Best Earbuds and Headphones for Workouts and the Gym in 2025

It’s been almost six years since the Powerbeats Pro were released in May 2019 so Beats has had a lot of time to plot how to improve the second generation of its popular ear-hook style true-wireless sport earbuds. And improve they have — by quite a bit. Not only do they feature a new, more refined design with better ergonomics but new drivers, a more powerful Apple H2 chip, a new built-in heart-rate sensor and, yes, active noise canceling for the first time in a pair of Powerbeats. (Read our full Powerbeats Pro 2 review).

There are a lot of new premium earbuds with built-in ear hooks, although the majority of them, like Shokz OpenFit 2, have an open design with no ear tips, which some people prefer. I like the Shokz and some of those other open earbuds but if you’re looking for ear-hook style earbuds with noise canceling and superior sound quality, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are the best right now. 

Pros

• Slightly improved design and comfort
• Impressive sound for open earbuds
• Improved battery life
• New physical control button

Shokz’ second-gen OpenFit 2 has a slightly upgraded design, upgraded drivers that noticeably improve the sound quality, better battery life and a new physical control button. The changes don’t seem huge on the surface but the improvements are significant. They fit my ears more comfortably than the originals and have superior sound quality, with more bass and better clarity. They sound excellent for open earbuds — at least in quieter environments.

Truth be told, in some ways, I like Sony’s new LinkBuds Fit better than its flagship WF-1000XM5 noise-canceling earbuds. While they don’t sound quite as good or have noise-canceling that’s quite on par with those buds, they’re lightweight (4.9 grams) and fit my ears comfortably and securely. Part of that is thanks to Sony’s new Air Fitting Supporters but Sony also redesigned its ear tips and included a wide range of sizes, including XL tips that fit my ears well. Despite being a slight step down from the WF-1000XM5s for performance, their sound quality, noise canceling and call-quality performance are all very good. They also have built-in voice controls. Read our hands-on first take.

Skullcandy hyped its new Method 360 ANC earbuds (read full review) as “the boldest audio product of 2025, featuring a partnership you didn’t see coming.” Whether the Method 360 ANC earbuds are the boldest audio product of the year is debatable but I was certainly surprised to learn that Skullcandy had joined forces with Bose to create what’s essentially a budget version of Bose’s $299 QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. Not only do the Method 360 ANC buds sound better than most earbuds in this price class (they sound very similar to Bose’s $170 QuietComfort Earbuds), they also fit comfortably and securely. While they share many of the traits of the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, they’re lighter and lack the more premium finish of those pricey buds. Also, their noise canceling isn’t up to the QC Ultra’s very high ANC standard. But it’s still effective and better than the noise canceling I experienced with the previous Skullcandy earbuds I tested.

The Method 360 ANC’s only potential major drawback is the rather large carrying case. Some people won’t mind that it’s bulky but others might.

Apple not only swapped in USB-C for Lightning connectivity in its new iPhone 15 models but it made the switch with the AirPods Pro (2nd generation). The new AirPods Pro 2 with MagSafe (USB-C) are nearly identical to their Lightning predecessor, delivering the same excellent sound, noise canceling and voice-calling performance. That said, they offer some other small upgrades including additional dust resistance and a new acoustic architecture that allows for Lossless Audio with the Vision Pro, Apple’s wearable headset. Is it possible that new acoustic architecture makes the buds sound subtly different with current devices like the iPhone? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, the AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) are easy to recommend to Apple users despite their high price. Pro tip: Don’t pay more than $190 for these, which is the online sale price at which they’re now frequently available.

Why I like them

The Beats Fit Pro have been out a while but they remain very good buds earbuds that I can still recommend for both sporting activities and everyday use, so long as you don’t pay full price for them. The concept behind them is pretty simple. Take Beats iconic Powerbeats Pro sports buds with its big ear hook and shrink it down. I can’t say I ever loved the Powerbeats Pro’s design but a lot of people do because the ear hook gives you a feeling of security that your buds aren’t going to fall off your head. I personally prefer my sports buds to have a wingtip that fits into the inside of your ear rather than wrap around the outside of it. And that’s what we have here. 

Unlike Beats’ earlier and less expensive Studio Buds and Studio Buds Plus, the Beats Fit Pro include Apple’s H1 chip and have most of the original AirPods Pro’s features, including active noise canceling, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. When they first launched, I called them the “sports AirPods you’ve always wanted.”

