Working out can feel like a chore — pounding the pavement or pumping iron can get repetitive after a long day of work. Workout headphones can help, especially when paired with your favorite music, podcasts and audiobooks.
Not all wireless earbuds and noise-canceling headphones are well-suited to an intense workout. To find the best headphones for fitness, we tried dozens of earbuds and headphones while running, biking, planking, stretching, weightlifting and more, at home, in the gym and outside.
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The NBC Select team tried dozens of top-rated wireless headphones while working out. To pick our favorites, we placed special emphasis on the following qualities:
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After a lot of sweat, our top picks came from a mix of larger and smaller brands like Apple, Jabra, Shokz and more. We list specs like battery life, water resistance and more below each recommendation.
The Beats Fit Pro has been my go-to workout earbud for years, even after trying out dozens of competitors. The fit is a big reason why — the small, built-in wing-tips create a secure fit without making the earbuds feel too hefty. Both earbuds have a physical button you can press to stop, start and skip songs, you can also hold down that button to change between noise cancellation and transparency mode. They are easy to control, even when I am wearing thick gloves in cold weather. These earbuds pair easily with my iPhone and offer a similar experience on Android using the Beats mobile app, in my experience.
Unlike many competitors around this price point, the case does not charge wirelessly.
Noise cancellation: yes | Transparency: yes | Battery life: rated up to 6 hours (ANC on) | Wireless Charging: no | Water resistance: IPX4 | Bluetooth Multipoint: no | Works best with: Android, iPhone | Ear tips: silicone (S, M, L)
What we like
Something to note
The NBC Select team loves AirPods Pro for working out and everyday life — they are comfortable and secure in our ears during workouts, including outdoor runs and indoor gym routines.
The earbuds have excellent sound quality and noise canceling. With noise cancellation turned on, chatter and music at the gym fade instantly, in my experience. When I switch on transparency mode, I can hear my surroundings very clearly, which can be helpful while running outside — I can easily listen out for traffic and other runners. These second generation models include multiple ear tips in the box — essential for getting a comfortable fit.
Noise cancellation: yes | Transparency: yes | Battery life: rated up to 6 hours (ANC on) | Wireless Charging: yes | Water resistance: IPX4 | Bluetooth Multipoint: no | Works best with: iPhone | Ear tips: silicone (XS, S, M, L)
What we like
For $30, I was surprised by the quality of these earbuds, especially for running outdoors. They have a large ear hook design that wraps around the back of your ears, which has a very secure fit, in my experience. I found the fit to be tight and comfortable, but not so snug that I couldn’t hear traffic noise and other runners around me.
Like most other earbuds at this price point, they do not have noise cancellation, transparency, or wireless charging.
Noise cancellation: no | Transparency: no | Battery life: rated up to 8 hours | Wireless Charging: no | Water resistance: IP55 | Bluetooth Multipoint: no | Works best with: Android, iPhone | Ear tips: silicone (S, M, L)
What we like
Something to note
These headphones rest on the outside of your ear instead of inside your ear canal. They use vibrations to transmit sound through the bones on your cheeks and jaw into your inner ear, according to the brand.
NBC Select editorial director Lauren Swanson used these headphones to run the New York City Marathon. She feels safer running with them because they leave her ears open, allowing her to hear nearby cars, bikes and pedestrians more clearly. I’ve used these headphones while cycling to better hear cars on the road and other cyclists on bike paths, compared to wearing traditional in-ear earbuds.
These headphones feel very different to wear than traditional earbuds — Swanson does not find them comfortable for activities outside of running.
Noise cancellation: no | Transparency: no | Battery life: rated up to 8 hours | Wireless Charging: no | Water resistance: IP67 | Bluetooth Multipoint: no | Works best with: Android, iPhone | Ear tips: n/a
What we like
These headphones have a wire connecting the two earbuds and connect to your device wirelessly via Bluetooth. NBC Select SEO editor Nikki Brown uses them on walks and while riding her stationary bike. They sit comfortably in her ears and don’t fall out, even while she is sweating. The buds snap together magnetically, which automatically pauses any audio playing. They also have up to 12 hours of battery life on a single charge, the most of any headphones on our list.
They are water and sweat resistant, according to the brand, but do not have an IP rating like our other recommendations.
Noise cancellation: no | Transparency: no | Battery life: rated up to 12 hours | Wireless Charging: no | Water resistance: unlisted | Bluetooth Multipoint: no | Works best with: Android, iPhone | Ear tips: silicone (S, M, L, XL)
What we like
Something to note
These Jabra earbuds are some of the most durable we’ve tried — I dropped them into a jug of water for over a minute and used them right away afterward with no issue. The earbuds are IP68 dust-tight and waterproof (up to a depth of about five feet), according to the brand. They sit still and comfortably in my ears during indoor and outdoor runs as well as floor stretches.
Between the case and the buds, they have a combined battery life of up to 32 hours. At my loud gym, with noise-canceling turned on, I could hear metal bars clanging and music blasting slightly more than when using other similarly-priced earbuds I’ve tried.
Noise cancellation: yes | Transparency: yes | Battery life: rated up to 8 hours (ANC on) | Wireless Charging: yes | Water resistance: IP68 | Bluetooth Multipoint: yes | Works best with: Android, iPhone | Ear tips: silicone (S, M, L)
What we like
Something to note
These headphones have the most secure fit of any we tried, well-suited to high-intensity activity. Each bud has a large ear hook design that loops around the back of your ear. This design means each earbud is large, with the charging case in particular much larger than other options on our list.
They are IP68 dust resistant and waterproof up to a depth of about five feet. You can wear them while swimming and surfing, according to the brand — while we didn’t get a chance to use these earbuds on a beach, we did submerge them in water, and they worked as normal afterwards.
Noise cancellation: no | Transparency: yes | Battery life: rated up to 10 hours | Wireless Charging: no | Water resistance: IP68 | Bluetooth Multipoint: no | Works best with: Android, iPhone | Ear tips: silicone (S, M, L)
We’ve tried dozens of excellent headphones fit for everyday use, but not all of them make for ideal workout headphones. Keep the following in mind as you shop for your next fitness headphones:
Your earbuds need to fit your ears well, or else they will fall out during intense exercise, in our experience. All of our earbud recommendations come with multiple sized ear tips. Try a few different ear tip sizes and feel out which one fits best for you. If you want to avoid worrying about a loose fit all together, look into headphones that fit more securely via wingtip or ear hook.
Water and dust resistance is denoted by an earbuds IP (ingress protection) rating. IP ratings contain two numbers. The first digit represents intrusion protection against dust and debris. The second digit denotes water resistance.
Many workout headphones have an IP rating of IPX4, which indicates protection against splashing water. Earbuds meant for swimming or water sports should be fully waterproof, with a rating of at least IPX8.
Noise cancelation and hear through (sometimes called transparency) are both very useful features to have in any kind of headphones. Noise canceling can block outside noise like chatter or music at the gym. Hear through lets in sound and is useful for outdoor activities like running, when you may want to hear nearby traffic or pedestrian noise more clearly.
Headphones with noise canceling and hear through modes are typically more expensive than models without those features.
I am a reporter at NBC Select who covers technology and fitness including recent stories on fitness trackers, walking shoes and wireless earbuds. For this piece, I tried over a dozen headphones and earbuds while doing different fitness activities. I spoke with other members of the NBC Select team about their experiences with headphones and earbuds they’ve used for fitness.
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