As CNET's resident portable audio expert, I've been reviewing ear-hook style earbuds all the way back to Beats' original wired Powerbeats. Since ear-hook style buds wrap around the top of your ears, they've become popular with folks who need their buds to stay on their head regardless of what they're doing. While certain models like the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 have tips that seal off your ears and feature active noise canceling, the trend is toward ear-hook style buds that have open designs, which let sound in so you can hear the outside world for safety reasons when running and biking -- or just walking around town.
Pros
- Comfortable fit and good build quality
- Strong sound for open earbuds, with large 11×20mm dual-diaphragm drivers
- Good battery life (up to 12 hours)
- Noise reduction technology takes the edge off ambient sound
- Good voice-calling performance
- Wireless charging
Cons
- Fairly pricey
- Noise reduction feature doesn't muffle sound as well as AirPods 4 with Noise Cancellation
Pros
- Improved design and sound quality with smaller case
- Equipped with more powerful H2 chip
- Good noise canceling
- Excellent voice-calling performance
- Heart-rate sensors
- Strong battery life
- Wireless charging
Cons
- Some users may not get a tight seal
- A few features missing from AirPods Pro 2
- More basic Find My feature (no Precision Finding)
Pros
- Slightly improved design and comfort
- Impressive sound for open earbuds
- Improved battery life
- New physical control button
Why I like them
Jump to details
Pros
- A little lighter and offer a slightly more comfortable fit than their predecessor
- Very good sound for open earbuds with ample bass and good clarity
- Loaded with features, including UV sterilization of buds in case
- Touchscreen in charging case
- Built-in voice controls
- Good voice-calling performance and strong battery life
- Dolby spatial audio with head tracking
Cons
- Somewhat pricey
- Case is a little large
- Can distort a bit at higher volumes with some tracks
Why I like them
Jump to details
Pros
- Quite affordable
- Fit my ears securely and relatively comfortably
- Decent battery life (up to 8 hours on a single charge)
- Case is fairly slim
- Customizable light
Cons
- They sound decent enough for open buds but they lack a little bass and clarity
- Design is somewhat generic
- Not great in noisy environments
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What are the best sport earbuds with ear hooks?
Currently, the best sports earbuds with ear hooks are the Shokz OpenFit Pro (for open design) and Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 (for noise-isolating design with active noise canceling). They currently sit at the top of this list, but note that several new earbuds with ear hooks are being released in 2026, so we'll see if they retain their positions.
What we updated: June 2026
We added the Cleer Arc 5 and Suunto Spark earbuds to the list.
Read more: Best workout headphones
Best sports earbuds with ear hooks of 2026
Pros
- Comfortable fit and good build quality
- Strong sound for open earbuds, with large 11×20mm dual-diaphragm drivers
- Good battery life (up to 12 hours)
- Noise reduction technology takes the edge off ambient sound
- Good voice-calling performance
- Wireless charging
Cons
- Fairly pricey
- Noise reduction feature doesn't muffle sound as well as AirPods 4 with Noise Cancellation
Why I like them
Shokz wanted to equip its new flagship OpenFit Pro open earbuds with active noise cancellation, but that's not easy with open earbuds. Instead, it ended up dialing back expectations and calling the tech inside these new ear-hook-style buds OpenEar Noise Reduction. It's a good thing it did because, during time testing the OpenFit Pro, they didn't reduce ambient sound nearly as well as the Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. But they sound impressive for open earbuds, are comfortable to wear and have the premium build quality you'd expect from a set of earbuds that cost $250. Read review.
Reasons to buy
The OpenFit Pro are well-designed and among the best-sounding open earbuds.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
The are more affordable open buds with ear-hook designs that may not sound quite as good but do cost $50-$100 less.
