The best headphones for running in 2025

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear with wingtip | Assistant help: Google Assistant, Siri | Water resistance: IPX4 | Energetic noise cancellation: Sure | Battery life: As much as six hours

Read our full review of the Beats Fit Pro

The Beats Fit Pro got here out on the head of the pack due to their snug, safe design, good sound high quality and transparency mode and normal ease of use, amongst different issues. As Billy detailed in his review, the Match Professional’s wingtip design units them aside from different Beats earbuds and makes them notably good for operating and different exercises. The buds are pretty small and light-weight, and the wingtip on every is versatile sufficient to hug your ear snugly with out an excessive amount of strain. This helps them really feel safer if you’re transferring round lots, be it throughout a morning jog or whereas taking a HIIT class. The buds are additionally rated IPX4 — not the very best stage of safety out of every thing I examined, however sufficient for even my sweatiest classes.

Because it had been, the Beats Match Professional stayed put throughout each single run and exercise. Nonetheless, adjusting their place on the fly can result in one in all my few gripes: unintended presses of the onboard controls. There have been a lot of instances after I went to maneuver a bud and I ended up pausing my music within the course of as a result of the buttons are really easy to set off. Whereas I do choose the tactile suggestions of a bodily button versus the contact controls on different earbuds, Beats ought to have modified their place on the buds or made them a bit more durable to totally have interaction.

Sound high quality is stable and, due to its punchy bass and total stability, is particularly appropriate for exercising. Spatial audio help is nice to have, and whereas Adaptive EQ means you’ll be able to’t tweak the EQ your self like you’ll be able to with different buds, it does make for constantly good audio high quality. It’s additionally one much less factor to play with out of the field, which I count on many individuals will admire; these earbuds are a real unbox-and-go possibility.

ANC can also be nice on the Beats Match Professional, however transparency mode is what actually shines. Like I mentioned, full ANC might be harmful if you’re operating outdoors, whether or not you’re in the midst of a metropolis or on a path. It pays to have the ability to hear what’s occurring round you, at the very least a bit bit, and the Match Professional’s transparency mode was one of the best out of the earbuds I attempted. Much like Apple’s AirPods Professional, it sounded extra pure than on our runner-up decide, and it’s straightforward to activate or off both with onboard buttons or from the management panel in your iOS or Android smartphone.

Talking of, the Beats Match Professional works notably effectively with iPhones due to the built-in H1 chip, however Android customers can obtain the companion app to entry issues like fast pairing, management customizations and a battery standing indicator. I didn’t get into element concerning the setup course of as a result of, effectively, there isn’t a lot of 1. As quickly as you unbox the Match Professional and open the case, the H1 chip communicates with iPhones and different iOS units to nearly immediately pair the buds and get them prepared to be used.

I’ll say, although, that I used to be stunned by one factor after I unboxed the Match Professional: how low-cost their charging case feels. Whereas it gives an additional 21 hours on high of the buds’ promised six hours of life, the construct high quality of the case itself appears like an actual step down in comparison with the buds themselves. Some charging circumstances on a lot inexpensive options felt extra substantial than the Beats Match Professional’s, however I acknowledge that it received’t deter most individuals (together with me). Apart from that and the contact controls, the Beats Match Professional affords a whole bundle for runners and different athletes alike, one which can be utilized all day, not simply throughout coaching classes. Plus, their normal $200 worth isn’t too cost-prohibitive, they usually can usually be discovered on sale for much less.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear| Assistant help: Siri, Google Assistant | Water resistance: IP68 | Energetic noise cancellation: Sure | Battery life: As much as eight hours

The Jabra Elite 8 Active nearly bested the Beats Match Professional, however finally the latter received due to their wingtip design and extra natural-sounding transparency mode. However other than these two issues, the Elite 8 Energetic are simply nearly as good, if not higher than, the Match Professional.

