Best Running Headphones 2025: Top choices tested by experts

It almost goes without saying that if you want to listen to your favourite songs during a run in the safest way possible then open-ear or bone conduction headphones are a must. These designs keep your ear canals open, making it a great deal easier to stay in tune with what’s happening around you. The only problem is that the high-end models don’t come cheap, but the Sivga S01 are here to set the record straight.

Going against the grain, these open-ear headphones are surprisingly affordable with a price tag of just £69.90/$69.90, making them ideal for any runners tied to a strict budget. What’s even more surprising than the price tag is that, in spite of their affordability, the Sivga S01 still pack a ton of great features.

For starters, the headphones boast IPX5 water and sweat resistance so you won’t have to worry about getting caught in the rain or taking the S01 on a particularly intensive run. You can expect a battery life of up to nine hours on a single charge which is more than enough to get you through a marathon.

When it comes to topping them up, the S01 come with a compact charging case that not only has wired USB-C charging but also wireless charging compatibility (something of a rarity at this price range).

The design itself is also incredibly thoughtful for the needs of runners, as the use of physical buttons to control volume and playback is much easier to contend with when your hands are sweaty, and the use of ear-hooks allows the Sivga S01 to comfortably sit in place without worry that they might fall.

While the Sivga S01 don’t exactly beat out the competition on sound quality – in-ear and over-ear options will always come out on top – they still manage to outdo themselves. Audio is well-balanced so nothing crucial gets lost in the mix, and there’s a fair amount of bass too. There is the SO2 model available, but we don’t feel they’re as good as the original pair.

The Back Bay Tempo 30 are true wireless made for the sports fanatics among us, featuring a tough IPX7 water resistance that makes these buds fully sweatproof and waterproof. You won’t be able to take them swimming, but on solid ground Tempo 30 are protected against rainy weather.

We found the Tempo 30’s battery life of 32 hours in total to be excellent, especially in the $39.99 / £29 price bracket. That’s double the endurance of the more expensive Bose Sport Earbuds, although don’t expect fast charging or wireless charging support at this low price.

We liked the design of the Tempo 30 with its attractive, marble-like, glossy finish that’s a step up on the likes of the Jlab Go Air Sport. The charging case is pocketable, though over use we found it susceptible to scratches and scuff marks. We found the to be snug when using the earphones, and they didn’t fall out once, offering excellent noise isolation that’s as good as some running headphones with noise cancellation.

Several ear-tips are provided to keep the earphones tucked in, and they also affect how the Tempo 30 sound, adding or reducing bass. The default ear-tip produced a crisp and sharp tone that didn’t offer much bass. The ear-tip we settled on offered more weight, turning its strained performance into a more energetic one with a stronger bass output. The soundstage is wide, and while the definition of instruments is not be as good as more expensive buds, the overall sound quality makes the Tempo 30 a steal for the price.

Good audio quality shouldn’t need to cost the earth, and the Avantree E171 are a testament to that. With a low asking price of just £14.99, they are some of the cheapest wired earbuds you can find and could be the perfect pick for anyone who’s just getting into running and doesn’t want to invest in a premium pair of Adidas RPT-02 SOL or OpenRun Pro right off the bat.

We found them easy to wear and position, with no incidents of them coming loose or falling out during workout sessions. These headphones pack an IPX7 water rating, meaning that they can be submerged in water up to 1m deep for thirty minutes. That type of protection makes them more than serviceable for any workouts in the rain.

These are wired headphones and connect via a 3.5mm headphone jack. The cable comes with an in-line mic/control that allows you to adjust the volume and speak into the microphone. It’s worth noting that these controls are not compatible across the board – with no support for the built-in volume control on PCs and laptops – so you may need to test your devices to ensure that they are supported.

We found these headphones to offer a well-balanced audio experience, although they are clearly tuned towards bass rather than higher frequencies. Kept at a lower volume, the bass was better balanced with a powerful low end in songs like Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain. The soundstage held a lot of presence, however, with natural midranges throughout.

While you can find more premium running headphones on this very list, you won’t find anything as affordable as the Avantree E171. These could be the perfect starting point for runners hoping to indulge their musical side while working out and arguably a steal for under £15.

The Cleer Arc II Sport are a well-conceived and executed pair of open-ear headphones that exceeded our expectations. They sport an over-ear hook design wedged between your ear and head, with no earbud or eartip entering your ear. This makes them ideal for anyone who doesn’t want to be completely cut off from their surroundings; whether you’re on a run and want to listen out for traffic and pedestrians or don’t want to miss your train announcement at the station, you will have a better awareness than with a traditional pair of earbuds.

