The best headphones for running in 2024

Connectivity: Wireless | Style: In-ear with wingtip | Assistant support: Google Assistant, Siri | Water resistance: IPX4 | Active noise cancellation: Yes | Battery life: Up to six hours

Read our full review of the Beats Fit Pro

The Beats Fit Pro came out at the head of the pack thanks to their comfortable, secure design, good sound quality and transparency mode and general ease of use, among other things. As Billy detailed in his review, the Fit Pro’s wingtip design sets them apart from other Beats earbuds and makes them particularly good for running and other workouts. The buds are fairly small and light, and the wingtip on each is flexible enough to hug your ear snugly without too much pressure. This helps them feel more secure when you’re moving around a lot, be it during a morning jog or while taking a HIIT class. The buds are also rated IPX4 — not the highest level of protection out of everything I tested, but enough for even my sweatiest sessions.

As it were, the Beats Fit Pro stayed put during every single run and workout. However, adjusting their position on the fly can lead to one of my few gripes: accidental presses of the onboard controls. There were a number of times when I went to move a bud and I ended up pausing my music in the process because the buttons are so easy to trigger. While I do prefer the tactile feedback of a physical button as opposed to the touch controls on other earbuds, Beats should have changed their position on the buds or made them a bit harder to fully engage.

Sound quality is solid and, thanks to its punchy bass and overall balance, is especially suitable for exercising. Spatial audio support is great to have, and while Adaptive EQ means you can’t tweak the EQ yourself like you can with other buds, it does make for consistently good audio quality. It’s also one less thing to play with out of the box, which I expect many people will appreciate; these earbuds are a true unbox-and-go option.

ANC is also great on the Beats Fit Pro, but transparency mode is what really shines. Like I said, full ANC can be dangerous when you’re running outside, whether you’re in the middle of a city or on a trail. It pays to be able to hear what’s going on around you, at least a little bit, and the Fit Pro’s transparency mode was the best out of the earbuds I tried. Similar to Apple’s AirPods Pro, it sounded more natural than on our runner-up pick, and it’s easy to turn on or off either with onboard buttons or from the control panel on your iOS or Android smartphone.

Speaking of, the Beats Fit Pro works particularly well with iPhones thanks to the built-in H1 chip, but Android users can download the companion app to access things like quick pairing, control customizations and a battery status indicator. I didn’t get into detail about the setup process because, well, there isn’t much of one. As soon as you unbox the Fit Pro and open the case, the H1 chip communicates with iPhones and other iOS devices to almost instantly pair the buds and get them ready for use.

I will say, though, that I was surprised by one thing when I unboxed the Fit Pro: how cheap their charging case feels. While it provides an extra 21 hours on top of the buds’ promised six hours of life, the build quality of the case itself feels like a real step down compared to the buds themselves. Some charging cases on much less expensive alternatives felt more substantial than the Beats Fit Pro’s, but I recognize that it won’t deter most people (including me). Aside from that and the touch controls, the Beats Fit Pro offers a complete package for runners and other athletes alike, one that can be used all day, not just during training sessions. Plus, their standard $200 price isn’t too cost-prohibitive, and they can often be found on sale for less.

Connectivity: Wireless | Style: In-ear| Assistant support: Siri, Google Assistant | Water resistance: IP68 | Active noise cancellation: Yes | Battery life: Up to eight hours

The Jabra Elite 8 Active almost bested the Beats Fit Pro, but ultimately the latter won thanks to their wingtip design and more natural-sounding transparency mode. But aside from those two things, the Elite 8 Active are just as good, if not better than, the Fit Pro.

First and foremost, the Elite 8 Active has one of the highest durability ratings of any earbuds we tested. Rated IP68, it’s protected against all kinds of dust and debris and it’ll survive being submerged in water at high pressure. Jabra also subjected the Elite 8 Active to military-grade testing, protecting them from excessive humidity, high temperature, rain and altitude. This is more protection than most people need, but it will likely give some people peace of mind to know that these buds can take a beating. For runners, you won’t have to worry if you get caught in a sudden downpour during your final mile.

That extra protection doesn’t make the Elite 8 Active bulky or unattractive as one might assume. These buds are some of the most comfortable I tried, with a lightweight design and a secure fit. The soft-touch finish on the buds themselves and their charging case adds a level of luxury that most others I tested did not have, too. There are onboard controls as well, and they’re not as prone to accidental presses as those on the Beats Fit Pro.

As one of Jabra’s more expensive devices, the Elite 8 Active have a great sound profile out of the box but if you prefer, you can use the company’s app to tweak the EQ using a line graph that spans bass, mid and treble. You can also save customized presets. The app offers six preconfigured settings, and I found myself using Bass Boost and Energize most while exercising (they’re pretty similar with strong bass, but Energize emphasizes highs a bit more). These personalization options will give the Elite 8 Active an edge over the Beats Fit Pro for some. On top of all that, Jabra’s buds support spatial sound with Dolby Audio.

The Elite 8 Active offer adaptive noise cancellation, and they do a good job of analyzing your environment and blocking out interferences. “HearThrough” is Jabra’s version of transparency mode, and it’s useful when running outside in a city or an area with lots of traffic even if it’s not as natural-sounding as the same mode on the Beats Fit Pro. Jabra’s is designed to neutralize wind noise while also letting you stay aware of your surroundings, so you can hear your podcasts no matter how gusty the environment. I ran in some particularly windy weather while testing these out, and I had consistently good listening experiences with both HearThrough and ANC activated.