At the start, the Elite 8 Energetic has one of many highest sturdiness rankings of any earbuds we examined. Rated IP68, it’s protected towards all types of mud and particles and it’ll survive being submerged in water at excessive strain. Jabra additionally subjected the Elite 8 Energetic to military-grade testing, defending them from extreme humidity, excessive temperature, rain and altitude. That is extra safety than most individuals want, however it’ll probably give some individuals peace of thoughts to know that these buds can take a beating. For runners, you received’t have to fret in case you get caught in a sudden downpour throughout your closing mile.

That additional safety doesn’t make the Elite 8 Energetic cumbersome or unattractive as one may assume. These buds are among the most snug I attempted, with a light-weight design and a safe match. The soft-touch end on the buds themselves and their charging case provides a stage of luxurious that the majority others I examined didn’t have, too. There are onboard controls as effectively, they usually’re not as liable to unintended presses as these on the Beats Match Professional.

As one in all Jabra’s dearer units, the Elite 8 Energetic have an awesome sound profile out of the field however in case you choose, you should use the corporate’s app to tweak the EQ utilizing a line graph that spans bass, mid and treble. You can even save personalized presets. The app affords six preconfigured settings, and I discovered myself utilizing Bass Increase and Energize most whereas exercising (they’re fairly comparable with sturdy bass, however Energize emphasizes highs a bit extra). These personalization choices will give the Elite 8 Energetic an edge over the Beats Match Professional for some. On high of all that, Jabra’s buds help spatial sound with Dolby Audio.

The Elite 8 Energetic provide adaptive noise cancellation, they usually do job of analyzing your setting and blocking out interferences. “HearThrough” is Jabra’s model of transparency mode, and it’s helpful when operating outdoors in a metropolis or an space with a lot of visitors even when it’s not as natural-sounding as the identical mode on the Beats Match Professional. Jabra’s is designed to neutralize wind noise whereas additionally letting you keep conscious of your environment, so you’ll be able to hear your podcasts regardless of how gusty the setting. I ran in some notably windy climate whereas testing these out, and I had constantly good listening experiences with each HearThrough and ANC activated.

As for battery life, the Elite 8 Energetic will get eight hours on a cost with ANC on, and an extra 24 hours within the charging case. You possibly can rise up to 56 hours of complete use in case you’re not utilizing ANC, which is outstanding. The case additionally feels extra substantial than that of the Beats Match Professional, and you may wirelessly cost it (a function that’s ignored on Beats’ buds).

Finally, the Beats Match Professional and the Jabra Elite 8 Energetic are neck and neck in our high picks checklist. However whereas the Jabras provide a bit extra customization and extra sturdiness, not everybody will want these bonuses. Nonetheless, in case you’re an athlete who likes to mess around with sound profiles otherwise you need among the most sturdy wi-fi earbuds accessible at the moment, the Jabra Elite 8 Energetic are those to get.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear | Assistant help: Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant | Water resistance: IP57 | Energetic noise cancellation: Sure | Battery life: As much as seven hours

The Jabra Elite 4 Active provide one of the best worth for the cash of any pair of earbuds on our checklist. For $120, you get an IP57-rated design, stable sound high quality with adjustable EQ, good ANC, the identical HearThrough transparency mode because the Elite 8 Energetic, app connectivity and a complete of 28 hours of battery life. These had been among the best buds for me to “decide up and go” with, whether or not it was for an impromptu stroll across the block, a sweaty HIIT session in my basement or an hour of labor throughout which I actually wanted to dam out distractions and get issues achieved.

Just like the Elite 8 Energetic, the Elite 4 Energetic is tremendous snug and Jabra has actually gotten the onboard controls proper on this sequence. The buttons will not be really easy to press that you just by chance set off them everytime you regulate the match, they usually present satisfying suggestions if you really do press them. Sound high quality and ANC are spectacular, and I mainly by no means needed to fear about operating out of battery earlier than I believed to myself, hey, you may wish to high these up.

