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Adding music to your workout can easily up your motivation, help keep pace, and block out unwanted distractions. Yet, an uncomfortable or ill-fitting pair of headphones is only going to bring your workout down. 

"Headphones for working out need to be much better at staying in place with minimal encumbrance or adjusting, since the last thing you want to deal with is a headphone falling out or a cord in your way," said ​​Caroline Grainger, ISSA Certified Personal Trainer at FitnessTrainer Online Personal Trainers, to Insider. "Cordless headphones are an absolute must."

I agree, which is why every headphone in this guide is wireless with a Bluetooth connection. There are plenty of these on the market but not all are best for working out. Over-ear headphones can be too bulky for high-impact activities, while some may want Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) to block out most outside noise. Overall, sweat- and water-resistant earbuds are going to be the most secure option without compromising sound quality. To compile this guide, I enlisted the help of three other people to test headphones and consulted with two experts for added insight. Below are the five best we tested, as well as the criteria we judged while testing everything and answers to a few FAQs. Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests fitness products.

Best overall: Jabra Elite 4, $119.99 available on Amazon The Jabra Elite 4 wireless earbuds are sweat- and waterproof, have Active Noise Cancellation, and won't break the bank. 

Best sound:  Bose Sport Earbuds, $149 available on Amazon Bose Sport Earbuds boast the kind of high-quality sound Bose is known for, plus use a winged ear-tip for a super secure fit. 

Best luxe: Apple AirPods Pro, $197 available on Amazon Apple's AirPods Pro aren't cheap but they provide some of the best active noise cancellation abilities available with added transparency mode when you do want to hear things around you.

Best compact: Skullcandy Mod, $49.88 available on Walmart Although small in size and priced affordably, the Skullcandy Mod headphones have a secure and compact fit, plus customizable buttons to suit any preference.  

Best for swimming: Zygo Solo, $299 available on Zygo The Zygo Solos are your go-to headphones if you're an avid swimmer, and unlike other swimming headphones, Zygo doesn't store music in the headphones but instead uses a transceiver you stick outside the pool to enable a Bluetooth connection.

The Jabra Elite 4 Active wireless earbuds are sweat- and waterproof, have Active Noise Cancellation, and won't break the bank. 

Pros: Active Noise Cancellation with HearThrough technology, durable, relatively budget-friendly, 7 hours of battery life and up to 28 hours with charging case, mono mode  

Cons: Only three color options, requires an app to pair and customize The Jabra Elite 4 Active earbuds are an all-around, solid headphone option that provides high-quality music, a secure fit, and top Active Noise Cancellation with HearThrough, all at a reasonable price. 

During testing, the earbuds stayed securely in our ears even when jumping rope or running on the treadmill. The outer part of the earbud did seem a little larger and heavier than the inner ear tip but that didn't compromise fit or comfort even after a few hours. The buds have a waterproof rating of IP57, so don't worry if you get sweaty during a workout.  

The ANC was fairly good, though not the best we tested. However, the HearThrough technology was great to really amplify outside sounds via built-in microphones that pick up sounds around you. 

One thing the testing team didn't love about the Elite 4 Actives was the need to download a companion app just to connect and set up the buds. The app does provide a lot in terms of specific features like walking you through your headset, teaching you how to use ANC and HearThrough, and showing how to activate mono earbud mode. It also updates the earbuds quickly and easily, and has settings for what type of music you listen to (neutral, speech, bass boost, etc.). 

The favorite part from all the testers, other than the comfort, was the ability to pause/play, turn up volume, and turn on ANC right from the earbuds themselves, and not only via a phone. 

Bose Sport Earbuds have the high-quality sound that Bose is known for, plus use a winged ear-tip for a super secure fit. 

Pros: Stable and secure fit, sweat- and weather resistant at IPX4,  5 hours of battery life and up to 10 hours with charging case

Cons: Learning curve with fit for winged eartip, no noise cancellation

It took me a few tries to figure out how exactly the winged eartips were supposed to go in my ear but once in, they were very secure during high-impact workouts. They felt a little heavier than some of the more minimalist ear buds but were still comfortable throughout entire workouts. The other testers stated, too, that even when sweaty, the earbuds didn't slip around at all. 

