10 Best Earbuds for Running and Working Out

The Jaybird Vista 2 earbuds are a midrange-priced option designed for active users, excelling in comfort, durability, and with a secure fit thanks to silicone fins, making them ideal for exercise. Their very good build quality, sweatproof and dustproof certification, and active noise canceling make them versatile for various environments, including air travel. While their sound quality is rated as very good overall, they may not be the best for gaming or TV due to poor scores in those categories. These earbuds also offer convenience features such as an app equalizer and controls customization, ear detection, 6 hours of battery life with 24 additional hours from the case, and wireless charging.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are stemless, closed-back earbuds well-suited for a variety of uses. If you prioritize comfort and noise isolation, particularly during air travel or while exercising, these earbuds excel in those areas, providing a secure fit with stability bands and offering active noise cancelling. They feature a very good overall sound quality that would enhance music listening, although they're not the top pick for gaming or watching TV due to fair performance in those aspects. For calls and meetings, the quality is only fair, which could impact clarity during conversations. The build quality is robust, and the built-in controls are rated the best for ease of use. They leverage dynamic drivers and support the AAC codec, which improves performance with Apple devices, but do not have a lossless codec for audiophile-level sound quality. They are sweatproof, making them practical for exercise, but there is no mention of dustproof certification. The battery life stands at 7 hours, with the case providing an additional 20 hours; however, they do not support wireless charging and take 2 hours to charge fully. The companion app offers equalizer settings, controls customization, and audio controls to tailor your listening experience. Keep in mind that these earbuds come with a premium price tag, so if budget is a concern, this should be considered.

The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 earbuds offer good overall sound quality at a budget price, and they are a great choice for listening to music, especially audiobooks or podcasts, given their excellent score in that aspect. They are stemless with a closed enclosure, offering passive noise isolation. While these earbuds are wireless with a solid battery life of 10 hours (40 hours with the case), along with wireless charging, they do not support a low latency feature, which could make them less suitable for gaming and watching TV or videos. Designed for durability, they're sweatproof, making them a good choice for exercise. Comfort is rated good, and the mic quality is fair, suitable for calls but not exceptional. They have decent app features, including equalizer and audio controls, and are optimized for both Android and Apple devices. Please note that the soundstage/imaging score is low, so they might not be the best for users seeking a spacious and immersive sound experience.

The Creative Labs Outlier Pro earbuds offer an overall good sound quality with particularly strong performance for calls and meetings, which is complemented by a very good microphone quality. They are also designed to be comfortable for extended periods and come with a robust build quality and excellent built-in controls. These earbuds are excellent for book and podcast listening as well as use during exercise and air travel. If you engage in gaming or watch a lot of TV and video, these may not be optimal due to their poorer scores in these areas. They feature active noise cancelling and are sweatproof, but they do not support lossless codecs for audiophile-grade sound. The earbuds are somewhat large but offer portability and a fair amount of noise isolation. They come with a convenient wireless charging case that can provide up to 10 hours of typical use, with a total battery life including the case being 45 hours.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are a midrange priced, stemless earbud option that offer features such as active noise cancelling, wireless charging, and an integrated microphone, making them suitable for calls and meetings. They are optimized for Android, though they also work with Apple devices, and have an app that allows equalizer, controls customization, and audio controls. With very good overall sound quality, they're great for music listening, and their excellent portability and good comfort make them convenient for use during exercise or air travel. However, their microphone quality is only fair, which might be a consideration for frequent call users. These earbuds are sweatproof but not dustproof, and offer 4.8 hours of battery life with an additional 12 hours provided by the case. They're suitable for gaming and watching TV due to their low latency, but might not be the best option if microphone quality is a priority.

The Jabra Elite Active 75t earbuds are a midrange-priced option from Jabra released in 2020, suitable for those leading active lifestyles as they're both sweatproof and dustproof. They offer very good build quality and best-in-class built-in controls, making them user-friendly during exercise. They have a snug fit and are optimized for both Android and Apple devices. They feature active noise cancelling, allowing for better focus and immersion in your audio content, and with the earbuds alone, you can enjoy up to 7.5 hours of typical use, extendable to 24 hours with the charging case provided. They are also equipped with wireless charging, adding convenience. These earbuds provide good sound quality and comfort but are noted for poor performance in soundstage/imaging and music playback; if you prioritize an expansive soundstage and the finest music details, you might prefer to look at alternatives. They are not specifically optimized for gaming and TV due to their low latency features, so if you're looking for earbuds for these purposes, other options might suit you better.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds offer excellent overall sound quality, with superb noise isolation which makes them perfect for air travel and use in noisy environments. They also have a high comfort score, ideal for extended listening periods. These earbuds are wireless, supporting AAC and AptX Adaptive codecs for better sound, and they are sweatproof, enhancing their suitability for exercise. However, calls and meetings might not be optimal due to the earbuds' fair mic quality. Designed for durability, they come with stability bands but the poor gaming score suggests they may not be the best choice for gamers due to possible latency issues. They provide an impressive 6.5 hours of battery life, with a case offering an additional 21 hours, though they lack wireless charging. The earbuds are optimized for both Android and Apple devices, and they come with an integrated app that allows equalizer and controls customization for a personalized experience.

The JBL Live Pro 2 earbuds are a midrange-priced option released in 2022, emphasizing portability and an excellent rating for use during exercise and air travel. They have closed stemless earbuds that come with active noise cancelling, making them well-suited for environments where noise isolation is desired. They offer good overall sound quality, comfort, microphone quality, build quality, and built-in controls, but may not be the best choice for music, calls, meetings, gaming, or TV and video due to relatively poor scores in these areas. The earbuds are sweatproof certified and optimized for both Android and Apple devices with features like ear/head detection and app controls customization. Their battery life is decent with 8.3 hours of typical use, extended to 24 hours with the case, which supports wireless charging. They're light, weighing 4.8 grams, and while the small size is convenient for portability, it may not suit all users.

The Beats Studiobuds are a midrange-priced, closed-enclosure, stemless earbud design, comfortable for long listening sessions, with very good build quality and controls. They provide very good overall sound quality for music, but may not be the best for gaming and watching TV due to sound latency. Their noise isolation is fair and they feature active noise cancelling, making them suitable for air travel and noisy environments. They are also sweatproof, making them a good option for exercise. With the AAC codec support, they're optimized for Apple devices though they work with Android as well. They offer up to 6 hours of battery life, augmented by an additional 24 hours from the charging case, but do lack wireless charging. Additionally, they have an integrated microphone with decent quality for calls and meetings, and feature customizable controls through an app.