Pros
- Improved design and sound quality with smaller case
- Equipped with more powerful H2 chip
- Good noise canceling
- Excellent voice-calling performance
- Heart-rate sensors
- Strong battery life
- Wireless charging
Cons
- Some users may not get a tight seal
- A few features missing from AirPods Pro 2
- More basic Find My feature (no Precision Finding)
Why I like them
The original Powerbeats Pro were released in May 2019, so Beats has had a lot of time to plot how to improve the second generation of its popular ear-hook style true-wireless sport earbuds. And improve they have -- by quite a bit. Not only do they feature a new, more refined design with better ergonomics, but new drivers, a more powerful Apple H2 chip, a new built-in heart-rate sensor and, yes, active noise canceling for the first time in a pair of Powerbeats. And that noise canceling is quite good, as is the sound quality and voice-calling performance -- so long as you get a tight seal from one of the five different included eartips. Read my Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review.
These new Powerbeats Pro 2 fit my ears better thanks to Beats improving the overall ergonomic shape of the earbud and completely redesigning the ear hook -- it's 50% smaller and incorporates nickel-titanium alloy, so it's both flexible and durable. The buds themselves are 20% lighter.
Reasons to buy
Fitness enthusiasts prefer earbuds with ear hooks to prevent their buds from falling out of their ears during intense workouts. Typically, such earbuds don't offer the greatest performance, but the Powerbeats Pro 2 share many of the same qualities and features as the AirPods Pro 2, featuring very good sound quality, along with strong noise cancellation and voice-calling performance. In short, they're versatile, also performing well as everyday earbuds. It's also worth noting that while the Powerbeats Pro 2 have some Apple-exclusive features, Beats does have an app for Android users that makes these more Android-friendly than AirPods.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
While Beats has improved the Powerbeats Pro 2's design and ergonomics, they still may not be a comfortable fit for everybody's ears, and some people may not get a truly tight seal from any of Beats' eartips. (I had an issue and had to use another set of eartips from my collection.) If you don't get a tight seal, you'll likely be unimpressed with the sound quality and noise canceling and may want to return them to the store where you bought them. (Try to find some alternative eartips before you do that.)
Pros
- Slightly improved design and comfort
- Impressive sound for open earbuds
- Improved battery life
- New physical control button
Why I like them
Shokz has released the newer OpenFit 2 Plus, which adds wireless charging and a Dolby Atmos sound mode for $20 more. The buds are otherwise the same, so you can decide whether it's worth the extra dough (I'm not sure it is). Both are comfortable to wear, sound excellent for open earbuds, at least in quieter environments and offer good voice-calling performance. I also like that each bud has a programmable physical control button to control playback. Read my Shokz OpenFit 2 review.
Reasons to buy
While the Shokz OpenFit 2 are a little pricey, they're among the best open earbuds with ear hooks and feature a comfortable, durable design, strong sound quality (for open earbuds), good voice-calling performance and improved controls. Because of these traits, I have them near the top of my list of best headphones and earbuds for runners. They also work well for bikers and anyone who doesn't like having eartips jammed in their ears.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
You can find cheaper open earbuds with ear hooks that may not sound quite as good, but they're pretty close and are a better overall value.
Pros
- A little lighter and offer a slightly more comfortable fit than their predecessor
- Very good sound for open earbuds with ample bass and good clarity
- Loaded with features, including UV sterilization of buds in case
- Touchscreen in charging case
- Built-in voice controls
- Good voice-calling performance and strong battery life
- Dolby spatial audio with head tracking
Cons
- Somewhat pricey
- Case is a little large
- Can distort a bit at higher volumes with some tracks
Why I like them
Cleer's Arc earbuds have been among the best-sounding open wireless earbuds with an ear-hook design, and the company's current flagship model, the Arc 5, continues this tradition. The spiritual successor to the Arc 3, the Arc 5 retains that model's robust feature set while offering a lighter and more refined design, even better battery life (up to 12 hours) and slightly improved sound. As with the Arc 3, the Arc 5 have something that other buds of this ilk don't have: a touchscreen LCD built into their charging case. The touchscreen allows you to control playback and access the buds' features, including EQ settings, and even use the case as a remote to snap a photo on your smartphone.
Fully waterproof with an IPX7 rating, the Arc 5 have built-in voice controls to raise and lower volume and skip tracks forward and backward, as well as Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head-tracking. Additionally, you can nod your head twice to take a call or shake your head back and forth to reject it. (This feature is referred to as gesture controls.) And finally, they have UV light that sterilizes the buds when they're in the case and a step counter.