Each earbud weighs just 14g each and we found that they were solid in the comfort department. The tap controls were alert and responsive, even during runs, and were easier to use than expected. They are also rated IPX5, which means that they can handle water, rain and sweat without issue. They cannot be directly immersed in water however so you shouldn’t try and use them in the shower or during any water activities.

The Arc II Sport produce a sizeable amount of bass with genuine depth and punch that adds a lot of excitement to the music. Bone conduction headphones are known for missing out on bass, but these bring a pleasing amount of weight to low frequencies. There are some smaller issues here and there, but what the Cleer can do is very commendable for open-ear headphones.

Overall, if you’re interested in trying out bone or air-conduction headphones, then the Cleer Arc II Sport are a great place to start. Audio execution is done very well and the secure fit means that they won’t come flying off during your next run. If you’re happy with the admittedly high $189/£199 price tag then these are a very easy recommendation for most runners.

The brand formerly known as Aftershokz was rebranded as Shokz, but that didn’t manifest any different change in approach. When it comes to bone-conduction headphones, Shokz is probably the most known entity out there, and the OpenRun Pro model is one of the better proponents of the technology.

Bone conduction works by producing vibrations through your cheek/jawbone to your ear. This means the design is an open-ear model, which also allows you to hear what’s around you. This is especially useful if you’re using them in an outdoor environment.

The OpenRun Pro are lightweight at 29g and we found them comfortable to wear. Despite the lightweight frame, our reviewer found they stayed put during exercises, so there’s no fear that they’d be dislodged when running. A rating of IP55 means the OpenRun Pro can resist the likes of sweat, water and dust, though in fact, this is a weaker IP rating than older Shokz headphones.

The Shokz promise 10 hours of battery life, which is up from the eight hours of the original OpenRun. Using them with the volume set pretty much at its maximum, we managed to get five hours of use, though Shokz was testing at 75% so if the volume is lowered you’re likely to eke out more battery life. Multipoint Bluetooth is supported, so you can switch between two devices simultaneously. There’s no built-in MP3 player that you’ll find on the Naenka Runner Pro model, as this only supports audio over Bluetooth.

When it comes to audio performance, the OpenRun Pro promise a sound that offers enhanced bass and premium sound quality. We found it didn’t quite live up to those expectations, especially when it comes to bass, which has been a shortcoming with most bone-conduction headphones. If you do want a bassier, bigger sound, however, the Philips TAA6606 is an alternative.

There are two modes to choose from in Standard and Vocal, and the latter presents a greater focus on clarity, while the Standard mode offers a punchier sound than previous Shokz headphones. These aren’t as good as a true wireless pair such as the Adidas FWD-02 in terms of audio, but they are one of the best bone-conduction headphones.

If you find the OpenRun Pro too expensive, there is the option of the less expensive OpenRun. There’s also the OpenRun Mini, which is a version for smaller heads that costs the same as the ‘Pro’ model.

We’ll admit that when it comes to finding the right apparatus to help you enjoy your favourite tunes whenever you’re out on a run, on-ear headphones don’t typically make the cut as they can run hot rather quickly. Thankfully, this isn’t the case with the H20 Audio Rpt Ultra, so you can enjoy all the benefits of over-ear headphones but without any of the downsides.

The reason why the Rpt Ultra are so comfortable to wear during workouts is down to the ear cushions not only being sweatproof and breathable, but also removable so that they can be cleaned after workouts to avoid a build up of bacteria. Simply put, they’ve been designed specifically with exercising in mind.

As anyone who’s tried to change the volume mid-run can attest, sweat and touch controls do not mix, which is why the use of physical controls on the Rpt Ultra feels like a great addition. There are tactile buttons on the headphones to help you control playback and volume, as well as the ability to switch between ANC and transparency mode.

Going one step further, it’s also unlikely that you’ll get caught out by a low battery warning with these headphones as the Rpt Ultra can last for up to 50-hours, and that’s with the active noise cancelling switched on. Even flagship headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM6 can’t keep up with that type of longevity, so you’re more than covered if you have a long-distance run in the diary.

All of these features are great but H20 has made sure not to drop the ball where it really counts: sound quality. The 45mm drivers do a great job of separating the various layers of a track, and in our testing we were particularly impressed by the depth they presented, not to mention a thumping bass line which really helps to keep you motivated mid-run.