Running pushes you physically and mentally, so it's important to have a great pair of headphones to provide you with the audio inspiration needed to push through the pain barrier and rack up the miles. Headphones designed for running share many characteristics with those intended for commuting or home use, but typically include unique features tailored to maximise performance during physical exertion.
Working out which features you require and how much to spend on running headphones isn't easy, but that's where we come in. We've put together a guide of the best running headphones on the market to suit every type of runner and budget – along with the key questions you need to ask when picking a pair.
Best running headphones: At a glance
Best budget running headphones: JBL Endurance Sprint | Buy now
Best budget wired running headphones: Sony MDR-XB510AS | Buy now
Best noise-cancelling running headphones: Apple Airpods Pro | Buy now
Best running headphones for battery life: Adidas FWD-01 | Buy now
Best-sounding headphones for running: NuraLoop | Buy now
Best true wireless running headphones: Beats Powerbeats Pro | Buy now
How to choose the best running headphones for you
What type of sports headphones should I get?
When you picture running headphones, you probably think of a compact in-ear design and the majority of products on the market are exactly that. On-ear models are far rarer but can have advantages in terms of sound quality and battery life. However, they’re liable to get hot and sweaty once you start pushing yourself, which is why earbuds are by far the most popular choice.
Once you’ve decided on a general style, the next question is whether you want wired or wireless headphones. Wired models don't ever need charging which is nice, but unless your audio device doesn't have Bluetooth, we'd generally recommend going wireless. That's because wires can get in your way, and if you accidentally catch the cable while running it can infuriatingly tug the earbuds out of your ears. What’s more, some modern smartphones lack a 3.5mm jack, so you might need to use an adaptor to connect your wired headphones. That’s not a big problem, but it’s another accessory to deal with.
When it comes to wireless headphones, there are two designs to choose from: you can get a pair where the left and right units are cabled together, or you can go for completely wireless buds (also known as ‘true wireless’). The latter is more convenient for running, but they usually have shorter battery life compared to their “slightly wired” counterparts.
One final design factor you should consider is ambient noise. Certain earphones sit deep in your ear canal, with a rubber plug that excludes almost all external sound. This is great for zoning out and losing yourself in the music – but if you’re running on busy streets, consider a more open design that lets a certain amount of noise in, to keep you in touch with the potential hazards of the outside world.
How much do I need to spend?
You can pay as little as £5 for a basic pair of wired headphones, but the sound quality will probably be pretty ropey and there’s a good chance they’ll fall apart before long. You’ll find vastly better audio, and more dependable build quality, from a pair of wired headphones in the £20 to £50 range.
Similarly, you can pick up a functional pair of wireless headphones for under £20 – but high-quality models tend to be found in the £70 to £100 bracket. When it comes to true wireless earbuds, the best sets for running cost £150 and upward.
What are the key features to look for?
Waterproofing: First of all, make sure the headphones you’re looking at are sweat and water-resistant. There are plenty of trendy earphones out there that don’t pass this test.
Fit: It doesn’t matter how good a pair of sports headphones sound if they’re constantly falling out of your ears or require continual adjusting. Running can involve lots of jolts and jars so it’s vital that your sports headphones fit your ears snugly and securely.
Battery life: Obviously, this isn’t an issue for wired sports headphones. For regular wireless units, you can typically expect around eight to ten hours of music per charge. True wireless buds are often rated for only three to five hours of playback per charge, but this isn’t as limiting as it sounds: many models come with a carry case that doubles as a charger, which tops them up between uses. In practice, you can probably go a week or two without having to plug them in.
Sound quality: As a very general rule, wired headphones give the best sound reproduction (especially over-ear designs), while wireless technologies can degrade the sound very slightly. Don’t be put off, though – just do a little research before buying to ensure your chosen earbuds sound as good as they should.
Finally, it’s worth checking the reviews to see how quickly and reliably they connect to your phone or MP3 player – there are few things more annoying than earbuds that won’t pair, or randomly cut out while you’re in the middle of a run. Many cheap headphones have more difficulty with this than you might expect, but rest assured that the models we’ve picked out below won’t let you down.