The buds' bass, however, lacks a little punch compared to what you get with a good set of noise-isolating buds in this price range, and they produce a bit of sibilance in the treble. But they offer relatively full sound with good clarity that holds together better at higher volumes (though they can distort at higher volumes with some tracks). They also offered solid voice-calling performance.
Reasons to buy
You're looking for a top-performing set of open buds with ear hooks that are loaded with features, including a case with a touchscreen LCD.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
The buds are now seeing some discounts, but when they aren't on sale, they are fairly pricey. Also, while the design has been refined and is more comfortable, they may not fit all ears equally well.
Pros
- Quite affordable
- Fit my ears securely and relatively comfortably
- Decent battery life (up to 8 hours on a single charge)
- Case is fairly slim
- Customizable light
Cons
- They sound decent enough for open buds but they lack a little bass and clarity
- Design is somewhat generic
- Not great in noisy environments
Why I like them
Anker's Soundcore V20i aren't going to win any awards for their design or sound quality (there's a bit of distortion at higher volumes and they only output so much bass), but they look and sound decent enough for open buds and fit my ears pretty comfortably. While their performance can't match what you get from more premium earbuds with ear hooks (that includes voice-calling performance), the key here is that they only cost around $30.
Reasons to buy them
If you're just looking for a pair of open sports buds that work acceptably well for not much money, the Soundcore V20i fit the bill. The step-up V30i are also just fine for about $10 more (there's also a V40i that's under $50), but I have no problem recommending the V20i so long as you don't have the highest expectations in the world.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
As far as ear-hook style earbuds go, the V20i are pretty basic. If you're looking for more slickly designed and better performing open earbuds, you'll need to pay more.
Pros
- Lightweight and comfortable, secure fit
- Attractively designed
- Good sound
- Easy-to-use pinch controls
- Decent battery life
Cons
- Some competitors sound slightly better
The Nothing Ear (Open) buds may not sound quite as good as Shokz' OpenFit 2 buds, but they do offer very respectable sound, and I found them lightweight and comfortable to wear. (The overall fit and where the buds end up sitting on your ears will impact sound quality, particularly when it comes to bass performance.) Overall, the buds are well-designed and feature Nothing's signature translucent plastic on the exterior. They're IP54 certified, which means they're splash-proof and dust-resistant.
Aside from their design, I liked their pinch controls and slim, elongated case. Voice-calling performance was also good, though it can be a little harder to hear callers in noisy environments because these are open earbuds. Battery life is rated at 8 hours at moderate volume levels with an additional 22 hours in the charging case. While there's a bass boost mode as part of the equalizer settings in Nothing's companion app for iOS and Android (there's also a "low-lag gaming mode), the buds can deliver only so much bass. But I was happy wearing them nevertheless.
Pros
- Lightweight, comfortable and secure fit with flexible ear hooks
- Sound good for this style of earbud with ample bass
- Built-in LED lights for nighttime workouts
- Slim charging case is only a little over an inch thick and has a LED battery life indicator
Cons
- Acefast logo is a little too prominent and a tad garish
- Battery life could be a slightly better
The Acefast Acefit Pro are similar to a lot of the new ear hook-style open earbuds, but they have a few distinguishing design traits that help set them up. For starters, they have built-in LEDs with 8 lighting effects that help make you visible at night (a real bike light puts out significantly more light, however). Also, their charging case is slim and features a battery-life indicator on the translucent lid that shows how much juice is left in the case. Overall, I found the buds comfortable to wear, and they sound good for open earbuds, delivering ample bass with decent clarity and good volume. From a sound standpoint, they measure up well to Anker's Soundcore AeroFit 2 and a lot of midrange open ear sports buds. I also thought their touch controls worked well, while voice-calling performance was slightly above average, though not top-tier.
The buds are rated for 6 hours of battery life on a single charge at moderate volume levels. They have an IP54 rating, which means they are dust-resistant and splash-proof. Available in multiple color options, the white color is currently the cheapest.
