The 7 Best Open Ear Earbuds and Headphones of 2024

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The best noise-cancelling headphones are designed to insulate you from distractions, but there are times when tuning out your surroundings isn’t an option. From running outdoors to listening for the next station on a train commute, the best open ear earbuds and headphones allow for situational awareness without compromising audio quality.

At a Glance: The Best Open Ear Earbuds

It’s a niche but growing market, with specialty brands (Shokz, H20 Audio) and mainstream audio companies (Bose, Sony) offering more open-ear options than ever. Open-ear earbuds comprise a broad range of styles, with designs ranging from ear cuffs, earbuds with ear hooks, and bone-conduction headphones. What they have in common is leaving the ear canal open.

There are a variety of advantages to open ear earbuds. The biggest advantage is allowing the wearer to be attuned to their surroundings, which is why they’re particularly popular with runners and cyclists who work out outdoors. They’re not just for athletes, though — staying aware can be useful at work, on commutes, or while simply walking around the neighborhood. In addition to awareness, open-ear earbuds can be useful for those who struggle to find comfortable fitting in-ear earbuds.

To find the best open ear earbuds, we started with brands we trust and have used in the past. All of the options below we put to the test ourselves. We used them in a variety of settings, ranging from outdoor bike rides to office work, evaluating them on audio quality, comfort, workout-friendliness, and portability. These are our top picks for the best open-ear earbuds of 2024.

The Best Open Ear Earbuds and Headphones

The steep price tag may cause hesitation among runners and cyclists worried about dropping these down a runoff grate, and the IPX4 rating is middling. But despite these drawbacks, Bose’s Open Earbuds were the pair I reached for most often, including for workouts.

These earbuds are surprisingly secure, despite the unusual fit that clips around the ear. They were able to handle sweaty bike rides across uneven terrain with minimal movement, and the relatively compact case makes them easy to take on the go.

The earbuds have a physical playback button, which comes in handy in preventing accidental touches during workouts. The drivers do a good job of angling the sound toward the ear while leaving the ear canal open. Crucially, Bose put audio quality first in designing the Open Earbuds, meaning they’re not just for workouts.

The unusual design may take some getting used to — they can exert some pressure on the outer ear, but they get more comfortable with wear. The biggest drawback is the price — $300 at retail is steep for a pair of earbuds. It’s the same price as Bose’s QC Ultra earbuds, which have noise cancelling.

The strong audio performance, portability, and usefulness for workouts and everyday wear ultimately put the Bose Open Earbuds over the top, despite their steep price tag.

Anker’s earbuds continue to impress, and the brand recently rolled out two new open ear earbuds. The AeroFit 2 features ear hooks for a secure, workout-friendly design. The earbuds have an impressive battery life, and they’re comfortable, too, thanks to the flexible silicone hooks and contoured design that alleviates pressure on the tragus.

The earbuds are also adjustable, with four positions that click distinctively, making it easier to find the most comfortable position. They have a variety of features that you might not expect to find on $100 earbuds. The case features wireless charging and the earbuds have multipoint pairing for seamless connections with multiple devices like laptops and phones. The intuitive app also features customizable EQ and a variety of sound profiles.

Like all earbuds with ear hooks, they can interfere with eyewear, though I found these to be relatively easy to wear with sunglasses. Soundcore’s audio quality didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t tinny, unlike other budget earbuds.

The comfortably designed earpieces contour to the shape of the ear, and the earbuds sound clear enough for outdoor workouts without compromising awareness. Combined with Soundcore’s great app features, the AeroFit 2 is a top contender for the best open ear earbuds.

Sony’s LinkBuds Open features one of the most unique designs, with a donut-shaped driver that leaves the ear canal open but solves the too-distant sound of some open-ear earbuds. The body of the earbud has a soft silicone wing to fit securely in the ear.

The case is very compact, too, making these a great option to take on the go. They come in a wide range of colors (including an Olivia Rodrigo-approved purple colorway).

The earbuds are more inconspicuous than the statement-making Bose Open Earbuds or the aggressively workout-coded Shokz headphones. These are also the rare open-ear earbuds with in-ear detection — popping an earbud out pauses the music.

They offer solid sound quality, though the audio profile is a little thinner than some of our other picks. The biggest drawback is the fit. There’s just one wing size (Sony calls these air-fitting supporters), and they didn’t sit particularly securely in my ear. I wasn’t worried when I was walking around or sitting and working, but I’d be hesitant to wear these on particularly intense workouts.

