The Best Sports Earbuds: 4 Compared (and One to Skip)

RBE top pick

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

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The Powerbeats Pro 2 is the most secure, best-equipped workout earbud for people who train hard and want noise cancelling plus long battery. If you'd rather skip the earhooks and spend less, the JBL Endurance Race 2 swaps them for a wing enhancer and adds an IP68 waterproof rating, with noise cancelling still included.

Regular true-wireless earbuds tend to loosen the moment you break a sweat, so this comparison sticks to buds built to stay put during running and lifting. We weighed independent testing and owner reports on fit security, sweat resistance, sound and battery life. Two earn a clear buy, one is a situational pick for open-ear fans, and one budget option is a skip for most people.

RBE top pick

Beats

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

Buy it

The most lock-in-place workout earbuds you can buy, now with active noise cancelling and on-board heart-rate tracking.

Best for: Serious runners and gym-goers who want the most secure possible fit and don't mind earhooks.

$$$ · premium

Why we like it

• Nickel-titanium reinforced flexible earhooks give the most secure fit in this group
• Genuinely effective active noise cancelling plus a transparency mode for road awareness
• Long endurance: Beats rates it at up to 10 hours per charge and 45 hours with the case, with ANC and Transparency off

Know before buying

• Earhooks and the case are bulkier than hook-free rivals and can clash with glasses or hats
• The built-in heart-rate sensor is a nice extra but a chest strap or watch is still more reliable for hard intervals

Check price on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

JBL

JBL Endurance Race 2

Buy it

A hook-free sport bud with a twist-to-lock wing, an IP68 waterproof and dustproof rating, and noise cancelling for well under flagship money.

Best for: Most people who want a secure, sweat-proof workout bud with noise cancelling and no earhook bulk.

$$ · mid-range

Why we like it

• Ergonomic wing enhancer with JBL's Twistlock design braces the bud in your ear without an earhook
• IP68 dustproof and waterproof earbuds, the toughest rating in this group, and JBL rates the case IPX2
• Long battery: JBL rates it at up to 12 hours per charge (10 with ANC) and 48 hours with the case, with ANC off
• Active noise cancelling plus Smart Ambient, with six Sports Mode presets in the JBL Headphones app

Know before buying

• A wing holds less firmly than an earhook for the hardest sprints and jumps, and suits some ear shapes better than others
• No heart-rate sensor, and JBL does not list wireless charging

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Bose

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

It depends

A clip-on open-ear design that leaves your ear canal free so you can hear traffic and your surroundings.

Best for: Outdoor runners and cyclists who prioritize hearing their surroundings over isolation and bass.

$$$$ · flagship

Why we like it

• Open cuff design keeps you aware of traffic and cars, which suits outdoor running
• Clear sound for an open-ear design, and comfortable enough to forget you're wearing them
• Nothing seals the ear canal, so no pressure or fatigue on long sessions

Know before buying

• Open design leaks sound and delivers little bass, so it struggles against gym music and loud environments
• No noise cancelling and a flagship price that undercuts its value for pure workout use

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We'd skip it

JLab

JLab Go Sport+

Skip it

A very cheap earhook bud with long battery life, but too many compromises to recommend over the field.

Best for: Budget shoppers who want a beater pair for sweaty sessions and don't care about sound quality.

$ · budget

Why we like it

• IPX4 sweat and splash rating on the earbuds, the same rating as the pricier rivals here
• Earhook design stays put during vigorous movement, and battery life is long for the money
• Costs a fraction of the other picks

Know before buying

• Sound quality and call clarity are middling, and there's no active noise cancelling
• Plasticky build and a basic app and controls compared with the premium options

See our pick instead See it on Amazon anyway Read our detailed assessment ↓

How we judged the field

We don’t run our own audio lab. Instead we synthesized independent testing and aggregated owner reports, then weighed the criteria that actually matter once you’re moving: does the earbud stay put during a hard run, does it survive sweat, can you hear enough of your surroundings to stay safe, and does the battery outlast a long session. Sound quality and noise control matter too, but for sports earbuds they come after fit and durability. Everything below is buyable in 2026. Note that Bose now also sells a second-generation Ultra Open Earbuds with longer battery life and wireless charging.