READ NEXT: The best headphones and earphones you can buy
The best running headphones to buy
1. JBL Endurance Sprint: The best budget running headphones
Price: £40 | Buy now from Amazon
Great wireless headphones have never been cheaper, as typified by the excellent JBL Endurance Sprint buds, which are fully waterproof, have eight hours of battery life, sound great and stay in place on your ears no matter how vigorous your exercise gets.
The Sprint headphones also have a quick charge feature that nets you an hour of playing time from just ten minutes of charging. You can also control playback using touch controls on the outside of the headphones.
There are three sets of headphones in the JBL Endurance range, but unless you want the built-in MP3 player in the priciest set, Dive, there’s no need to look beyond the Sprint.
Key specs – Style: Wireless earphones; Water resistance: IPX7; Battery life: 8 hours
2. Beats Powerbeats Pro: The best true wireless running headphones
Price: £220 | Buy now from Amazon
The Powerbeats Pro offer the best battery life and fit of any true wireless headphones out there. You get nine hours of juice from a single charge and just five minutes in the carry case will yield 90 minutes of playback in a pinch. The ear hook design also means the headphones don’t move an inch during your runs.
Both headphones offer the same controls, with a volume up/down button and a larger multifunctional button that you can use to control your music. The sound quality is impressive and the headphones connect to a variety of devices quickly, easily and reliably. Aside from the high price, the only fly in the ointment is the large carry case, which is too bulky to pop in a pocket and only brings the total battery life to 24 hours, despite its hefty size. However, since the Powerbeats Pro offers all-day battery life from the headphones themselves, you can leave the case behind anyway.
Click here to read our full Powerbeats Pro review
Key specs – Style: True wireless earbuds with earhooks; Water resistance: IPX4; Battery life: 9 hours (24 total with case)
3. Sony MDR-XB510AS: The best budget wired running headphones
Price: £25 | Buy now from Amazon
Although more and more companies are opting to make wireless running headphones, there are still some great wired pairs available and Sony’s MDR-XB510AS is one of them. They’re IPX5-certified so not only are they sweat- and water-resistant, but you can clean them under the tap after you’ve finished your run.
The MDR-XB510AS feature Sony’s trademarked EXTRA BASS, which provides full, rich low-end reproduction and the headphones come packaged with a range of different-sized eartips and arc supports to help you get a stable fit in your ear. The 1.2m cable is long enough to ensure you don’t catch it when running and also houses a small in-cable control box.
Available in four different colours – black, red, green and blue – the MDR-XB510AS are a good quality, affordable option for those not wishing to make the leap to wireless headphones.
Key specs – Style: Wired earphones; Water-resistance: IPX5; Battery life: N/A;
4. Aftershokz Aeropex Bone Conduction Sports Headphones: The best running headphones for racing
Price: £149 | Buy now from Amazon
Bone conduction headphones leave your ears clear and instead deliver audio through your cheekbones, which is ideal for maintaining greater awareness of your surroundings while running. That’s useful for city runners who want to keep tabs on traffic in particular, and Aftershokz has a partnership with England Athletics that means you can use its headphones in open road races where the use of standard headphones is banned.
The Aeropex is the latest release from Aftershokz, improving on the Air and Trekz headphones to be the best bone conduction headphones ever. They have eight hours of battery life, an IP67 waterproof rating and improved sound quality with less leakage than the Air. The Aeropex are also so light, at 26g, that you’ll quickly forget you’re even wearing them.
Key specs – Style: Wireless bone conduction; Water-resistance: IP67; Battery life: 8 hours
5. Beats Powerbeats: The best running headphones for fit and bass
Price: £110 | Buy now from Amazon
The Beats Powerbeats are a wonderful synthesis of the true wireless Powerbeats Pro and the Powerbeats 3 (2016). These neckband-style headphones are extremely stable when worn during exercise; you can be bobbing your head like Paula Radcliffe on the final mile of the marathon and they just won’t budge.