Reasons to buy them

If you don’t like the ear-hook design of the Powerbeats Pro 2, the Beats Fit Pro are a good alternative (I personally prefer the fit of the Beats Fit Pro). While the Powerbeats Pro 2 offers slightly better performance overall and are equipped with Apple’s H2 chip and heart-rate sensors, the Beats Fit Pro still sound good and offer decent noise canceling and voice-calling performance. They also frequently go on sale, so they can be had at a decent discount.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

The Beats Fit Pro were launched at the end of 2021, so they’re going on four years old and are due for an upgrade. The next-gen model would presumably get Apple’s H2 chip and other updates that would improve their performance and feature set.

The well-designed OpenDots One are among the best open earbuds out there right now. While they don’t sound quite as good as the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, they’re pretty close and fit my ears slightly better and have better battery life. Like the Ultra Open Earbuds, which list for $299 but are currently on sale for $249, they’re overpriced, but at least they cost less than the Bose and their case has wireless charging. Read review. 

The Acefast Acefit Pro are similar to a lot of the new ear hook-style open earbuds but they have a few distinguishing design traits that help set them up. For starters, they have built-in LEDs with 8 lighting effects that help make you visible at night (a real bike light puts out significantly more light, however). Also, their charging case is slim and has a battery life indicator in the translucent lid that lets you know how much juice is left in the case. Overall, I found the buds comfortable to wear and they sound good for open earbuds, delivering ample bass with decent clarity and good volume. From a sound standpoint they measure up well to Anker’s Soundcore AeroFit 2 and a lot of midrange open ear sports buds. I also thought their touch controls worked well while voice-calling performance was slightly above average though not top-tier.

The buds are rated for 6 hours of battery life on a single charge at moderate volume levels. They have an IP54 rating, which means they are dust-resistant and splash proof. Available in multiple color options, the white colorway is currently the cheapest.

Anker’s Soundcore AeroFit 2 open earbuds have been completely redesigned and look quite different from the original AeroFit buds. The second-gen Aerofit are not only more comfortable but look sleeker, sound significantly better and offer all-around improvements. The buds aren’t as light as the Shokz OpenFit 2 buds and don’t sound quite as good, but they cost less and offer good all-around performance with augmented bass response. Available in multiple colors, they’re a good option for those looking for ear-hook style open earbuds with a fairly premium design and good sound quality without the high price tag of top-end models.

Why I like them

Earfun is one of our go-to brands for budget earbuds and its Air Pro 4 buds (read my full review) are one of the better earbuds values out there, which is why I awarded them an CNET Editors’ Choice in 2024. While they aren’t a major upgrade over the earlier Air Pro 3s, they do have a few enhancements that make them slightly better earbuds. (Note: Apply the code EAP4CNET at checkout on Amazon to get an additional 10% off).

Earfun has moved from Qualcomm’s QCC3071 to the newer QCC3091 that supports aptX Lossless Audio for a select few Android devices. The buds also support Sony’s LDAC audio codec, which is available with more Android smartphones, and the AAC and SBC codecs.

Like their predecessor, the Air 4 Pro are lightweight and comfortable to wear — I got a good seal with the largest ear tip size — and they feature slightly improved noise canceling and sound quality along with better battery life (up to 11 hours with noise canceling off and 7.5 hours with it on, according to Earfun). While the default sound leans slightly warm with a touch of bass push, you can tweak the sound in Earfun’s companion app for iOS and Android, and I did think the sound measures up well to earbuds that cost twice as much.

Reasons to buy

As I said, these aren’t a big upgrade over the Earfun Air 3 Pro, but once again Earfun has delivered a set of earbuds that deliver strong performance for their modest price. They also pack in a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and multipoint Bluetooth pairing (they’re equipped with Bluetooth 4 and LE Audio).

Reason to skip/keep looking

The voice-calling performance is slightly improved, but the background noise reduction during calls isn’t as good as what you get with higher-end earbuds like Apple’s AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2, as well as Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. I also thought their touch controls could work a little better than they do. And lastly, I should note that Earfun will release the slightly updated Air 4 Pro Plus this fall, though it’ll likely be more expensive than this model at launch.

Why I like them

The Soundcore Sport X20 has some nice upgrades over Anker’s original Soundcore X10 earbuds. They include an improved design, adaptive noise canceling, superior battery life, slightly better sound and multipoint Bluetooth pairing. Like the previous model, these have an interesting design with rotating swiveling ear hooks. However, they don’t swivel as much as the X10’s ear hooks, which is a good thing (they stayed on my ears very securely). I also liked that the charging case has a smaller footprint than a lot of buds with ear hooks.