The redesigned OpenRun headphones have a hybrid design that combines bone conduction with air conduction — essentially a driver facing the ear, which improves the audio quality. The audio quality surprised me, in a good way. 

To be clear, there is still a trade-off; these won’t sound as good as the best in-ear earbuds. But they don’t sound tinny or distant, and if keeping your ears unobstructed is important to you, these are as open as open-ear earbuds get, with the drivers not covering any part of the ear. 

These lose some points in the portability department, as the case is more akin to a headphones case than an earbuds case (to be fair, Shokz doesn’t call these earbuds at all). The lack of portability may not be an issue if you’re just using these as running or cycling earbuds and don’t plan to take them off until you get home. Despite the band connecting the drivers, they’re surprisingly easy to wear with a bike helmet and sunglasses. The Shokz app is also straightforward, featuring a simple menu of EQ modes, including customizable settings. 

At $180, these earbuds aren’t the most expensive of the bunch, but they’re not especially cheap, either, particularly considering they’re not as versatile as others on this list. They may not be the first pick for everyday headphones, but these are a great option if you’re looking for a pair of workout-first earbuds. 

If you like the design of Bose’s Open Earbuds but aren’t as keen on the price, Soundcore’s C40i earbuds are a great alternative. The sound quality isn’t as impressive, and the earbuds are less flexible, but they deliver a similarly unobtrusive design that leaves the ear open for optimal awareness.

Like Bose’s Open Earbuds, the C40i earbuds have a useful physical button to control playback. The app also lets you customize the controls, with fully customizable controls that let you set the functions of a single press, a double press, or a long press on the left or right earbud.

These earbuds also have multi-point pairing to easily connect to multiple devices, though the case is not wireless charging compatible. The earbuds sit securely, without exerting too much pressure, making them well-suited for workouts and all-day wearing.  

JBL’s Soundgear Sense earbuds have a robust build, with an IP54 rating for dust and water protection. The hooks provide a secure fit, making them well-suited to workouts. They’re also great for staying aware thanks to the air-conduction design, although they do obstruct the opening of the ear more than some of our other picks.

The sound quality is solid, and the customizable EQ in JBL’s app allows you to make quick adjustments for more bass or a more neutral sound profile. However, these earbuds are overly sensitive and prone to accidental touches.

They’re also not as comfortable as the similarly designed Anker AeroFit 2. The hard plastic body of the Soundgear Sense exerts pressure on the tragus, which Anker cleverly designed around with a contoured silicone build.  

The Soundgear Sense earbuds sound good, fit securely, and aren’t overly expensive, but they’re not as comfortable to wear for extended periods and the controls could be improved.

H20 Audio’s Tri-Sport headphones are aimed at triathletes. With a fully waterproof design, these bone-conduction headphones are suited for swimming, and the surprisingly solid audio quality makes them a great option for running and cycling as well. Several key features set these apart as swim earbuds; they have a built-in MP3 player, allowing you to store up to 130 hours of music directly on the earbuds (this feature is exclusive to the Pro version of the earbuds). That means you can bring your music with you, even if you can’t bring your phone. The brand even includes a pair of earplugs.

Since these are bone-conduction headphones, the audio quality is somewhat distant and not as crisp as some of the other picks on this list. These earbuds also use a proprietary magnetic charging cable, which is understandable given the need to keep water out of any ports, but it makes them slightly less practical than the other options on this list, which all use USB-C. 

While I didn’t have the opportunity to take these out on a proper swim, they sounded good enough on terra firma to recommend. The somewhat niche use case kept them out of the top spot when considering the best open ear earbuds for everyday use, but they’re a good option for swimmers. 

How We Found The Best Open Ear Earbuds and Headphones

When testing the best open-ear earbuds and headphones, I started with brands that we’ve trusted in the past, including Bose, Soundcore, and Sony, and also sought out brands known for innovation in the open-ear headphone market, such as Shokz.

I put each of the headphones to the test, often in a variety of settings like walking around on a busy street, sitting in an office, and working out, and wore each for long enough to evaluate factors like comfort and audio quality. I also held the earbuds away from my ear to test audio leakage and none of the options tested should be able to be heard by others around you, a crucial factor for open ear earbuds.

I then evaluated tech features and the apps’ functionality, noting the Ingress Protection of each, checking which pairs had customizable EQ, and noting bonus features like wireless charging and in-ear detection.