The neckband doesn’t chafe your neck due to its rounded design and the wiring going to the earpieces runs behind your ears, which helps you forget you’re even wearing headphones. But the Powerbeats' standout quality is their bass reproduction. The low end is phenomenal, creating a powerful audio experience full of weight and intensity. It’s perfect for pushing you on to complete that extra mile or two when the lactic acid really begins to kick in.
Simple controls make the Powerbeats a breeze to use and they’re both sweat- and water-resistant so you can complete runs in the rain or particularly sweaty treadmill sessions without fear of damaging them.
Click here to read our full Beats Powerbeats review
Key specs – Style: Wireless earphones; Water-resistance: IPX4; Battery life: 15 hours
6. Apple AirPods Pro: The best noise-cancelling wireless earbuds for running
Price: £250| Buy now from Currys
The AirPods Pro are the first true wireless headphones we’ve come across that offer active noise cancellation (ANC) while also having a secure enough fit for running. They’ve immediately become our go-to option for runs as a result.
There are some situations when you don’t want ANC activated when running – if you’re on a busy road, for example – so you can switch to the AirPods Pro’s transparency mode, which filters in external noise to your music so you’re aware of your surroundings. However, when you can enable the ANC it’s a joy, making your music more immersive and blocking out the distractions of the world around you so you can focus on your run.
The sound quality of the AirPods Pro is excellent thanks to the in-ear design, and the fit is comfortable to wear for long periods while also being secure enough for running. The battery life of the buds is solid rather than spectacular at 4.5 hours with ANC enabled (you can get five hours if you turn it off), but the quick charge feature, which nets you an hour of playback from just five minutes in the case, means that you’ll never be caught short of juice before your run.
Click here to read our full Apple AirPods Pro review
Key specs – Style: True wireless earbuds; Water-resistance: IPX4; Battery life: 4.5 hours (24 total with case)
Buy now from Currys
7. NuraLoop: The best-sounding headphones for running
Price: £179 | Buy now from Amazon
While the NuraLoop are designed with musicians in mind more than athletes, these are some seriously good earphones for running. The loops that give them their name create an extremely secure fit over your ears so there’s no danger of the earbuds popping out while you’re on the move. They offer sweat-resistance to protect them against damage during those more intense outings and with battery life upwards of 16 hours charging is a lot less frequent than with many of their competitors.
Where they truly shine is in the audio department. Using patented technology, the NuraLoop create a personalised profile just for you, with extraordinary results. Their active noise-cancelling is also second-to-none. If you want to shut out the world as you complete laps around the park, you can, but there’s also an effective Social Mode, which enables you to be more aware of your surroundings.
Click here to read our full NuraLoop review
Key specs – Style: Wireless earphones; Water-resistance: Yes but no IP rating stated; Battery life: 16+ hours
8. Jaybird Tarah Pro: Great-fitting all-rounders with EQ options
Price: £140 | Buy now from Currys
Wireless earphones don’t get much better than the Jaybird Tarah Pro, which have absolutely every feature you could want, starting with a mammoth 14-hour battery life. If you still get caught short of juice, you can plug them in for just five minutes and they’ll reward you with two hours of playback.
The Tarah Pro headphones’ fit is also exceptional. You can twist the buds round to wear them in-ear or over-ear, and they’re light, comfortable and secure in whatever configuration you choose. They’re fully waterproof and the rugged, braided cable, which can be cinched up against your head to stop it bouncing around during runs, means they’re also very rugged.
The partner Jaybird app lets you tweak the headphones’ EQ to suit your preferences – whether that’s booming bass or enhanced vocals – and contains curated playlists and podcasts picked by pro athletes, which is handy if you’re short of listening inspiration for your next run.
Key specs – Style: Wireless earphones; Water-resistance: IPX4; Battery life: 14 hours
Buy now from Currys
9. Cleer Goal: The best open-fit earbuds for running
Price: £99 | Buy now from Amazon
The Cleer Goal true wireless earbuds feature a design that lends itself perfectly to running. They don’t use silicone eartips to seal off your ear canals which means you can remain aware of your surroundings but feature removable “Freebit C-skirts” that nestle in your outer ear and help achieve a secure fit.