The principle variations between the Elite 4 Energetic and the more-expensive Elite 8 Energetic are that the latter have the next IP ranking, spatial sound help with Dolby Audio, an extended total battery life (56 hours with the charging case), voice steering and that satisfying soft-touch end. The IP ranking and prolonged battery life are the 2 important options that would compel some to splurge on the Elite 8 Energetic as an alternative. Additionally, spatial audio is sweet when you have the buds semi-permanently positioned in your ears consistently pumping out tunes, whatever the exercise. In any other case, although, you’re getting a ton of wonderful options with these $120 earbuds.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear with hook | Assistant help: None | Water resistance: IP55 | Energetic noise cancellation: No | Battery life: As much as eight hours

When you have lower than $50 to spend, you’ll be able to’t go fallacious with the $30 JLab Go Air Sport. I didn’t have excessive expectations going into testing these, however I used to be rapidly impressed by their match and sound high quality. A number of units billed as workout-friendly headphones have this hook that wraps across the high of your ear, and on the Go Air Sport it does assist hold issues securely connected to your head. The hooks on these buds particularly are fairly versatile and have a soft-touch end, which makes them extra cozy (I attempted a couple of equally designed buds with a lot stiffer hooks that had been a ache in additional methods than one.) Admittedly, a hook design will take some getting used to in case you’re new to it, nevertheless it’s a surefire approach to get a bit additional stability throughout intense exercises.

Sound high quality is fairly good on these buds as effectively, though not practically as balanced because the Jabra Elite 8 Energetic or the Beats Match Professional. I additionally admire you could cycle by way of three totally different EQ modes — Signature, Balanced and Bass Increase — utilizing the onboard controls. There’s no app to fuss with, and that was a pleasant change of tempo for me after largely testing buds with some sort of software program controls.

You possibly can count on eight hours of playtime on the Go Air Sport, plus one other 24 hours of battery life with its charging case. Whereas the USB-A cable constructed into the underside of the case is useful, actually must be a USB-C connector as an alternative. The case can also be on the cumbersome aspect; you’ll be able to nonetheless throw it right into a backpack or purse simply, nevertheless it’s not as svelte as circumstances you’ll see with dearer buds.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: Open-ear | Assistant help: None | Water resistance: IP54 | Energetic noise cancellation: No | Battery life: As much as seven hours

I used to be apprehensive about attempting open-ear headphones, particularly whereas operating. However the Shokz OpenFit pleasantly stunned me from the primary time I put them on. Earbuds with open designs like this enable for extra situational consciousness, with the objective being to let noise in moderately than block it out. The OpenFits do an awesome job of this with out skimping on sound high quality or consolation.

The buds themselves nearly float over your ear cavern and Shokz’s soft-finish “dolphin arc” hook is versatile sufficient to securely wrap across the high of your ear with out placing an excessive amount of strain on it. There’s a bud-like portion on the different finish of the hook that acts as counterbalance, leading to a dependable match that by no means faltered throughout all types of actions together with operating, energy coaching and indoor biking. Granted, none of these workout routines contain shaking your head an excessive amount of; possibly don’t put on the OpenFit to take heed to head-banging demise metallic (in case you can’t management your self).

Sound high quality is stable contemplating the design, and the OpenFit will get fairly loud as effectively. These buds have Shokz’s Direct Pitch expertise, which makes use of reverse sound waves to optimize the space and angle to your ear canal. The corporate claims this helps scale back sound leakage. In my testing, I discovered that true to a sure extent. The OpenFit had one of the best sound high quality and total quantity out of the entire open-ear units I attempted, however in case you crank the quantity as much as the max (or shut), the individual subsequent to you’ll positively hear what you’re listening to.

As I alluded to beforehand, these aren’t for anybody who needs to dam the world out throughout train (or in any other case). However the OpenFit could be the best choice for many who stay in cities or anybody who consistently runs outdoors amongst visitors, pedestrians and different hazards. There’s no query that you just’ll hear what’s occurring round you and that may be essential to retaining your self secure on these streets.