The sound, which Bose is known for, is definitely high-quality. The buds use volume-optimized Active EQ to automatically boost the lows and highs so your music stays on point with every new song. 

But having the ability to listen to quality audio doesn't mean you should blast your favorite music on 11 while working out. Candice Ortiz-Hawkins, an audiologist with Capital Institute of Hearing and Balance and previously an audiologist for the military, told Insider that listening to music too loudly and for too long can definitely be damaging.

"Headphones should be worn between 60 and 80 decibels," she said, with 60 decibels being the average volume for conversational speech. "An easy way to tell if something is too loud is the arm-length check. That is if a person is speaking to you at a normal volume, standing approximately one arm-length away and you cannot hear them, the volume is too loud."

Navigating the ear buds also took some getting used to. To change songs, you need just double touch the outside of the right ear bud, which I didn't realize at first since there is no visible button. Although it's a great feature, it's the only touch control available until you downloaded the app. From the app, you can set up volume control with a simple swipe up or down of the right earbud and add a shortcut on the left earbud for things like battery level, skip forward, or skip back.

In the app, you'll also see tutorials on how to get the right fit (you have to tuck the wing under your ear ridge) and you can also turn off in-ear detection, which automatically pauses music when you take the right earbud out. If you want to listen to one earbud at a time, you'll have to turn this in-ear detection mode off. 

Apple's AirPods Pro aren't cheap but they provide some of the best active noise cancellation abilities available with added transparency mode when you do want to hear things. Pros: No need to download an app to use, Active Noise Canceling plus Transparency Mode, 4.5 hours of battery life and up to 24 hours with charging case

The AirPods Pro from Apple aren't necessarily made for active workouts but they are a go-to headphone for many reasons. The sound quality is fantastic, even in a busy gym, thanks to its Active Noise Cancellation and spatialized stereo technology. You can toggle between ANC and Transparency mode on your phone or by pressing and holding the sensor button on the stem of the right AirPod. 

With spatialized stereo technology, you get an almost surround-sound effect in the pods, too. From your phone, you can set it up to be fixed or to track with your head movements, which helps keep the sound optimal no matter what direction outside sound is coming from.

The stem touch sensor also controls pause/play and skip forward or back, but you have to talk to Siri to change the volume or do it on your phone. 

Also on your phone is where you can do an ear tip fit test to see if the small, medium, or large tips are best for your ears. I'm not sure how accurate it is, though — I tried the test with all different tip sizes and the app always got the conclusion that each tip was the right fit. However, I chose the middle size because, as to my knowledge, my ears are neither big nor small, and the middle ear tips felt comfortable and secure with a solid seal. You can also turn on the automatic ear detection, which pauses music when you take an earbud out.

Testers found that the pods did jostle around a bit during high-impact, sweaty workouts, but were good for low-impact activities.

Although small in size and priced affordably, the Skullcandy Mod headphones have a secure and compact fit, plus customizable buttons to suit any preference.  Pros: Extremely lightweight and minimal, 7 hours of battery life and up to 27 hours with charging case, IP55 sweat and water resistant, Stay-Aware mode, can pair with multiple devices at once, built-in Tile finding technology Cons: Only one color, no noise cancellation  

The Mod True Wireless Earbuds reminded me of headphones I'd worn in the past, as they were very minimal and not clunky at all, which was refreshing. You do have to turn on both earbuds separately with a press of a side button, but this also means you can listen with just one earbud easily. The side buttons also control pause/play, with two presses controlling volume. In the app, you can set up three presses to control next or previous track, as well as switching to Stay-Aware mode, which did amplify outside noises, though not as much or as clearly as Jabra's HearThrough. You can also change up the listening experience with customizable equalizers; presets include music, podcasts, movies, or a fully customizable mode. 

Although these earbuds don't have active noise cancellation, they do have some great extra features like the customizable listening experience and button settings, plus multi-device pairing and (because we really do all need this) Find With Tile. You have to download the Tile app but the buds have built-in Tile finding technology, which honestly, I wish all headphones had.