Fully waterproof and dust-proof with an IP68 rating, the X20 have slightly larger drivers than the X10 (11mm instead of 10mm). As long as you get a tight seal from the included ear tips (you get 5 sizes), they’re able to deliver good sound with punchy bass and good detail. They lack a bit of clarity, particularly at higher volumes (there was a touch of distortion), and the noise canceling isn’t as good as Sony or Bose’s noise canceling. But the buds are affordable and a good value overall. As for battery life, it’s rated at up to 12 hours with noise canceling off and 7 hours with it on. Voice-calling performance is also decent thought not exceptionally good.

Reasons to buy

If you like the concept of the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 but don’t want to pay $249 for them (yes, they do regularly go on sale, but they list for $249), the X2 are a good alternative for a lot less money.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

Some people prefer an open design (that lets sound in from the outside world) in a set of ear-hook style earbuds. Not everybody will get a tight seal from these earbuds.

Pros

• Dual-driver technology improves sound dramatically
• Comfortable and secure open-ear design
• Low vibration
• Good voice-calling performance
• Limited sound leakage

The problem with bone-conduction headphones has always been that they just don’t sound all that good. That is unless you plug up your ears, which defeats the safety benefit of their open-ear design and is why they’re so popular with runners and bikers. Well, that just changed. Shokz has finally cracked the code on bone-conduction sound quality with a novel dual-driver design in its new flagship OpenRun Pro 2 headphones ($180).

With the OpenRun Pro 2, Shokz has solved the bass deficiency issue by adding a second, more traditional speaker driver that’s tasked with firing bass frequencies toward your open ears. Shokz employed that same micro-speaker technology (it calls it “air conduction”) in its first non-bone-conduction headphones, the OpenFit ($140) and Open Fit Air ($120) true-wireless earbuds.

While the BlueAnt Pump X headphones aren’t going to win any awards for sound quality (they sound good but not great), they have a few things going for them as gym headphones. First, they fold up and feel sturdily built, weighing in at 295 grams (while they’re not light, they’re also not too heavy). Second, they’re comfortable to wear and come with two sets of swappable ear pads — the “everyday” set is covered with soft faux leather, while the workout set is cloth-covered and is designed to keep your ears cooler as you heat up. Finally, they’re IP54 splash-proof and sweat-proof. I also liked that they feature physical control buttons, making them easy to operate, and support USB-C audio, which allows you to plug them into a USB-C-equipped smartphone, tablet or PC and use a wired connection to improve the audio quality with more clarity.

Equipped with Bluetooth 5.4 but lacking a companion app or ear-detection sensor, their sound profile leans to the warm side. They have a bit of bass push, which some people like, and you get three modes to choose from: Transparent, Noise Cancelling and X-Mode. The latter offers the most dynamic range and volume, which is why I tended to keep it in X-Mode. Battery life is also decent at up to 58 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels with noise cancelling off. But in most other respects, as the price indicates, these are pretty much midrange headphones. In other words, don’t expect to be blown away by their sound quality, noise-canceling or voice-calling performance. But they’re decent across the board and make appealing gym headphones for those who like to work out in over-ear headphones.

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have one of the most unusual designs of any earbuds I’ve tested in the past several years. They literally clip onto the side of your ears, kind of like earrings, and their open-ear design has micro speakers that fire sound into your ears while still being able to hear what’s happening around you. They’re still true wireless earbuds and, at $299, they’re somewhat overpriced but otherwise there’s a lot to like about them, including a surprisingly comfortable, secure fit and very good sound quality for open buds.

Baseus is known for its value earbuds, power banks and charging products. While its Bowie MC1 aren’t in the same league as Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds, they cost about a sixth of the price and sound pretty decent for this style of of clip-on earbuds, particularly with less demanding tracks that don’t feature heavy bass and a lot of instruments playing at the same time. On Amazon, you’ll find clip-on buds with a similar design, including the Tozo OpenEarRing ($30) and Amazfit Up ($50), so they’re a little generic. But I found the sound quality to be slightly better than many competing clip-on value buds. I also liked that they have a single physical control button on each bud for controlling playback and adjusting volume levels.

Battery life is rated for up to 9 hours at moderate volume levels, which is good, but expect to get les than that because you do tend to have to listen to open earbuds at higher volumes, especially in noisier environments. With an IP57 certification, the buds are splash-proof and dust-proof, making them suitable for runners and bikers. Voice-calling capabilities are also decent but don’t expect business-class performance.

