Our pick
JBL Reflect Aero TWS
Waterproof and sweatproof, these earbuds provide good sound, a secure fit, and a helpful hear-through mode. But the touch-based controls have some limits.
The JBL Reflect Aero TWS true wireless earbuds are the best workout headphones for the gym because they stay securely in place, they have simple controls, and they’re waterproof and sweatproof (with an IP68 water-resistance rating). Eight hours of battery life is solid for true wireless earbuds, and the pocket-size case offers up an additional 16 hours of juice.
This pair also sounds good right out of the box, and you can fine-tune the sound via JBL’s mobile app. The sealed design and active noise cancellation can reduce any noisy gym distractions around you. But if you need to hear your surroundings, a hear-through mode is just a tap away. Or, if you prefer, you can use one earbud at a time. Alexa and Google Assistant users will love this set’s compatibility with their voice-activated assistants.
As for downsides, the stabilizing wings that help keep the earbuds in place may become fatiguing for people with sensitive ears. And though the touch-based controls are easy to learn and use, you can’t control volume, playback, noise cancellation, and the hear-through feature inclusively—you’ll have to choose one to omit.
Runner-up
Beats Fit Pro
These Apple-friendly earbuds sound great, with slightly boosted bass. Flexible wings help hold this set securely in your ears, but its water and sweat resistance is lower than that of our top pick.
For Apple fans, the Beats Fit Pro pair is a worthy alternative to the JBL Reflect Aero TWS. This set offers easy pairing and connection swapping to Apple devices, as well as touch-free “Hey Siri” control and physical buttons that can control track skip, phone calls, and volume on Apple devices (plus some button customization for Android devices, if you download the Beats app).
Like our top pick, these earbuds have stabilizing wings to help keep them in place, and the sealed design and active noise cancellation can block out gym noise; the hear-through mode allows for occasional situational awareness or conversations between workout sets. Plus, each earbud can work independently.
The IPX4 water-resistance rating should be enough for these earbuds to tolerate most activities, but our top pick’s IP68 rating is better for folks who sweat profusely or are just tougher on their gear.
The Fit Pro pair sounds great, with slightly boosted bass. Six hours of battery life is average, and you get 18 more hours from the charging case—but the case isn’t as small as the JBL case.
As with our top pick, anyone who is sensitive to pressure in the ear might dislike the feeling of the stabilizing wings.
Budget pick
JLab Go Air Sport
This affordable pair hooks over your ears to stay in place, has good water resistance, and sounds surprisingly decent for the price. But it lacks features like noise cancellation and a hear-through mode.
The JLab Go Air Sport earbuds deliver the workout essentials without costing a bundle. This pair has flexible hooks that slip securely over the top of each ear to keep the earbuds in place; some people may find these hooks more comfortable than stabilizing wings.
This set is dust- and water-resistant, with an IP55 rating to endure sweaty workouts. The earbuds have an eight-hour battery life, and the charging case holds an additional 24 hours of power (though it’s larger than we’d like).
The Go Air Sport has a sealed design to block noise, but it lacks active noise cancellation and a hear-through mode. However, either earbud can work independently, so you can keep one ear open. The touch-based controls handle all the important functions, but their response can be inconsistent, especially if you have long hair, which can get in the way of the sensors.
The sound quality is surprisingly decent for the price, but audio fans should note that every one of the three preset EQ settings has some kind of flaw. We like that the charging cable is permanently attached, so you never need to carry a cord. But the cable ends in a USB Type-A plug, a style that is falling out of fashion.
Also great
Tribit MoveBuds H1
These earbuds have a 15-hour battery life, a high water-resistance rating, and good sound quality—but they lack a few helpful features that you get with our pricier picks.
If you want to worry less about your earbuds’ battery life, the Tribit MoveBuds H1 set is a solid pair of true wireless earbuds usually available for under $100. The 15-hour battery life is superlative for true wireless earbuds; you can wear them all day without charging. This is a good thing because the charging case—which provides an additional 35 hours of power—is nearly as big as a bar of soap.
This waterproof pair has a high IPX8 rating, and the earbuds stay securely in place using hooks that slip over your ears. The sealed design helps block out gym noise, but the H1 lacks the active noise cancellation and voice-activation capabilities of our pricier picks. This set does have a hear-through mode, or you can use one earbud at a time for situational awareness.
The sound quality out of the box is good, and we were able to nail our preferred tuning using the app-based equalizer adjustments. The H1 set also has the full suite of touch-based controls.