Pros
- Comfortable, secure fit
- Improved sound with more bass
- Good battery life
- Well-priced
Cons
- A little heavier than Shokz models
Anker's Soundcore AeroFit 2 open earbuds have been completely redesigned and look quite different from the original AeroFit buds, which also listed for $100. The second-gen AeroFit are not only more comfortable but look sleeker, sound significantly better and offer all-around improvements. The buds aren't as light as the Shokz OpenFit 2 buds and don't sound quite as good, but they cost quite a bit less and offer good all-around performance with augmented bass response. Available in multiple colors, they're a good option for those looking for ear-hook style open earbuds with a fairly premium design and good sound quality without the high price tag of top-end models.
Pros
- Premium look and feel and very comfortable fit
- Relatively compact charging case for this type of ear-hook style earbuds
- Good sound quality
- Gesture controls to skip track forward and answer/reject calls
- Voice updates from Suunto watches for runners
- Metronome feature for runners to set cadence
Cons
- Don't sound quite as good as some competing premium models
- Spatial audio mode doesn't really improve sound quality
Why I like them
The Suunto Spark are among the best-designed and most comfortable ear-hook style open earbuds I've tested. (At 9 grams, they weigh a little less than some competing models.) They also have a more compact charging case than a lot of ear-hook style buds. While they don't quite offer as full or detailed sound as some of the competitors in this price range, they do deliver relatively strong sound for this type of open earbud and have a few different preset equalizer settings to choose from to tweak the sound. As you might expect, they also integrate with Suunto sport watches to provide runners with real-time audio feedback for pace, heart rate, lap times and distance. (Suunto earbuds and watches share the same app for iOS and Android.)
Reasons to buy
The Suunto Spark are nicely designed ear-hook-style open earbuds that have a premium look and feel and are comfortable to wear (and fit securely). Their smaller case is also a key selling point.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
While they sound good for open-ear buds, competing premium models from Shokz, Anker and Cleer sound slightly better.
Pros
- Upgraded design from X10
- Secure, comfortable fit
- Slightly better sound and noise canceling
- Improved battery life
- Fully waterproof and dust-proof
Cons
- Lack a bit of clarity
- Sound is degraded if you don't get a tight seal
The Soundcore Sport X20 has some nice upgrades over Anker's original Soundcore X10 earbuds. They include an improved design, adaptive noise canceling, superior battery life, slightly better sound and multipoint Bluetooth pairing. Like the previous model, these have an interesting design with rotating swiveling ear hooks. They don't swivel as much as the X10's ear hooks, which is a good thing (they stayed on my ears very securely). I also liked that the charging case has a smaller footprint than a lot of buds with ear hooks.
Fully waterproof and dust-proof with an IP68 rating, the X20 has slightly larger drivers than the X10 (11mm instead of 10mm). As long as you get a tight seal from the included eartips (you get five sizes), they're able to deliver good sound with punchy bass and good detail. They lack a bit of clarity, particularly at higher volumes (there was a touch of distortion), and the noise canceling isn't as good as Sony or Bose's noise canceling. But the buds are affordable and a good value overall. As for battery life, it's rated at up to 12 hours with noise canceling off and 7 hours with it on. Voice-calling performance is also decent, although not exceptionally good.
Budget
Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on new wireless sports buds with ear hooks. The quality of value-priced earbuds and headphones continues to improve, so you can find good, affordable sports buds for less than $75. The premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost more than $100 and sometimes more than $150.
Noise-isolating or open design
Sports buds with ear hooks are available in a couple of styles. Some come with silicone tips that are designed to create a tight seal in your ear and keep sound out (they have a noise-isolating design). Others have an open design with the buds resting on top of your ears, firing sound into them. The noise-isolating style typically gives you better sound with stronger bass while the open design has the advantage of allowing sound in for safety reasons.
Fit and comfort
It's key that sports earbuds fit your ears not only comfortably but securely. They should offer a comfortable fit that allows you to wear the earbuds for long periods without any irritation. Since all the buds on this list have ear hooks, they should stay on your ears well. Some will fit your ears more comfortably than others.
Durability
You want sports buds that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality and a good water-resistance rating.
Return policy
It's critical to buy your sports at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer's remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days and then return one.
We test true-wireless earbuds based on five key criteria, comparing similarly styled and priced models. These criteria are design, sound quality, features, voice-calling performance and value.
- Design: We assess not only how comfortable the earbuds fit (ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. We also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings.
