The 10 Best Earbuds For Running of 2023

Top Picks

• Best Overall: Beats Fit Pro - True Wireless Noise Cancelling  

The Beats Fit Pro would be my choice if I could only choose one pair of Apple running headphones. They include all the features of the Beats Studio Buds and AirPods 3 into a compact pair of earbuds with an ear wing to assist them in remaining in place. These buds don't move no matter how perspiring I am, and they don't hurt after an hour or 90 minutes of jogging. Like the Studio Buds, these headphones still include the pleasant tactile play/pause, skip, go back, and long press (to enable Siri or active noise cancellation and transparency modes) buttons.

• Best Noise Cancelling: Jabra Elite Active 75t True Wireless  

Although Jabra has released newer running headphones, the Elite Active 75t is still a strong candidate on our list since you can often buy it cheap and because Jabra got the form just right. That may be attributed to the angular shape, which fits comfortably in the outer ear canal without producing the typical tightly sealed, high-pressure "thud" upon footstrike. While the sound quality of these Jabras is comparable to that of Apple's AirPods Pro, they are less expensive and provide roughly 90 more minutes of battery life per charge.

• Best Power: Bose Sport Earbuds - Wireless Earphones   

These genuine wireless earbuds are a stride ahead of the original generation SoundSport Free. However, the newest buds barely stick out from your ears and have no buttons—touch gestures are used to play/pause and skip tunes while touching and holding activates a phone's voice assistant. Additionally, they still have a wonderful design that blends the comfortable fit and superb audio quality without fully sealing your ear.

• Best Compatible: Beats Studio Buds - True Wireless  

The Studio Buds are ridiculously tiny. Each bud has a flat profile that you can hold, sort of like the tip of a Phillips head screwdriver. This makes them significantly more challenging to grip if your hands are covered with perspiration or are oily from sunscreen. Fortunately, wetness won't impact fit, function, or sound quality. One light push on the tactile buttons initiates play/pause, two presses initiate skip, three presses initiate go back, and a long press initiates ANC/transparency mode or Siri.  

• Best for Ambient Sounds: Sony LinkBuds Truly Wireless Earbud  

Shokz is the safest running headphones on the market, and we always suggest them above anything else. But there's tight competition now, with the advent of the Sony LinkBuds. The difference between these small, donut-shaped buds and others is a special "ring driver," a speaker with a hole in the center that let in external noises. This design has advantages and disadvantages. During our test runs, we had no trouble hearing approaching autos and could even wave to passing cyclists and runners.