As for battery life, the Elite 8 Active will get eight hours on a charge with ANC on, and an additional 24 hours in the charging case. You can get up to 56 hours of total use if you’re not using ANC, which is remarkable. The case also feels more substantial than that of the Beats Fit Pro, and you can wirelessly charge it (a feature that’s left out on Beats’ buds).

Ultimately, the Beats Fit Pro and the Jabra Elite 8 Active are neck and neck in our top picks list. But while the Jabras offer a bit more customization and more durability, not everyone will need those bonuses. However, if you’re an athlete who likes to play around with sound profiles or you want some of the most durable wireless earbuds available today, the Jabra Elite 8 Active are the ones to get.

Connectivity: Wireless | Style: In-ear | Assistant support: Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant | Water resistance: IP57 | Active noise cancellation: Yes | Battery life: Up to seven hours

The Jabra Elite 4 Active offer the best value for the money of any pair of earbuds on our list. For $120, you get an IP57-rated design, solid sound quality with adjustable EQ, good ANC, the same HearThrough transparency mode as the Elite 8 Active, app connectivity and a total of 28 hours of battery life. These were some of the easiest buds for me to “pick up and go” with, whether it was for an impromptu walk around the block, a sweaty HIIT session in my basement or an hour of work during which I really needed to block out distractions and get things done.

Like the Elite 8 Active, the Elite 4 Active is super comfortable and Jabra has really gotten the onboard controls right on this series. The buttons are not so easy to press that you accidentally trigger them whenever you adjust the fit, and they provide satisfying feedback when you actually do press them. Sound quality and ANC are impressive, and I basically never had to worry about running out of battery before I thought to myself, hey, you might want to top these up.

The main differences between the Elite 4 Active and the more-expensive Elite 8 Active are that the latter have a higher IP rating, spatial sound support with Dolby Audio, a longer overall battery life (56 hours with the charging case), voice guidance and that satisfying soft-touch finish. The IP rating and extended battery life are the two main features that could compel some to splurge on the Elite 8 Active instead. Also, spatial audio is nice if you have the buds semi-permanently placed in your ears constantly pumping out tunes, regardless of the activity. Otherwise, though, you’re getting a ton of excellent features with these $120 earbuds.

Connectivity: Wireless | Style: In-ear with hook | Assistant support: None | Water resistance: IP55 | Active noise cancellation: No | Battery life: Up to eight hours

If you have less than $50 to spend, you can’t go wrong with the $30 JLab Go Air Sport. I didn’t have high expectations going into testing these, but I was quickly impressed by their fit and sound quality. Lots of devices billed as workout-friendly headphones have this hook that wraps around the top of your ear, and on the Go Air Sport it does help keep things securely attached to your head. The hooks on these buds in particular are quite flexible and have a soft-touch finish, which makes them more comfy (I tried a few similarly designed buds with much stiffer hooks that were a pain in more ways than one.) Admittedly, a hook design will take some getting used to if you’re new to it, but it’s a surefire way to get a little extra stability during intense workouts.

Sound quality is pretty good on these buds as well, although not nearly as balanced as the Jabra Elite 8 Active or the Beats Fit Pro. I also appreciate that you can cycle through three different EQ modes — Signature, Balanced and Bass Boost — using the onboard controls. There’s no app to fuss with, and that was a nice change of pace for me after mostly testing buds with some kind of software controls.

You can expect eight hours of playtime on the Go Air Sport, plus another 24 hours of battery life with its charging case. While the USB-A cable built into the bottom of the case is handy, really should be a USB-C connector instead (it’s the year 2024, after all). The case is also on the bulky side; you can still throw it into a backpack or purse easily, but it’s not as svelte as cases you’ll see with more expensive buds.

Connectivity: Wireless | Style: Open-ear | Assistant support: None | Water resistance: IP54 | Active noise cancellation: No | Battery life: Up to seven hours

I was apprehensive about trying open-ear headphones, especially while running. But the Shokz OpenFit pleasantly surprised me from the first time I put them on. Earbuds with open designs like this allow for more situational awareness, with the goal being to let noise in rather than block it out. The OpenFits do a great job of this without skimping on sound quality or comfort.

The buds themselves almost float over your ear cavern and Shokz’s soft-finish “dolphin arc” hook is flexible enough to securely wrap around the top of your ear without putting too much pressure on it. There’s a bud-like portion at the other end of the hook that acts as counterbalance, resulting in a reliable fit that never faltered during all sorts of activities including running, strength training and indoor cycling. Granted, none of those exercises involve shaking your head too much; maybe don’t wear the OpenFit to listen to head-banging death metal (if you can’t control yourself).

Sound quality is solid considering the design, and the OpenFit gets pretty loud as well. These buds have Shokz’s Direct Pitch technology, which uses reverse sound waves to optimize the distance and angle to your ear canal. The company claims this helps reduce sound leakage. In my testing, I found that true to a certain extent. The OpenFit had the best sound quality and overall volume out of all of the open-ear devices I tried, but if you crank the volume up to the max (or close), the person next to you will definitely hear what you’re listening to.

As I alluded to previously, these aren’t for anyone who wants to block the world out during exercise (or otherwise). But the OpenFit might be the best option for those who live in cities or anyone who constantly runs outside amongst traffic, pedestrians and other hazards. There’s no question that you’ll hear what’s going on around you and that can be crucial to keeping yourself safe on those streets.