9 best running headphones, tested by a fitness writer

Sometimes, “safety first” means you’re making some sacrifices in other areas. Not so with Shokz’s top bone-conduction model, which leaves your ears totally open to the world around you but offers truly impressive sound quality and comfort.

If you’re not used to the concept of bone conduction, it’s a little strange at first — the speakers rest on your upper jawbone, which transmits the sound vibrations into your ear. Often, the audio is slightly softer or less clear than it would be with a more traditional headphone, but not with a high-quality model like the openrun pro 2, the pair that I find myself reaching for over and over again (and ultimately, top this list of the best running headphones).

When testing, I loved that I could hear my music or podcast clearly without it interfering with my awareness of what’s going on around me. Depending on how noisy the area was, I adjusted the volume once or twice during my runs. But Shokz’s controls are easy to use, including phone calls, which come through shockingly clearly, even in noisy environments. The earhooks fit comfortably and securely, and I didn’t find myself having to adjust them or notice any bouncing.

At 12 hours, the openrun pro 2 has among the best battery life, which means you can get through a week of running or a couple of marathons without charging. True audio snobs will notice that while the sound quality is fantastic, it’s not quite as advanced as some of the in-ear models. But that’s inevitable with the bone-conduction design, and the openrun pro 2 has by far the best quality in that category. Plus, it has the option to choose different EQ models depending on your environment and preferences.

Rather than having one pair of headphones for running and another for everything else, you might want one option that can do it all. That’s where the Apple AirPod Pro 3 comes in. The tech giant’s latest and greatest earbud offering with a host of new features and a better-than-ever fit for running.

They have among the best sound quality on this list, and an active noise cancellation mode so effective that I was convinced my bathroom fan was broken because I could not hear it at all. On the run, I used the AirPods in transparency mode, and while it wasn’t quite the same as wearing open-ear or bone-conduction headphones, I could still easily hear oncoming cars and felt safe.

Unlike the regular AirPods, which are notorious for falling out, the Pros have a more secure fit that generally works well for me while running. The only exception: Towards the end of my runs, when my ears start to get sweaty, I did find that they started to feel slightly loose, though they’ve never fallen out.

The new models have an improved battery life of eight hours, which may not impress in comparison to other options on this list. However, earbuds tend to have a shorter battery lifespan, since they’re so small and lightweight. If you find that your AirPods are dead before a run, five minutes in the case will get you an hour of listening time.

The new AirPods Pro 3 come with some promising new features when you’re not running, like live translations. One on-the-run feature I was excited about ended up being a bit anticlimactic: The AirPods can monitor your heart rate, which is cool, but I’m always going to run with a watch that monitors my heart rate anyway. (I thought the AirPods might be more accurate, but Apple makes it impossible to tell whether it is pulling readings from my Apple Watch or the AirPods.)

The new AirPods Pros don’t come cheap, but if you value sound quality, active noise cancellation, and versatility, they are worth it.

I’ll admit it: When I first started testing JLab’s J buds opensport headphones, I just put them on and ran. I had no idea they were one of the most affordable pairs I’d collected to test. In fact, I was surprised when I found out they weren’t more expensive considering their long battery life, easy in-case charging, sleek and comfortable design, and generous in-app features.

With an open-ear design (meaning the speaker sits near the top of your ear without actually going in it) and a hook for a secure fit, I found the design to be comfortable, and I didn’t experience any bouncing. Similar to the Shokz openrun pro 2 (the bone conduction design), open ear headphones leave you with total awareness of your surroundings (though on the other hand, there’s no noise cancellation option for those times when you do want to drown out your environment).

One gripe is that the sound quality is a step below most of the other pairs. But I still found it perfectly acceptable for a casual run (and if you’re willing to download an app, JLab offers the option to adjust the EQ). If you often run at the gym or along noisy roads, you may want to look elsewhere, though, because the open ear design means the loud surroundings can overwhelm your music.

Otherwise, the JLab’s J buds opensport headphones punch above their weight when it comes to value, and are a great option for runners prioritizing budget and safety.

I’ve always been skeptical of running with earbuds, because I worry they’re going to fall out of my ears, or that they’re going to close my ears off to my environment and compromise my safety. But the Beats powerbeats fit converted me, thanks to the wingtip, which ensures a comfortable and secure fit.

As Beats is owned by Apple, you can expect many of the same features here as you’d get with AirPods. The sound quality isn’t quite as crisp and dynamic as the new AirPods Pro 3, but it’s still one of the strongest on this list, with solid noise canceling and transparency modes.

For audiophiles who don’t want to sacrifice an ounce of sound quality while on the run, the Bose quietcomfort ultra earbuds combine everything you need in a running earbud with unmatched sound quality. I tested them while listening to my ever-so-eclectic running playlist and was blown away by just how much clarity, depth, and detail they delivered as I pounded the pavement.