The Zygo Solos are your go-to headphones if you're an avid swimmer, and unlike other swimming headphones, Zygo doesn't store music in the headphones but instead uses a transceiver you stick outside the pool to enable a Bluetooth connection. Pros: No need to download an app to use, comes in sizes standard and large, fully waterproof and works 1-2 ft below the surface at up to 50 meters distance Cons: Kind of bulky, need to have both the headphones and transceiver to work Using the Zygo Solo headphones for swimming is a bit of a journey — but one that is well worth it. When you purchase, you'll get one headset, one transmitter and stand, one charging case, one pair of earplugs, and one microfiber cloth. And you essentially need all of those items to use the headphones, too. But unlike other swimming headphones where you download music to the integrated MP3, Zygo's buds are a little different. All you have to do is pair your phone with the included transmitter via Bluetooth , and you're good to go. 

The Zygo headphones use bone conduction at your temples to play music, so your ears are open (you can still use earplugs) and the headset rests at the top of your neck. You can control the volume from the headphones but won't be able to pause/play or skip forward or back. One nitpick we had is that the sound quality isn't all that great. However, if you want to listen to a variety of music and podcasts as you swim, Zygo is your best option. Plus, you can use Zygo's headphones for live coaching and with the Zygo app, you can get guided audio workouts. 

A group of testers and I racked up tons of sweaty minutes with each pair of headphones, in a variety of gyms and settings (on treadmills, outside, etc.). While testing, we compared each headphone across these five categorie: Price, comfort and stability, sound quality, controls and buttons, and Active noise cancellation. Here's how each category factored into which headphones ultimately made the cut:

Price: Headphones aren't cheap, and can sometimes be easy to lose and leave behind in the gym. The higher-end headphones we tested did have slightly better features but they didn't differ greatly compared to the lower priced headphones, except for when it came to active noise canceling and hear-through features (see below). 

Comfort and stability: When it comes to headphones, one of the most important factors (and potentially most annoying) is fit and stability. We only included headphones that didn't slip out or around, and instead stayed put even when working hard on the treadmill or during particularly sweaty routines.

Sound quality: For headphones that are being used in the gym or for a pumped up workout, we focused on sound quality, including bass and clarity. 

Controls and buttons: Having to take out your phone to adjust volume is not ideal but that was the case with a few of the pairs we tested. Almost every brand tested had an accompanying app to use with the headphone, too. With some, you had to use the app to adjust some controls and features like noise cancellation, while with others, the app wasn't necessary. 

Active noise cancellation: Having active noise cancellation isn't a must persay, but wow, is it nice. When using a pair with high-quality ANC, almost 100 percent of the extra noise simply goes away and all you hear is your music — not the treadmill, not your breathing, and not the rest of the gym goers, so you can focus on your workout.

For such small gadgets, earbuds pack a surprising amount of features, yet you have to consider more than just the extras. Our testers say the most important elements include: 

"Once a week cleaning is adequate with typical use," said Ortiz-Hawkins. "Do not use water as this can degrade the electronics within the headsets. Instead, you can use an alcohol pad or specially designed products, like audio wipes, that are used for hearing devices." Cleaning them often will not only keep them from getting gross, but will also keep them working for longer. 

Ortiz-Hawkins recommended using a desiccant, or a dehumidifier, to increase the longevity and integrity of their devices, especially if you sweat a lot. You can also replace the ear tips every few months.

Ideally, yes. Thankfully, most headphones that are marketed for exercise are also sweatproof or waterproof, even if you don't think you sweat a lot. These ratings are listed as IP ratings, with IPX4 being a solid choice for active headphones (can withstand splashes from any direction), but anything above IPX2 should be good (protected against dripping water of about 3 millimeters per minute).

With in-ear buds, you'll get small, medium, and large ear tip options when you buy. Try them each and see how they feel — the ear tip should ideally create a sort of seal within your ear, so that the sound stays clear and the buds don't bounce around and become loose. 

Other options include in-ear buds that also have some sort of hook that goes over the ear for extra support, like the Bose Sport Open Earbuds or Skullcandy Push Active, which are ideal for outdoor running.

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