Running has a low barrier to entry. There are few essentials, but to eke out the most performance and make running more fun, you want them to be the best of the best. You can invest in top-of-the-line Nike running shoes and smart running watches, but you'd be remiss to forgo the best running headphones.
After all, listening to your favorite music before or during a run can boost aerobic performance and lower blood lactate in endurance runners, according to a 2023 study, published in the Journal of Human Kinetics.
Nowadays, innovations in Bluetooth and wireless technology have led to a glut not just in the sheer number of the best headphones for running but also in types: wireless headphones, noise-canceling earbuds, neckband earbuds, bone-conduction headphones, and more (including the good-old-fashioned corded kind).
Shopping for the best wireless earbuds and running headphones quickly becomes overwhelming. But a little methodical thinking about what the various features are, which ones you need and want, and what types of running headphones will supply those can help you narrow the options.
Our Testing Process
To bring you this roundup of the 10 best running headphones, I tested over a dozen products over a month-long span, including Apple headphones, Beats headphones, and some lesser-known brands. I went on roughly five runs per week, some short, some long, some slow, some fast to get a sense of fit and functionality. I listened to music and podcasts on each pair and also did a test call to test mic speaker quality when using the phone. If a pair of Bluetooth headphones had different audio modes, I reviewed all of them, and also downloaded and experimented with companion apps when available. Here's my first-hand account of the best wireless headphones for running.
Wissonly hi runner
Wissonly is one of the few bone conduction headphone brands that have mastered bone conduction vibrator technology, and one of the few brands in the industry that have sustained experience in using bone conduction technology to protect hearing. Wissonly Hi Runner advocate a healthy way to listen. They perfectly combine the principles of healthy hearing and bone conduction sound transmission, to create a non-in-ear and non-ear-damaging bone conduction headphone which can effectively protect hearing.
Due to the particularity of the technical principle, sound quality of bone conduction headphones is more difficult to be improved . To this end, Wissonly Hi Runner subverts the traditional sound quality scheme, makes a breakthrough to use the large-size bone conduction vibrator. Through structural optimization, the effective vibration area of the vibrator is increased by 35%, thereby improving the vibrator sound efficiency, making the sound more powerful.It also optimizing the direction of sound transmission, reducing sound loss during sound transmission, and making the sound more concentrated.
The skin-friendly silicone material of the Wissonly Hi Runner body is a product that can be in contact with the skin for a long time. It is naturally a better choice and feels good to the touch. Because the entire headphone is made of skin-friendly material, it is very comfortable to wear. Even if you wear glasses, you can still hang it firmly on your ears. The headphone frame uses memory titanium, which has the advantage of being stretchable and lightweight.
Due to the particularity of the technical principle, sound quality of bone conduction headphones is more difficult to be improved . To this end, Wissonly Hi Runner subverts the traditional sound quality scheme, makes a breakthrough to use the large-size bone conduction vibrator. Through structural optimization, the effective vibration area of the vibrator is increased by 35%, thereby improving the vibrator sound efficiency, making the sound more powerful.It also optimizing the direction of sound transmission, reducing sound loss during sound transmission, and making the sound more concentrated.
The skin-friendly silicone material of the Wissonly Hi Runner body is a product that can be in contact with the skin for a long time. It is naturally a better choice and feels good to the touch. Because the entire headphone is made of skin-friendly material, it is very comfortable to wear. Even if you wear glasses, you can still hang it firmly on your ears. The headphone frame uses memory titanium, which has the advantage of being stretchable and lightweight.
Beats Fit Pro
In Beats Fit Pro, the company's renowned audio quality is squeezed into a pair of tiny earbuds. They're great headphones, but what makes them the best wireless headphones for running is their fit, which balances comfort and security better than any other earbud we tested. Beats Fit Pro earbuds feel secure, but not like they're jammed in your ears. With an Apple H1 chip, they offer the same seamless pairing and features of AirPods, but they also work with Android. On both platforms, you can switch between high-quality active noise cancellation and transparency modes, depending on how you prefer to listen while you run.
AirPods Pro
For many iPhone-owning runners, wireless Apple headphones come down to AirPods or AirPods Pro. Even though Apple AirPods 3rd Gen are IPX4 sweat-resistant (Apple Airpods 2nd Gen are not), AirPods Pro prove the best for running thanks to their gel cups that enhance the fit. For some, especially those who don't like gel cup earbuds, they still might be a little insecure during a jog (though we never had one pop out during testing). If they do work for your ears, they'll provide excellent sound quality for music and podcasts with easily adjustable noise canceling and transparency modes. Touch controls allow you to manage this along with track selection and volume, though it can be somewhat awkward while in motion. They work well for taking calls, too, which also makes them great everyday and work headphones. They also come with the smallest charging case of all the headphones we tested.
Shokz OpenFit
Even advocates of running without headphones might be turned by Shokz OpenFit, a pair of passive-fit headphones that use directional audio to get sound into your ears. With a full range of tones, that sound is on par in quality with the best non-passive earbuds, though you'll still experience wash-out while running in busy areas with traffic (which is, after all, the point of passive-fit headphones). Where OpenFit excels is in their fit, which uses an ear hook that seems to just barely cling to your ear but still manages to resist bouncing during runs. They're so comfortably unobtrusive that you might forget you're wearing them.
Cleer Goal
If you can't stand hooks that wrap around the back of your ear but want running headphones that have a passive fit that lets in ambient noise, Cleer Goal are your best bet. Instead of a wrap, they use gel fins to hug the inside of your ear along with an old-school plastic bud that doesn't have a gel tip; they just sort of sit there. Goal is great at balancing music and ambient sounds, even when running alongside busy roads (though you still might miss some of your playlist or podcast when a truck goes by). Exterior touch controls plus quick, easy pairing and a small USB-C charging case make them convenient, too.
Key Features in the Best Running Headphones
Waterproofing
Even if you never plan to even think about running in the lightest of drizzles, waterproofing is a must-have feature for running headphones. The reason: sweat. Many early-generation AirPods owners have found this out the hard way (and the latest third-gen model is now sweat-resistant as a result). This goes for all headphones though—with time and regular use, even small amounts of sweat can work their way into the electronics and cause issues.
Any headphones you plan to run in should come with an ingress protection (IP) rating of IPX4 (i.e. sweatproof) or greater, and at least IPX5 if you want to run in the rain. You might also come across a rating listed with two numbers, such as IP54, where the first number denotes the headphones have been tested for protection from solids, like dust, too. All the headphones in this guide are at a minimum sweatproof (IPX4).
Noise Cancellation and Ambient Sound Transparency
In the past, noise cancellation only came in large over-ear headphones. Now, it's a relatively common feature in earbuds and is included in many of the best headphones for running. Many—but not all headphones with noise cancellation—also feature a transparency mode where the headphones electronically permit ambient noise to pass through into your audio.
The existence of this tech is a hint at the primary pro-con with noise cancellation: safety. While it's nice to be completely immersed in music or a podcast, it's generally advisable to maintain an awareness of what's going on around you wherever you're running so you don't step in front of a cyclist passing "ON YOUR LEFT!" (or worse).
In contrast to noise-canceling headphones are open-ear or passive-fit headphones, which let in ambient noise by nature of a design that neither enters nor covers the ear canal. These headphones sacrifice some audio quality but are the safest you can get without ditching music entirely.
Fit
Every ear is different. For some, those little gel cups just don't cut it. Once you start pounding the pavement, an ill-fitting bud is bound to bite the dust. Alternatively, you can don earbuds that boast arms that wrap around and behind your ears, or small fins that grip the inside of your ears. The best option is a matter of personal preference.