They also have the best active noise cancellation mode (in addition to a transparency mode), so they’re ideal for the gym or as a lifestyle crossover option. One clutch feature, especially for those using the buds all day long: the Bose app allows you to set custom sound modes for different activities, so you can determine exactly how much transparency you want while running, or how much noise cancellation you prefer while sitting at your desk.

For how expensive these buds are, their battery life isn’t great, at just six hours. (They do offer easy wireless charging in their case for a quick top off.) My only other complaint is that it’s pretty easy to accidentally push the buttons when you go to adjust the buds. Those adjustments shouldn’t be necessary — the buds come with three sizes of both eartips and wings so you can find your best fit. It was only when I was at my sweatiest that I had the urge to nudge them a bit, but with time, I think I’d learn to trust them to stay in place

For an earbud option that doesn’t break the bank, the JBL endurance race 2 has lots to offer, including a whopping 10 hours of battery life, and a quick charge feature that’ll get you four hours of playback with just 10 minutes of charging. For the price, I was also surprised by the solid sound quality and the customizable EQ, though it doesn’t have the clarity or power of the more expensive earbuds on this list.

The fit of the endurance race 2 is rock solid, with three sizes of buds to choose from and a silicon wing that’s key to keeping it comfortably locked in. (You twist the earbud into your ear so that the wing holds it in place.) Even when I got seriously sweaty during my test run, these didn’t budge.

I did find the touch controls on the side of each earbud to be hard to use once my hands were sweaty, and I imagine I’ll have the same issue in the winter when I’m wearing gloves. And while the earbuds have noise-canceling and transparency modes, both leave a bit to be desired, with lots of noise still coming through when I wanted to be fully immersed, and a bit too much noise filtered out when I wanted to know what was going on.

That said, you get what you pay for — and for less than $90, the JBL endurance race 2 are easily the best budget running earbuds.

On the surface, the Baseus Bowie MC1 pros don’t look like earbuds that would stand up to the demands of running, with its open-ear model that simply clips onto the side of the ear. I was certain that they would fall off or slide around. Shockingly, they ended up being one of the most secure and comfortable models that I tested, to the point that I would forget they were still on my ear post-run (it helps that at just 5g per bud, they’re super lightweight).

The MC1 pro has great sound quality, especially for an open-ear headphone, and lots of options to play around with in the app. (The app also comes with a helpful “Find My Earbuds” feature.)

They also have all the pros and cons that come with that design: full awareness of your surroundings for safety, but no option for noise cancellation, and lacking the powerful bass of in-ear headphones. Another notch in the MC1 Pro’s favor: for such an affordable option, it has an impressive nine hours of battery life.

If you’re running early in the morning or late at night, it’s especially important to wear a pair of headphones that lets you hear what’s going on around you. The Suunto wing 2 takes that idea a step further. Not only is it a bone conduction model that leaves your ears totally open, but it features LED lights on each side to make you more visible to the cars and bikes around you.

Suunto’s wing 2 also features an array of questionably useful features that you won’t find in any other headphones. For instance, you can program the LED lights to match your cadence, get cues about your pace and distance, or test your neck flexibility and vertical leap (yes, really). Whether those sound like gimmicks or tools you’d actually take advantage of, it’s good to know that the wing 2 also has all the basics nailed down. It has an excellent 12 hours of battery life (plus a powerbank for a quick boost), it’s comfortable, and the sound quality is about as good as it gets for a bone conduction model, with minimal sound leakage. One unique feature I’ll definitely use: you can nod or shake your head to answer a phone call, or skip to the next song.

My only real complaint is that they did bounce ever so slightly on the run, which makes Shokz’s very similar openrun pro 2 rank above these for me (though, to be fair, these have more fun features).

Even the best running headphones sometimes don’t play nice with your go-to sunglasses. And sometimes, having both on your head can feel like a bit much. Chamelo has solved this potential problem with its audio sunglasses, the music shields. With speakers situated below each arm of the glasses, the Music Shields are essentially open ear headphones with surprisingly decent sound quality.

The other main draw of the Chamelo music shield sunglasses is that you can manually adjust the tint by sliding your finger across the arm of the glasses. I loved this feature when my runs had me going from shady paths to sunny streets, though it became more difficult to use as my hands got sweaty. (The glasses also fogged slightly as I warmed up.) I experienced no bouncing and found them to be comparable to other top-of-the-line running sunglasses I’ve tried.

One major downside is that the controls on the sunglasses are quite limited and do not allow you to adjust the volume. With six and a half hours, the battery life also isn’t terribly impressive, but the sunglasses have a quick charge feature that gets the battery back up to 80 percent in just 30 minutes.