This is the earbud reviewers reach for when the top priority is staying in your ears. The flexible earhook, reinforced with a nickel-titanium alloy, gives the most secure fit in this group and barely moves through sprints or burpees. Beyond fit, the Powerbeats Pro 2 adds the things the original lacked: effective active noise cancelling, a transparency mode for road running, and on-board heart-rate sensors that feed fitness apps. Beats rates it at up to 10 hours per charge and 45 hours with the case with ANC off (8 and 36 with it on), well past most workouts, though the JBL below edges it on paper. The downsides are physical: the earhooks and case are bulky, and the heart-rate feature, while useful, isn’t a substitute for a chest strap during hard intervals. For anyone who trains seriously, it’s the most complete pick.

The Endurance Race 2 is the value sweet spot and the strongest alternative to an earhook. Instead of a hook it uses an ergonomic wing enhancer with what JBL calls Twistlock technology: you twist the bud into place so the wing braces against your ear, which JBL says gives a better seal and more stability. Its spec sheet is unusually strong for the money. The earbuds are rated IP68, fully dustproof and able to survive submersion deeper than a meter in fresh or sea water, and even the case carries an IPX2 rating. JBL rates battery at up to 12 hours per charge with ANC off (10 with it on) and 48 hours with the case, longer per charge than the Powerbeats Pro 2. You also get active noise cancelling, Smart Ambient for road awareness, four call mics, multipoint pairing and six Sports Mode presets in the JBL Headphones app. The compromises: a wing holds less firmly than a hook for the most explosive training, there’s no heart-rate sensor, and JBL does not list wireless charging. For most people, it covers the workout essentials for far less than the Pro 2.

The Ultra Open Earbuds take a completely different approach: a small cuff clips onto the edge of your ear and leaves the canal open. Because nothing seals your ear, you hear traffic, cars and conversation as normal - which suits outdoor runners and cyclists who value awareness over isolation. They’re also clear-sounding for an open-ear design, and comfortable enough to forget on a long run, with no in-ear pressure. But the physics of an open design mean they leak sound and produce little bass, so they underwhelm against gym music or in noisy environments, and there’s no noise cancelling. Add a flagship price and they become a specialist tool rather than an all-rounder - brilliant for the right runner, wrong for someone who wants isolation.

The Go Sport+ gets the fundamentals right for the price: an earhook that stays locked during vigorous movement, JLab’s rating of 9+ hours per earbud, and an IPX4 sweat rating on the earbuds. If cost is the only thing that matters, it’s a competent beater. The problem is everything else. Sound quality and call clarity are middling, there’s no noise cancelling, and the plasticky build and basic app feel a clear step below the premium options. Because the JBL Endurance Race 2 adds noise cancelling and a far tougher water rating without a premium price, the Go Sport+ is hard to recommend to anyone who isn’t buying strictly on price.

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs JBL Endurance Race 2: which should you buy?

Both are sealed in-ear buds with noise cancelling, so the decision comes down to how they anchor and what extras you want. The Powerbeats Pro 2 wins on outright security: its nickel-titanium earhooks are the gold standard for staying put, and it adds on-board heart-rate tracking. The cost is bulk in the ear and in the bag, and a premium price. The Endurance Race 2 swaps the hook for a twist-to-lock wing that suits most running and gym work, and on paper it beats the Pro 2 on water protection (IP68 against IPX4) and per-charge battery (12 hours against 10, ANC off). Choose the Powerbeats Pro 2 if you do intense, jumpy sessions and want the most locked-in fit plus heart-rate data. Choose the Endurance Race 2 if you want a tough, long-running workout bud without earhooks and for much less money, which describes most people.

What to look for

• Fit type: Earhooks are the most secure but bulkiest; wings and wingtips are nearly as stable and far more compact; open clips prioritize awareness over lock-in.
• Sweat and dust rating: IPX4 handles sweat and light rain; IP55 adds dust resistance; IP68, as on the JBL Endurance Race 2, means dustproof and rated for submersion. None of these make a bud a swimming headphone.
• Awareness vs isolation: Decide whether you need to hear traffic (open or transparency modes) or block out a gym (noise cancelling).
• Battery life: Look for enough runtime to cover your longest session with margin, plus a case that tops up quickly.
• Controls and app: On-bud buttons and a solid companion app make adjusting volume and modes mid-workout much easier.

Our final take

For secure, sweatproof audio that stays put from your first rep to your last mile, the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 is the most complete sports earbud you can buy in 2026, and it’s our top pick for anyone who trains hard. The JBL Endurance Race 2 is the one we’d recommend to most people, with a secure hook-free wing, noise cancelling, an IP68 rating and longer per-charge battery for much less money. Consider the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds only if hearing your surroundings outdoors matters more than bass or isolation, and skip the JLab Go Sport+ unless price is the single deciding factor.

Deciding between the top two? See our head-to-head: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs JBL Endurance Race 2.

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