Carrying a list price of about $100, Samsung’s 2023 Galaxy Buds FE feature a single driver (Samsung isn’t saying what size it is), three mics on each earbud and active noise canceling. They charge in a case that’s the same size and shape as what you currently get with all of Samsung’s latest Galaxy Buds, including the Galaxy Buds 2 and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. And they look a lot like an updated version of Samsung’s discontinued Galaxy Buds Plus earbuds, which also came with a set of swappable fins that helped create a secure, comfortable fit. Like those buds, the Galaxy Buds FE are sweat-resistant with an IPX2 water-resistance rating that protects against splashes. 

They don’t sound quite as rich as the Galaxy Buds Pro, and their voice-calling performance isn’t up to the Buds Pro’s level (it’s decent, not great). But they do offer respectable sound quality (it’s certainly as good as the Galaxy Buds 2’s) and decent noise canceling. I also found them to be lightweight and comfortable to wear. While they may not measure up to more premium earbuds, including the Buds Pro, they deliver good bang for the buck. The Galaxy Buds FE are rated for up to 6 hours of battery life with noise canceling on and 8.5 hours with it off.

Pros

• Good sound quality for clip-on earbuds
• Nicely-designed with comfortable, secure fit (flexible joint)
• Good voice-calling performance

The Soundcore by AeroClip are Anker’s current flagship clip-on earbuds. Not only do I like their design — they have a premium look and feel — but they’re comfortable to wear and feature very good sound for clip-on buds. Equipped with 12mm drivers, they serve up ample bass with good volume and decent clarity. The buds sound fuller and more open than many cheaper clip-on buds and are among the better-sounding open earbuds I’ve tried (Android users should note that they have support for Sony’s high-quality LDAC audio codec). I also thought they worked well for making calls. For the most part, callers said they could hear me clearly — even in noisier environments like the streets of New York City (Anker says they have four beamforming mics, wind-blocking meshes and advanced AI). Battery life is rated at up to 8 hours at moderate volume levels, and the buds are IPX4 sweat- and water-resistant (they’re splash-proof). Their only drawback is their somewhat high price tag.

In recent years, with its new earbuds, Bose has focused on premium noise-canceling buds with premium price tags. But now it’s released more affordable QuietComfort Earbuds at $179 (£180) for folks priced out of its $299 (£300) flagship QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The new QC Earbuds, as Bose calls them, don’t perform quite as well as the QC Ultra Earbuds, but they offer a very secure fit, strong sound and noice-canceling performance while adding a few new features, including built-in voice controls, not found in the Ultras. 

Google has redesigned its Pixel Buds Pro 2 to fit more ears better. Not only are the Pixel Buds Pro 2 smaller than their predecessor but Google’s equipped them with its new Tensor A1 chip, which offers more processing power and enables its new “hands-free, eyes-free” Gemini virtual AI assistant. As long as you get a snug fit and tight seal (yes, that’s critical for sound quality and noise-canceling performance), these buds deliver excellent sound, strong noise-muffling capabilities and a robust feature set, particularly for Android and Google Pixel phone users.

Skullcandy’s Crusher headphones have a built-in slider that allows you to dial in the bass to such a degree that you literally feel it vibrating on your head. The Crusher 540 Active is similar to other Crusher models (it doesn’t have active noise canceling like the Crusher ANC 2, however) but it has a sweat-resistant nano coating as well as removable ear pads that are washable. I found those memory foam ear pads, which are cloth-covered, quite comfortable to wear and easy enough to put back on after I removed them, although it initially seemed harder than it looked to get them seated securely again. They also have physical controls, which I appreciated, and I liked their sound when I dialed back the bass to its lowest setting. The headphones actually offer decent clarity and well-defined bass at their default setting, but bass heads can dial up the low-end to 11 and rattle their heads all they want (the bass does sound fairly muddy when you crank it all the way up).

While these fit my head relatively securely, those with smaller heads may not get a really secure fit. That can be annoying if you’re trying to sit ups or some other exercise with them on and they start to slide off. But those with bigger heads shouldn’t have any issues.

JBL has upgraded its ear-hook style sport earbuds for 2023. Available in black or white, the Endurance Peak 3 buds offer better battery life (up to 10 hours with four extra charges in their case) improved voice-calling performance and an IP68 rating that makes them fully water- and dust-proof. They also have an Ambient Aware transparency mode and Talk Thru mode that can automatically lower your music’s volume level and open up the buds to the outside world. That means you can have a conversation with someone without removing the buds from your ears.