- Sound quality: We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing the earbuds to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment.
- Features: Some great-sounding earbuds aren't loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from noise-canceling and transparency modes (ambient sound mode) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears.
- Voice-calling: When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls in the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well the earbuds reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear your voice.
- Overall value: We determine value after evaluating the strength of the earbuds against all these criteria and what the buds are able to deliver compared to other models in their price class.
Anker Soundcore Aerofit Pro: The Anker Soundcore AeroFit Pro have come down in price since they were released in late 2023 and now cost around $100 instead of $180. They remain among the better open-ear "air conduction" earbuds, with a premium look and feel, comfortable fit and fairly strong audio quality for these types of earbuds, with ample bass and volume, plus decent clarity. The AeroFit 2 Pro will be released in May of 2026.
1More Fit SE S30: 1More makes the newer S50 and S51 ear-hook models (around $80), which feature more premium designs and slightly better sound, but the the Fit SE S30 is decent enough for under $30 for those on a tight budget.
Skullcandy Push Active: With so many new wireless earbuds and headphones being released on what seems likely a weekly basis, it's not easy for companies to differentiate their products in the marketplace. Back in 2021, Skullcandy hoped its new voice-driven platform, Skull-iQ Smart Feature Technology, would do just that. Similar to the Apple AirPods' "Hey Siri" feature, Skullcandy's version allows you to say "Hey, Skullcandy" to issue hands-free voice commands without touching a button. The buds are still available, but there's the newer Push Active ANC ($80).
JBL Endurance Peak 3: With JBL releasing a new Endurance Peak model in the spring of 2026, its 3rd-gen ear-hook style sport earbuds should be available at a decent discount. Available in black or white, the Endurance Peak 3 buds offer better battery life (up to 10 hours with four extra charges in their case), improved voice-calling performance and an IP68 rating that makes them fully water- and dust-proof. They also have an Ambient Aware transparency mode and Talk Thru mode that can automatically lower your music's volume level and open up the buds to the outside world. That means you can have a conversation with someone without removing the buds from your ears.
Beyerdynamic Amiron 200: Beyerdynamic is known for its sound quality, so it's not surprising the Amiron 200, its first open earbuds with ear hooks, deliver top-notch sound with nice depth and richness. They have very good clarity and bass performance for this type of open earbuds and match the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and Shokz OpenFit 2 for sound quality, and they may sound slightly better than those models depending on the fit you get. Unfortunately, how they fit your ears is the one big caveat about these buds. While they fit my ears comfortably and securely, they bent the top of my ears back a little so I looked a little funny wearing them. That said, they fit my wife's smaller ears perfectly.
Baseus Eli Sport 1: The Eli Sport 1 can be had for around $80 (currently $49 on a discount). While they may not sound quite as good as some of the premium open earbuds out there -- there can be a touch of distortion at higher volumes with bass-heavy tracks — they sound quite decent for their modest price and I found them comfortable to wear. They look more premium than their price would indicate. They have 16.2mm drivers, are IPX4 splash-proof and are rated for up to 7.5 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels.
Are earbuds with ear hooks better than earbuds with wingtips for sports?
Not necessarily. Buds with integrated ear hooks or wingtips (or sports fins) are designed to help keep your earbuds in your ears. It's really a design preference. Some people like the look and feel of earbuds with ear hooks, while others prefer earbuds with sports fins. If you're looking for an open buds design, you're more likely to find open earbuds with ear hooks than sport fins.
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What are the downsides to earbuds with ear hooks?
Because they're bigger than your typical earbuds, earbuds with ear hooks usually come with a fairly large charging case that may not fit so well in a pants pocket (especially tight jeans). We're seeing better designs for not only the buds themselves (and the ear hooks), but the cases are getting more compact.
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How is the battery life for earbuds with ear hooks?
Generally, excellent and usually significantly better than what you get with standard earbuds. That's because earbuds with ear hooks are large and can house bigger batteries. Typical battery life ratings for buds with ear hooks are in the 10- to 15-hour range, while traditional true-wireless earbuds are usually rated for anywhere from 5 to 8 hours of playback time at moderate volume levels.
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