9 best running headphones to keep you in the zone, tried and tested

Ask any runner which headphones they use and the response will be as personal a choice as the type of trainers they wear.

There are hundreds of headphone brands on the market, ranging in price from around £20 to more than £300. While budget may be a limiting factor, there are plenty of other things to consider when purchasing a pair.

If you’re a park runner, battery life won’t matter that much, but if you’re an ultra runner used to clocking up 15+ hours on your feet, how long you can listen to your tunes for will be towards the top of your ‘must haves’ list.

Next, you need to think about where you’re running – noise cancelling is great if you live in a city and hit the pavements but, if you run where it’s quiet, it might not be so important.

There’s also the traffic consideration – maybe you run with just one ear in so you can hear nearby vehicles or perhaps you feel safer running with just one in if you hit the streets after dark.

Finally, if you’re going to be taking calls on your running headphones too, you want to make sure you have crystal clear sound quality and good audio pick up.

How we tested

A selection of the running headphones we tested (Clare O’Reilly)

All headphones were tested while running around 10km in both urban and rural settings. They were tested with a mix of genres of music, from pop and disco to classical and rock. Each pair was also used to make calls and receive them while in both noisy and quiet settings.

The best running headphones for 2024 are:

Beats Fit Pro true wireless noise cancelling in ear headphones

Available in seven different colours – grey, black, white, coral, purple, blue and yellow – they’re not the cheapest on the list but Beats are synonymous with quality. The wing tips make them an exceptionally comfortable headphone to wear, and the fact they’re sweat- and water-resistant means they’re as at home on a longer, sweatier run as much as they are a rainy 5km.

The active noise cancelling adapts to the environment around you, and you can switch to transparency mode, so you can hear the world around you, including traffic or birdsong. They also boast a 24-hour battery life and lightning charge, so are a great option for longer distance runners.

Buy now £160.55, Amazon.co.uk

Jesebang YT18 true wireless earbuds

At less than £25, these wallet-friendly running headphones are a great choice, packing in an unbelievable amount of tech and great sound, despite costing less than a lot of the other options in our list.

Available in black and beige, the headphones boast 40 hours of play time with the charging case and are incredibly comfortable to wear – so much so, it’s easy to forget they’re there. They’ve got smart touch controls, which are incredibly easy to navigate and become second nature quickly. Despite being a budget buy, these headphones are waterproof, too.

They come with three tip sizes, so will fit snugly in most ears, and the LED display in the case shows you just how much charge you have. They pack a lot of punch and are a great budget option.

Buy now £23.99, Amazon.co.uk

JLab JBuds mini

Not only do these dinky earphones come in five different colours, they’re also among the cheapest in our list. What they lack in size they make up for in stature. Smaller than an average car key fob, the case comes with a keyring attachment, so can slot it onto your keys or running bag with ease.

Launched in September 2023, they promise more than 20 hours of battery life. The touch controls allow the user to pause and resume audio, answer calls, and activate the ‘be aware’ setting, letting outside noise pass through. They’re a fantastic option whether you’re a serious or fun runner.

Buy now £29.99, Uk.jlab.com

OpenRock Pro open ear conduction sport earbuds

The only conduction pair in our list, these earbuds have an open fit, so sound goes into the ear while environmental noises can still be heard. The ergonomic ear hook is incredibly comfortable and is adjustable, too, while the waterproofing means these buds are perfect in all weathers or even if you’ve hit the ‘dread mill’ in the gym and built up a sweat.

There are four noise cancelling options and they boast 46 hours of battery life in between charges, meaning they can take on the toughest ultra or 24-hour race with time to spare. At 1.5 hours, the charge time isn’t great but these buds are still very much worth your cash.

Buy now £129.99, Amazon.co.uk

Technics digital wireless headphones

If you’re after a pair that looks just as good as it sounds, these are the headphones for you. The sound is crisp and they had the best call quality of all the headphones on our list.

Available in three colours – rose gold, black and silver – they’ve also got multipoint connection, meaning you can connect to your laptop, phone and tablet. They also have different modes to control the sounds you hear from your environment, including natural ambient mode and attention mode, which focuses on speech.

These running headphones only have 5.5 hours of listening time, or 18 hours with the fully charged case, so they could cope with marathon distance but not much else. For the ecologically minded, they also come in plastic-free packaging.

Buy now £129.99, Panasonicdirect.store.panasonic.co.uk

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX wireless earphones

Incorporating B&Os incredible sound technology, these are the most expensive in our list but you can see why the minute you start listening. Available in three colours – black, gold tone and anthracite and oxygen – they come with a three-year warranty, so will last through thousands of hours of music. They also monitor outside ambient noise and adjust accordingly, unless you have them in transparency mode – which lets the world in, for safety.

They’re also waterproof, and the microphone is brilliant, giving excellent sound. The battery life offers up to 28 hours without using noise cancellation, so they’re charged to last.

Buy now £349.00, Bang-olufsen.com

LG Tone free fit UTF8 earbuds

The only pair on the list that come with a locking motion to anchor them in place. If you’ve never got on with ear buds because you think they’ll fall out, these are the perfect option to try. They’re also the only ones on the list with antibacterial technology, which kills 99.9 per cent of germs.

They boast 10 hours battery time, plus another 20 held in the charging case. A simple tap of the headphones adjusts the noise cancelling and there’s a ‘conversation mode’ that amplifies the voices you can hear around you, meaning you can run and chat to your buddy at the same time. They’re also waterproof, so don’t need to be left behind when running in the rain.

Buy now £160.00, Amazon.co.uk

Audio-Technica wireless earbuds

While plenty of other running headphones can take hours to charge, these are ideal if you need quick-charging earbuds that sounds incredible, look great and fit perfectly. Just 10 minutes of charging yields 90 minutes of play time. The noise cancelling and hear-through function technology means they’re a perfect choice for both urban and countryside environments alike – another tick towards them being great all-rounders. They’re also the only ones in our list with a voice guidance function.

While they only come in matte black, they’re incredibly stylish, and boast 50 hours of battery – 20 in the headphones and a further 30 in the charging case.

Buy now £149.99, Audio-technica.com

Groov-E sportsbuds

While it’s always beneficial to have the charging case on hand, should your beloved buds run out of juice, these are the only pair in our list that boast a power bank as part of the charging case, meaning you can charge other electronic devices as well as the earbuds.

The buds boast a 28-hour charge and the over-ear hook means they stay in place firmly, no matter how energetic or bouncy your gate – even strong winds didn’t shift them during testing.

Buy now £35.00, Tesco.com

The verdict: Running headphones

If money is no object, the incredible sound from the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX make them a great contender for best buy but, if your money won’t stretch that far, Technics’s offering is another fantastic option. The wireless headphones look beautiful – the minimalist design is stunning and the sound and longevity are fantastic. However, sitting in between these two price points, the Beats Fit Pro nabbed the top spot for us, as they’re incredibly comfortable, while offering active noise cancelling.

Special mention has to go to the Jesebang YT18, too. At less than £25, they pack an awful lot of technology into such a small price point.

Lose yourself in the music, with a pair of top-rated wireless noise-cancelling cans

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