We've tested the best sports headphones to help boost your motivation

The best sports headphones are ideal if you do a lot of outdoor activities, like running, cycling, or hiking. They're designed to be durable, long-lasting, and still let you hear what's going on around you with a transparency mode. 

Like many of the best workout headphones, these sports headphones help you keep motivated with your favorite music, audiobooks, or podcasts, and are comfortable to wear, even for extended periods. 

But you can't really know what they're like until you get them in your ear, so we the best sports headphones to the test so you can find the right set for your training. We also checked the sound quality, battery life, and fit of each pair. 

After testing each set, we felt that the Beats Fit Pro were the best sports headphones for most people, but we've also included Shokz headphones that are perfect for running, and several other alternatives to get you moving. 

The best sport headphones you can buy right now

Best sports headphones overall

It's hard to find a better designed, more comfortable set of sports headphones than the Beats Fit Pro. These earbuds have small wings on each bud to keep them locked in place, making them ideal for working out. 

However, that's not the only reason to like them. We were impressed by the noise cancelation, which easily blocked out unwanted distractions like background and traffic noise. And they have Apple's H1 chip, which means they integrate seamlessly with your other Apple devices, like your Mac. 

And the chip helps power Siri's hands-free commands, and the Find My feature that allows you to recover misplaced buds. Of course, many of these features only work with Apple products, but you can still get a well-fitted, high-performing set even if you use an Android phone. 

• Read our full Beats Fit Pro review

Best value sports headphones

If you like the design of Apple's Beats brand, but prefer the security of over-ear hooks, then the Beats Powerbeats Pro may be the best sports headphones for you. These sweat-resistant buds have Apple's H1 chip, so they play well with other Apple devices. 

But, importantly, they also work with Android phones too, ideal if you're a fan of the Beats sound profile, although you don't get access to some iPhone-specific features like Siri and Spatial Audio. 

However, whichever device you use, we found that the Powerbeats Pro have a well-balance audio output — gone is the super-heavy-bass approach found in older Beats sets.  You get 24 hours of battery with the case, and 9 hours per bud. 

• Read our full Beats Powerbeats Pro earbuds review

Best bone conduction sports headphones

The Shokz OpenRun Pro are a bit different to the others on this list. Rather than popping the buds into your ear, the OpenRun Pro wrap around your head and sit on your cheekbones, and use vibrations to create sound. 

Of course, this will never sound quite the same as in-ear buds, but, depending on how you like to exercise, it could be a lot more practical. As you don't have an obstruction in your ear, you can still hear everything around too. 

This makes them an ideal choice if you're into running, hiking, or cycling — activities where you need to keep an ear out for road traffic or other people. And because of the headband-style design, we found they are some of the comfiest sports headphones to wear as well.

• Read our full Shokz OpenRun Pro review

Best sports headphones for iPhone

Apple doesn't aim the AirPods Pro 2 at exercise — they have the Beats Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro for that — but the popular buds do come with many of the same features and that distinctive Apple-white stemmed design. 

And just because they're not workout-themed, doesn't mean you can't use them for exercise too. In fact, we took the AirPods 2 out on a run and found that the combination of changeable ear tips and a dynamic Adaptive Transparency mode make them ideal for indoor and outdoor workouts. 

As with Apple's original ANC buds, the AirPods Pro 2 are sweat and water resistance to IPX4, but slippage has been improved to feel more secure whether you're on a run or working out, plus Apple’s Ear Tip Fit Test helps achieve optimal fit

Battery life has been increased compared to the first-gen AirPods Pro, with 6 hours on the earbuds and 30 hours from the wireless charging case. And the noise cancelation is easily some of the best we've ever used. 

• Read the full Apple AirPods Pro 2 review

Best sports headphones for durability

The Jabra Elite 8 Active are some of the most durable sports headphones we've tested. The materials don't chip or fade, the ShakeGrip ear tip design stops them from falling out on runs and high-intensity workouts, and they come with an IP68 rating for water resistance. 

They have Jabra’s warm sound signature to jumpstart workouts the moment you press play, along with adaptive active noise cancellation (with a transparency mode), spatial audio, and some of the longest battery life available. 

Noise cancelation does a fantastic job of reducing unwanted sounds, be it on runs or during video chats. The Elite 8 Active are one of the strongest pairs of workout headphones we've seen, and benefit from solid feature support across both iOS and Android devices.

