Best running headphones

The Beats Fit Pro are an awesome pair of true wireless earbuds that are perfect for all kinds of fitness scenarios or otherwise.

Although the wings aren’t interchangeable, they provide a snug and secure fit along with excellent sound quality focussed on bass without being overpowering.

There are also smart features found on the AirPods Pro such as ANC with Transparency and Dolby Atmos with head tracking – even with an Android app to get non-iOS users these features. 

A lack of wireless charging is a shame but hardly the end of the world.

As you might expect from a brand like Adidas, these headphones are made for sport and exercise. They’re also really affordable so you’re not paying for a logo here.

The neckbud design is excellent with lightweight construction and different sizes of tips and fins to keep the earbuds nice and secure. There’s also IPX4 water resistance.

Charging is a little slow for a full charge and battery life isn’t a long as more expensive Adidas pairs but sound quality is good and again, the RPD-01 are very cheap.

These aren’t the most recent model from Jabra but remain our favourite. In part because the firm has retrospectively added active noise cancelling and we didn’t find the 85t to fit very well.

Being older, the 75t are now reduced in price and offer a well-rounded experience for a pair of true wireless earbuds.

ANC aside, there’s strong 28-hour total battery life, a decent fit with ‘active grip’ surface, reliable touch controls and high IP57 rating. They don’t have the best sound quality we’ve ever heard but we’ve tested a lot of headphones.

The backs of the earbuds are a little bulky but the FWD-01 are lightweight and secure headphones from Adidas with a secure fit thanks to integrated fins.

IPX4 water resistance, playback controls and an unusual braided design all add value but aren’t the main pros here.

You’re mainly getting great sound quality with booming bass and long battery life at 16 hours. Plus there’s fast charging via USB-C, too, getting you to 60% in just 15-minutes.

Wingtips offer one of the most secure fits we’ve experienced on a pair of wireless earbuds and the Reflect Flow Pro also have a top-notch IP68 dust and waterproof rating, too.

Combine this with solid sound quality, hands-free access to digital assistants and solid battery life and you’ve got a great pair of earbuds for taking out on a run.

On the downside is the middling ANC performance when compared to the wider wireless earbud market. There’s also no wireless charging for the case and the microphones are nothing to write home about.

They’re not really pitched as fitness headphones but the FreeLace Pro have many of the things runners and gym bunnies will be looking for.

There’s IP55 waterproofing and last a whopping 24 hours on a single charge if you don’t use ANC, which is decent even if you can’t adjust it. Sound and build quality are very good, too, and the design is suitable for use other than fitness if you prefer not to have neon rubber headphones.

We didn’t find the best fit as the wings are integrated into the tips but there’s still so much to like here and they’re already at a much-reduced price.

Perhaps not an obvious choice for running and sport, but the AirPods Pro are more suitable than you might think. So long as you find them to offer a secure fit, they have a lot to offer if you can afford the pretty high price tag.

They’re sweat-resistant, can read out texts while you’re running and have excellent noise cancelling with a transparency mode.

Apple users will find them very easy to set up and use, plus they’re more than suitable for various other times when you’re not out on a run.

The NuraLoop headphones aren’t overtly designed for running but they do the job nicely thank to the neckband design and loops that go over the top of your ears.

They’re also great value now the price has dropped thanks to the introduction of the NuraTrue wireless earbuds.

What you get here is very comfortable headphones with decent battery life and ANC. But most important of all is Nura’s impressive customised sound technology which will blow your mind.

If you’re looking for true wireless earbuds without breaking the bank then consider this pair from Sony.

The earbuds are a little bulky but they are light enough and offer a secure fit even without the addition of fins. They also have IPX4 water resistance.

Sony offers a total of 18 hours battery life and the XB in the model stands for extra bass and true to form, these will suit those who workout to thumping electronic tunes.

Bone-conduction technology has been around for a while and bypasses your ear canals by delivering audio through your cheekbones.

It’s one of the best choices if you’re primary concern is safety when out running in dangerous places. The fact you can hear what’s going on around you can’t be fully replicated by ‘aware’ modes or similar on rivals.

However, it does inevitably come at the sacrifice of sound quality, which is a little thin here. Otherwise, the OpenMove are affordable, durable and offer solid battery life.