Working out can feel like a chore. Pounding the pavement or pumping iron can get repetitive after a long day of work, especially if you aren’t used to it. What makes my 45-minute dumbbell workout fly by? Workout headphones, paired with an audiobook, of course.Workout headphones can vary in shape and size. Some look like typical wireless earbuds, others are band-shaped open-ear headphones that rest on your temples. Regardless, good workout headphones stay secure on your head during jumping jacks, burpees, yoga and everything else.
How I picked the best workout headphones
I’ve tested dozens of workout headphones over the years. To pick my favorites, I keept the following qualities in mind while testing:
- Comfort: Workout headphones should feel comfortable and secure for hours at a time. Different size eartips or a customizable fit can help too.
- Controls: It can be hard to change volume or skip tracks while working out. The best workout headphones have reliable on-ear controls that work well even with gloved or sweaty hands.
- Water-resistance: Strong dust- and water resistance, often noted by a headphone’s IP rating, can prevent dust and moisture from breaking your workout headphones over time.
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The best workout headphones in 2025
My top picks come from a mix of large brands like Apple and Beats and small brands like Shokz and JLab. and more. I list key specifications like battery life, water resistance and more under each product.
My pick
This is an updated version of the Beats Fit Pro, my go-to workout headphones for the past few years. They improve upon the originals and keep what made them great in the first place. They are my top pick because they are supremely comfortable, secure and easy to use.
The buds have a small, built-in wing-tip design that creates a secure fit in your ear — mine stay secure during runs, bike rides and gym time. They are small and relatively lightweight compared to many other fitness earbuds, but are especially compact compared to ear-hook earbuds like the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.
Both earbuds have physical button controls that are easy to use, even when I am wearing thick gloves during a winter run. You can press either button to stop, start and skip songs, and holding the button changes between noise cancellation and transparency mode. They pair easily with iPhones and Android phones (through the Beats app).
Unlike many competitors around this price point, they don’t support wireless charging.
Best for iPhone
If you own an iPhone, the latest AirPods Pro 3 are some of the best wireless earbuds you can get for fitness and everyday wear. They are comfortable, have excellent sound quality and noise cancelling, and an improved IP57 dust and waterproof rating.
The highlight has to be the new built-in heart rate sensors. You can start a workout from your iPhone, and the earbuds will record your heart rate and calories burned — no fitness tracker required. Noise cancelling is another highlight. Chatter and music at the gym fade instantly when turned on. Conversely, the transparency mode is so good that I can have full conversations with it on and not miss anything.
The earbuds have great on-ear controls: squeeze either stem to control your media and swipe up or down on the stem to control your volume.
If all of this sounds good to you, but you can’t stand rubber eartips clogging your ears, consider Apple AirPods 4 ANC instead — they leave your ears more open because they don’t have rubber eartips.
Best for Android
Anyone with an Android phone looking for one pair of headphones to pull double duty as workout and everyday earbuds should consider these latest Google Pixel buds. The new design adds mini wing-tip stabilizers that fit snugly in your ears and make the earbuds much better for exercise compared to the originals.
Like Apple AirPods Pro 3, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 have strong noise cancellation and transparency modes. But they also have the longest battery life on our list — up to 12 hours in the earbuds alone and 48 with the case.
Best open-ear
These are Shokz’s most premium headphones, with the best sound quality, fit and feel. They rest on the outside of your ear instead of inside your ear canal, and use a mix of vibrations and highly directional speakers to project sound to your inner ear.
NBC Select editorial director Lauren Swanson uses Shokz headphones for her marathon races and training. She feels safer running with them because they leave her ears open, allowing her to hear nearby cars, bikes and pedestrians more clearly. (I use them for similar reasons while cycling.) But, like with all open-ear headphones, they don’t block any outside noise, meaning they aren’t a good fit for a noisy gym.
If the OpenRun Pro 2 are a bit pricey, you could consider the similar Shokz Open Run, though they have lesser sound quality and battery life.
Best budget open-ear
If you are looking to try out open-ear headphones, or want a second pair of workout headphones just for outdoor runs, consider these budget-friendly Anker headphones. The earbud rests on, not inside, your ear, and each bud has a rubber earhook for a more secure fit. They are also IP55 dust- and water resistant, so you don’t have to worry about sweat or rain.
Best earhook
The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are some of the most secure workout headphones I’ve ever tested. They are also some of the most feature rich — they have active noise-cancellation and transparency modes, on-ear media and volume controls, a wireless charging case and heart rate sensors built-in to the earbuds themselves. While the sensors are a little finicky to sync with your workout app, they are a nice-to-have for anyone who doesn’t use a fitness tracker. You can read more in my Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review.
My previous earhook pick, the JBL Endurance Peak 3, are still a great option if you are looking for something simple, secure, and less pricey.
Best budget earhook
For $30, I was surprised by the quality of these earbuds, especially for quick outdoor runs. They have a large ear-hook design that wraps securely around the back of your ears — I found them to tight and comfortable, but not so snug that I couldn’t hear traffic noise or other runners around me.
Like most earbuds at this low price point, they don’t have noise cancellation and transparency modes or wireless charging. But they do connect to the JLab app, where you can customize settings like sound balance.
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How to shop for workout headphones
I’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:
In-ear versus open-ear
In-ear headphones are typical earbuds like Apple Airpods Pro 3 or Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 with rubber eartips that rest inside your ear canal. Open earbuds rest on the outside of your ear instead of the inside, usually on your ear or around your temple. Open-ear headphones are great if you want to listen to music but still hear your surroundings clearly — I prefer open-ear headphones when I am running or cycling outdoors.
Earbud fit
Your earbuds need to fit your ears well, or else they will fall out during intense exercise, in our experience. All of our in-ear headphone recommendations come with multiple sized ear tips. Try a few different ear tip sizes and feel out which one fits best. If you want to avoid worrying about eartips all together, look into open-ear headphones instead.
Water and dust resistance
Water- and dust resistance is denoted by an earbuds IP (ingress protection) rating. IP ratings contain two numbers. The first represents intrusion protection against dust and debris. The second denotes water resistance. Many of our recommended headphones have an IP rating of IP55, which indicates protection against dust and jets of water. Earbuds meant for swimming or water sports should be fully waterproof, with a rating of at least IPX8.
Automated noise canceling and transparency modes
Noise cancellation and transparency (sometimes called hear through) are both useful features to have in any kind of headphone. Noise canceling can block outside noise like chatter or music at the gym. Transparency lets in sound and is useful for outdoor activities like running, when you may want to hear nearby traffic or pedestrian noise more clearly.
Noise canceling headphones with transparency are typically more expensive than headphones without those features.
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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