• Read our full Jabra Elite 8 Active review

Best sports headphones under $100

The JLab Epic Air Sport ANC (2nd Gen) are a budget-friendly set of sports headphones that may be the ideal choice if you're after a set to through into your gym bag or take out on runs and hikes. 

The buds last for 11 hours with noise cancelation on, and this can be topped up to 70 hours with the charging case, so you won't need to recharge them after a couple of uses. The large ear hooks keep them firmly in place too. 

The buds have the brand's lively sound profile, so your favorite playlists and podcasts will still sound good, and there's a transparency mode for when you're training outside and need to stay aware of your surroundings. 

The only setback is that ANC performance as well as call quality and comfort has fallen behind market leaders, but you can only ask for so much when considering the $99 price point.

• Read our full JLab Epic Air Sport ANC (2nd Gen) review

The PowerBuds Pro are the an upgrade to our old favorite, the Amazfit PowerBuds. We were always impressed by how the older set managed to fit a heart rate sensor into the sports earbuds, but the PowerBuds Pro make this look like a mere toy. 

In addition to heart rate monitoring it can also track your steps and distance, ideal for runs or bike rides, and can even detect if you're sitting in a way that will hurt your spine. Essentially, it's a set of headphones with a fitness tracker built in. 

The fit can feel a bit loose, but it's the trade-off you make for a feature-packed pair at this price. There's also ANC, a transparency mode for outdoor exercise, and you can sync your fitness data to other apps like Runtastic and MapMyRun. 

• Read our full Amazfit PowerBuds Pro review

The Jabra Elite 7 Active have been superseded by the Elite 8 Active, but they're also still available, which makes them a great way to pick up a set of Jabra sports headphones without breaking the bank. 

These were the first set to come with the company's ShakeGrip earbud design — a blend of materials and positioning to prevent the buds accidentally falling out during exercise. It's not fool-proof, but you won't have to spend ages fiddling with them either. 

They can connect to two devices simultaneously (ideal if you're working out with your phone, but need to stay connected to your professional device), and you can use the Jabra Sound+ app to customize the EQ and button functions. 

They're a great companion for sweaty gym workouts and outdoor runs, thanks to the IP57 rating for sweat and waterproof protection. The ANC may not rival Bose, but it does a good job overall of blocking out distractions.  

• Read our full Jabra Elite 7 Active review

How to choose the best sport headphones for your workouts

There are a lot of great sports headphones out there, but you can make it easier to narrow down your options by keeping in mind a few important considerations to help you find the best sports headphones for your workouts. 

Firstly, they need to be durable enough to handle all-weather outdoor exercise and sweaty indoor workouts. So you should aim for a set with an IP rating suitable for your training style, generally IPX4 or higher.

Plus, they need to stay securely in place while you move. Some come with over-ear hooks to stop them escaping, while others use balanced in-ear designs to achieve the same result. Which you choose will come down to preference.

None of us want to recharge our devices several times a day. Fortunately, many of the best sports headphones last up to 8 hours, with three or four full recharges in the case. 

However, it's still important to factor battery life into your decision. If you plan on a multi-hour run or all-day hike, you'll want a set that can last the duration. Or if you're more into short, high-intensity workouts, this might be less of a problem. 

How we test the best sport headphones

To make sure we test the best sports headphones thoroughly, we wear each set for at least two hours at a time to check for comfort, battery life and performance. We look to see how securely they fit during exercise and how they handle background noises, like oncoming traffic or chatter and machines at the gym.

We also download any companion apps and test to see how much you can customize the audio and overall experience. Plus, we check if the buds have on-ear buttons and whether these are easy to use, even when you're sweaty or moving.

And even though you'll be using these during sports and exercise, we also test each pair for audio quality, listening to a range of genres, music styles, podcasts, and phone calls for volume, clarity, and fullness of sound.

Also tested

We test a lot of sports headphones, but not all of them will make our roundup. That doesn't make them bad options though, so if you're after more choices, here are some that didn't quite make the cut.

JBL SoundGear Sense
If you're looking for a set of headphones you can use for outdoor workouts, the open-ear design on the JBL SoundGear Sense make them a good option. However, in noisy environments, we found that the audio would get drowned out. But they are comfortable and durable and good for indoor exercise.