They stayed on my ears very securely during runs and I thought they sounded quite good, though they do have a bit of bass push (i.e. they have powerful bass). Just be aware that if you don’t get a tight seal, sound quality will be significantly worse. Also, like other earbuds with ear-hook designs, the case is on the beefy side. That said, the buds do seem durable and if you get a good fit, they’re an excellent and less pricey alternative to the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. I also thought the touch controls worked well; I was easily able to toggle through the sound modes.

Known for its swim headphones and earbuds, H2O Audio has now branched out into more land-based headphones with its Ript Ultra over-ear headphones and Ript Light earbuds. For working out, the Ript Ultra headphones’ key feature are their ear “cushions.” Two swappable sets are included: One is covered with soft-to-the-touch silicone and is sweatproof (the pads are washable) while the other is covered with soft faux leather for everyday use. Both sets of cushions are nicely padded with memory foam on the inside and the headphones are comfortable to wear, though slightly heavy at 10.5 ounces (298 grams).

The Ript Ultra are fairly pricey but they do sound good and feature decent noise canceling as well as long battery life (up to 50 hours at moderate volume levels). I’m not sure they sound quite as good as some $250 headphones — they lack a bit of clarity — but they’re pretty dynamic and have some warmth to them with plenty of punchy bass. Voice-calling performance was also decent and the headphones come with a protective carrying case and include a cord for wired listening. Hopefully, they’ll come down in price a bit because they have some appealing traits, especially those swappable ear cushions, and seem to be sturdily built even if they are mostly made of plastic.

Sony released its new entry-level CH-720N noise-canceling headphones in 2023. They’re quite good, but if you can’t afford them (they list for $150), the company’s new budget on-ear CH-520 headphones are an intriguing option for only around $90.

They lack noise canceling and are pretty no-frills, but they feature good sound for their price, are lightweight and pretty comfortable for on-ear headphones, and also have excellent battery life (they’re rated for up to 50 hours at moderate volume levels). Additionally, they have multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can pair them with two devices simultaneously, such as a smartphone and computer, and switch audio. Voice-calling performance is decent, though not up to the level of what you get with the CH-720N. 

Note that there’s no wired option — this is a wireless Bluetooth-only headphone. The CH-520 offers overall balanced sound with decent clarity. The bass has some punch to it but doesn’t pack a wallop, and you’re not going to get quite as wide a soundstage as you get from Sony’s more expensive over-ear headphones. But these definitely sound better than Sony’s previous entry-level on-ear headphones and sound better than I thought they would. I tried the white color but they also come in blue and black.

Why I like them

Love ’em or hate ’em, Beats Studio headphones are among the most popular headphones of all time, launching as a wired headphone back in 2008. This is the fourth generation of them, and they carry the same list price as their predecessor and look very similar on the outside but have some big changes on the inside that make them significantly better headphones. I’m tempted to describe them as more affordable plastic versions of the AirPods Max. However, that’s not quite accurate due to a choice in chipsets and one notable missing feature. But read my full review to find out what makes this a very good headphone with some small caveats.

Reason to buy

The Studio Pros are the best Beats over-ear headphones, geared toward both Apple and Android users. Android users get multipoint Bluetooth pairing with automatic switching between devices linked to your Google account, while Apple users link to their iCloud account but have to manually switch between devices. For Apple users, there’s spatial audio with head tracking when watching videos and hands-free Siri access. IThose who prefer a more exciting, forward sound signature over more laid back options will find these appealing, and they should work well with a variety of music genres.

Reason to skip/keep looking

The one big miss here is the lack of ear-detection sensors — most $350 over-ear headphones have this feature, meaning your music doesn’t automatically pause when you take the headphones off. I also think it was a mistake for Beats not to power these with Apple’s H2 chip, as going forward you won’t get feature upgrades designed for that chip. Android users don’t get spatial audio with head tracking or hands-free Siri. 

Sony’s improved entry-level noise-canceling headphones, the CH-720Ns, have a bit of a plasticky budget vibe, but they’re lightweight and very comfortable. Part of me was expecting them to sound pretty mediocre but I was pleasantly surprised. No, they don’t sound as good as the WH-1000XM5s. But they sound more premium than they look (and feel), and their overall performance is a step up from their predecessor, the CH-710Ns. Are they worth $150? Maybe — or maybe not. But the good news is that, like the CH-710N and WH-XB910 before them, these have already seen significant discounts, with prices dropping to as low as $98 during flash sales.