Open earbuds rest on the outside of your ears instead of going inside your ear like traditional wireless earbuds. They leave your ears open to the world around you, meaning you can hear everything that’s going on, plus your music, audiobooks or video call, of course. I always reach for a pair of open earbuds if I’m working out or going for an outdoor run or bike ride.
With new models coming to market all the time, it can be hard to know which open earbud is right for you. Luckily I test earbuds and headphones year-round, and picked my favorite open earbuds to shop for below.
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How I picked the best open earbuds
I test new headphones and earbuds year-round, incorporating them into my daily routine. I wear them to commute, work, work out, travel and relax at home. With open earbuds in particular, I pay close attention to the following:
- Comfort: Earbuds, especially open earbuds, should be comfortable to wear for hours at a time. Open earbuds typically rest outside your ear, so I make sure to test them while working out. Do they stay secure? Do the earbuds shake or vibrate uncomfortably at high volumes?
- Ease of use: The best headphones shouldn’t require a PhD to use. I test open earbud on-ear controls to take calls and control media. I also download each brand’s mobile app to see if it enhances the experience or adds unnecessary complication.
- Sound quality: The majority of open earbuds do not sound as clear or as detailed as traditional earbuds. Still, they shouldn’t sound bad. I listen to a handful of playlists with all my earbuds to get an idea of the sound profile and quality.
- Battery life: I test open earbuds for at least a week, and see how often I need to charge them during that time.
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The best open earbuds of 2025
My top picks come from top brands like Shokz, Soundcore and Bose. Every option on this list is a sample I requested from the brand for testing purposes for this story.
Best overall
The Shokz Openfit 2 are the best open earbuds for most people and most activities. They strike just the right balance of sound quality, comfort and convenience and while they are a little pricey, I think they are worth it.
Unlike many open earbuds, they have physical buttons on each bud, meaning it’s easy to control media even with cold, wet or gloves hands. And they have a solid IP55 dust and water resistant rating, meaning I never worried about wearing them in the rain or snow. They are small and lightweight, and come with a charging case that brings the total battery life up to 48 hours.
Best budget
Open earbuds aren’t for everyone. If you’re just looking to try a pair out without making a huge investment, consider these budget-friendly Anker Soundcore V30i earbuds. The fit and feel is similar to other options, so you can get a good idea of how open earbuds fit generally with this one pair.
Sound quality and on-ear controls are just okay, but at this price point, okay is good enough.
Best for fitness
These are the best open earbuds for fitness, full stop. Whenever I am going for an outdoor run or bike ride and want the best sound quality, I reach for these earbuds. They sound surprisingly clear and detailed, more so than most other options on this list.
This model uses a standard USB-C cable for charging, a huge improvement from the previous versions magnetic charging cable, which was specific to these headphones.
Best clip-on
I call this type of open earbud a clip-on earbud — they wrap around your outer ear like an ear cuff. The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are some of the best clip-on earbuds I’ve tested. They don’t look very secure, but after multiple 5Ks and 15 plus mile bike rides, I can say they are some of the most secure-fitting earbuds on this list.
Clip-on earbuds are also smaller and lighter than other options. That small size generally means sound and call quality isn’t as good, however, and that’s true with these Bose Ultra Open. You can learn more in my Bose Ultra Open Earbuds review.
Best budget clip-on
The Bose Ultra Open are expensive. If you just want to try out a clip-on style, consider these clip-on earbuds from Soundpeats instead. They are some of the lowest-price clip-on earbuds you can get, but still have features like Bluetooth multipoint, meaning you can connect to up to two devices at once. They also have a game mode which lowers the delay between your audio and the visuals on your phone.
Battery life is only okay, but they do have fast recharging — 10 minutes of quick charging nets up to two hours of playtime, according to the brand.
Best for Apple
I would call these semi-open earbuds, not true open earbuds like the other options on this list. They do rest inside your ear, but they don’t have rubber eartips clogging up your ear canal, leaving things open to hear your environment. Because they rest inside your ear, they do sound much clearer and more robust than most other open earbuds.
Aside from easily syncing with Apple devices, the main reason to get these earbuds is automated noise canceling. Very few open earbuds have automated noise canceling, and AirPods 4’s are impressive — they block out traffic noise, airport chatter and office HVAC systems effectively, in my experience.
They are the least secure in my ears out of all of our recommendations — I wouldn’t recommend them for fitness. You can learn more in my Apple AirPods 4 ANC review.
How to shop for open earbuds
There are dozens of open earbuds on the market. Many of them look the same, and come from brands you may not have heard of compared to big names like Sony and Bose. Below are a few factors to keep in mind as you shop.
Decide what kind of open earbud you want
There are a few different types of open earbuds on the market. Unfortunately, most of them are listed by retailers as simply “open earbuds”. Below are the three main types to know about:
Open earbuds: These are the most common type. Open earbuds are two separate wireless buds that wrap around each one of your ears. Think Shokz OpenFit 2, Anker Soundcore V30i and Nothing Ear (Open).
Open-ear headphones: Sometimes called bone conduction headphones, these are larger than open earbuds, and while they connect to your phone wirelessly, they usually have a physical tether connecting the two earbuds to each other. Examples include the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2.
Clip-on open earbuds: Each wireless earbud wraps around the outside of your ear like an ear cuff or jewelry. These are the smallest and lightest kind of open earbud, but typically have the shortest battery life. Examples include the Bose Ultra Open, Soundpeats PearlClip Pro and Soundcore Aeroclip.
Check water- and dust-resistance ratings
Most earbuds and headphones have an IP rating that denotes how durable they are against the elements. The Shokz OpenFit 2, for example, have an IP rating of IP55. The first number indicates protection against dust and debris, while the second number denotes water resistance. IP55 means the earbuds are dust-protected and protected against jets of water.
Most open earbuds don’t cancel noise
Most open earbuds and open ear headphones don’t have automated noise-canceling features. That makes them a poor fit for commuting, office work or travel — noisy places where automated noise cancellation is the only way I can keep my volume comfortably low and still hear my media.
There are exceptions, like the Apple AirPods 4 ANC, but they are few and far between.
Why trust NBC Select?
I am a reporter at NBC Select who covers technology and fitness including stories on fitness trackers, wireless earbuds and point-and-shoot cameras. I’ve been testing earbuds and headphones for years — I try new models constantly, comparing them against previous versions and similar competitors. For a varied perspective, everybody has different ears, after all, I also spoke with other NBC Select team members about their experience with earbuds they use and have used previously.
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