Sound quality is very clean thanks to the Goal’s impressive ability to articulate with mids and treble. Despite their open-fit design, the Goal’s 14mm drivers deliver a decent bass thump, though it doesn’t have quite the level of richness you’d get with buds incorporating silicone tips. Touch controls are implemented simply and effectively. Playing, pausing, track skipping and hailing your voice assistant are executed via single, double and triple taps, while volume adjustment requires you to double tap and hold your finger on the bud.
Six hours of in-ear battery life is backed up by a further 14 hours of charge in the accompanying case and an IPX4 water-resistance rating means the Goal are excellently equipped to handle sweat and rain when pounding out the miles.
Key specs – Style: True wireless earbuds; Water-resistance: IPX4; Battery life: 6 hours (20 hours total with charging case)
10. Adidas FWD-01: The best running headphones for battery life
Price: £59 | Buy now from Amazon
It’s difficult to find much fault with Adidas’ FWD-01 neckband Bluetooth earphones. Their main selling point is their superb battery life, which extends to 16 hours or more between charges. Should you forget to charge them, they also offer superfast USB-C charging, meaning you can top them up to 60% in a mere 15 minutes.
Aside from this, we’ve found the FWD-01 to be very well suited to running because their design deliberately doesn’t create a perfect seal in your ears. This means not only are you more aware of your surroundings when running but also you don’t get that irritating amplification of every step.
Despite this, the earbuds remained snugly in our ears and we were really fond of the sound quality, too. As with most sports-orientated headphones, they’re a bit boomy but there’s plenty of detail through the mid-range frequencies and treble. In fact, our only minor gripe is that the magnet that holds the earbuds together when they’re hung around your neck isn’t very strong. Coupled with the lack of grip from the fabric-coated cable, there's a risk of them slipping off when they're not in use.
Key specs – Style: Wireless earphones; Water-resistance: IPX4; Battery life: 16+ hours
11. 1MORE Dual Driver ANC Pro: The best noise-cancelling neckbuds for running
Price: £145 | Buy now from Amazon
Neckband headphones may not be particularly popular for general use but are very well suited for running and these neckbuds from 1MORE are among the best around. They deliver supremely detailed audio thanks to their balanced armature drivers and feature two levels of active noise cancellation - mild and strong - to help reduce unwanted distractions when on the road. There’s also a handy wind noise resistance feature, which is particularly welcome when you’re running in breezy conditions. You can't have both ANC and wind noise resistance active at the same, though, which is a shame.
IPX5 certification means the Dual Driver ANC Pro are perfectly equipped to handle both rain and sweat, the neckband controls are nicely laid out and the earpieces fit comfortably in your ears, with very little movement even when running at full pelt. All-in-all, they’re our number one recommendation if you’re a fan of the neckband style and require noise-cancelling capabilities.
Key specs – Style: Wireless neckband; Water-resistance: IPX5; Battery life: 20 hours
12. Adidas RPD-01: The best wireless running headphones under £80
Price: £70 | Buy now on Amazon
The RPD-01 are the third model of sports headphones Adidas has released, and they’re arguably the best for runners because of the excellent, secure fit they offer. This is largely down to the weighted neckband, which sits comfortably on the back of your neck and stops any tugging on the actual buds. The lightweight, wing-tip design of the in-ear buds is also key to ensuring they stay snugly in place – they're considerably lighter than the FWD-01 above.
The sound quality isn’t quite as good as their stablemates, but it’s far from terrible and you can play with the settings in the Adidas Headphones partner app to adjust the sound profile to your taste. If you’re keen on bass, you’ll definitely want to do this to get any kind of punch on that front.
Battery life comes in at 12 hours, which is very good, and the quick charge feature will net you a few hours of playback from 15 minutes of charge time. It’s the combination of this great battery life and the reliable and comfortable fit that makes the RPD-01s our top pick for/under £80.
Key specs – Style: Wireless neckbuds; Water-resistance: IPX4; Battery life: 12 hours
