffrey Morrison's reviews
Lee Neikirk

Lee Neikirk

Former Editor, Home Theater

@Koanshark

Lee was Reviewed's point person for most television and home theater products from 2012 until early 2022. Lee received Level II certification in TV calibration from the Imaging Science Foundation in 2013. As Editor of the Home Theater vertical, Lee oversaw reviews of TVs, monitors, soundbars, and Bluetooth speakers. He also reviewed headphones, and has a background in music performance.

See all of Lee Neikirk's reviews
Ryan Waniata

Ryan Waniata

Former Managing Editor - Electronics

@ryanwaniata

Hailing originally from Montana, Ryan parlayed his time working as a musician and audio engineer into a career in digital media in 2012. Since then he's had extensive experience as a writer and editor, including everything from op-eds and features to reviews on TVs, audio gear, smart home devices, and more.

See all of Ryan Waniata's reviews

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