The 8 Best Workout Music Players of 2022 Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Best Products > Audio 58 58 people found this article helpful

The Best Workout Music Players, Tested by Our Experts

Exercise and jam with these workout music players

By Erika Rawes Erika Rawes Writer University of Maryland Erika Rawes has written for Digital Trends, USA Today, and Cheatsheet.com and has tested dozens of consumer technology products for multiple tech sites. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 21, 2022 Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. Tweet Share Email Audio Headphones Earbuds Speakers Home Theater Instruments Accessories The best workout music players are designed for use while running or at the gym. There are plenty of them out there, but not all of them were specifically made for heavy activity. Workout music players are typically engineered to be lightweight, water-resistant, and easy to control while your focus is elsewhere. Conveniences like a touchscreen aren’t necessarily as important, since sweaty fingers and touchscreens don’t really mix. The best workout music players emphasize practicality and durability over bells and whistles so they can put up with time at the gym, drops on a run, or tosses onto the floor. Workout music players are ideal for anyone who regularly walks, runs, or performs other exercises like weightlifting or cycling. They're also useful in outdoor conditions since they're more durable and include ergonomic features such as clips that attach to your clothing. Here are some of our best picks. The Rundown Best Overall: SanDisk Clip Sport Plus at Amazon Jump to Review Best Smart Device: Apple iPod touch (7th Generation) at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Swimming: H20 Audio Stream Waterproof MP3 Player at Amazon Jump to Review Best Advanced Features: Apple Watch Series 6 at Amazon Jump to Review Best Compact: Mighty Vibe Portable Music Player at Amazon Jump to Review Best Budget: AGPTEK Clip MP3 Player at Amazon Jump to Review Best Value: Sony 8GB Walkman MP3 Player at Amazon Jump to Review Best Headphones: Sony Walkman 4GB Headphone at Amazon Jump to Review in this article Expand Our Picks What to Look For in a Workout Music Player About Our Trusted Experts

Best Overall: SanDisk Clip Sport Plus MP3 Player

3.4 Walmart View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Best Buy What We Like Water resistant Holds up to 4,000 songs Clips to your clothing What We Don't Like Small buttons Sandisk Clip Sport Plus MP3 Player Review: An MP3 Player For Working Out The SanDisk Clip Sport Plus has a battery that lasts for about 20 hours on a single charge, and it supports both lossy and lossless audio files. It's tiny, lightweight, IPX5 water-resistant, and it fastens to your clothing or your gear bag with the included sturdy clip. The buttons and screen are also very small and are hard to get to when you're in the zone. But if you just want to set it and forget it, you're good to go. The 16GB of onboard storage gets you around 4,000 songs, though the lack of a MicroSD slot is a downer. Of course, if the music you loaded onto the player isn't what you're looking for, the included FM radio might have something you like. Overall, this is a solid choice because of its size and additional features. Reviewer Erika Rawes appreciated the color screen, and she saw it from a distance despite its small size. Erika took this music player with her on a walk and the clip stayed securely fastened to her clothing as she listened to an audiobook of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." Display: 1.44 inches Audio Formats: MP3, WMA (No DRM), AAC, (DRM free iTunes) WAV, FLAC Battery Life: 20 hours Water Resistance: IPX5
"The SanDisk Clip Sport Plus MP3 player has some perks, like water resistance, a durable design, and support for several file formats, but the lack of a MicroSD card slot is a major shortcoming." — Erika Rawes, Product Tester Lifewire / Erika Rawes

Best Smart Device: Apple iPod touch (7th Generation)

4.3 Walmart View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Best Buy What We Like Full iOS functionality Supports messaging and FaceTime Comes in a variety of colors and capacities What We Don't Like Large for a workout device Apple iPod Touch (7th Generation) Review: A Smartphone Stop-Gap Music Player The Apple iPod touch is basically an older-generation iPhone without phone connectivity. This means you can connect to the internet using Wi-Fi, send messages, play games on Apple Arcade, and use a variety of iOS features, but you can’t make phone calls. Aside from that, what you're essentially getting is a 4-inch iPhone that runs the full suite of App Store apps, including Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. That's very powerful for a package that costs a lot less than a modern iPhone. It's fairly large for a workout player, though. Even with a 4-inch screen, it's the largest on our list. It has no SD card expansion, but it comes in a variety of colors and storage options up to 256GB. Overall, this is a great multi-use player that gives you a lot of the same functionality as your smartphone at a fraction of the price. Our reviewer Jason Schneider appreciated the design and versatility this device offers, noting the metal backing provided added durability, and that there’s an array of features available beyond those you get with a traditional MP3 player. Display: 4 inches Audio Formats: AAC-LC, AAX, AAX+, Apple Lossless, Audible 2, Audible 3, Audible 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, FLAC, H.264, HE-AAC, Linear PCM, M-JPEG, MP3, Protected AAC Battery Life: 40 hours Water Resistance: N/A “The whole back is built of aluminum, while the front is completely glass. This gives you a much more premium feeling than even another smartphone at this price level." — Jason Schneider, Product Tester Lifewire / Jason Schneider

Best for Swimming: H20 Audio Stream Waterproof MP3 Player

3.8 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart What We Like Waterproof 360-degree clip Tiny What We Don't Like No screen H20 Audio Stream Waterproof Review: Good Underwater Audio The H20 Audio Stream 2 is well named because it's completely waterproof, making it functional for swimming and water sports. It's small, with no screen and physical buttons for controls. It has an IPX8 certification, which means it's waterproof up to three meters (or about 10 feet) underwater. That certification also includes the bundled earbuds, so you actually can take this device with you while swimming. You get around 10 hours of playback for the 2,000 songs it holds (via the 8GB of storage). The tiny device also has a 360-degree swivel clip on it, which means you can attach it just about anywhere. Since there’s no screen on this little guy and the buttons are a bit smaller than we normally like, it works better for continuous play than for individually selecting songs from your playlist. But, those are perfectly fine compromises when you consider this music player can go anywhere with you, including the pool. Our reviewer William Harrison noted the waterproof earbuds were some of the most comfortable he’s encountered, and when he tested the sound quality underwater, the audio was clear and vivid. However, William’s testing also found the Stream 2 didn’t get very loud even at full volume. Display: N/A Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, FLAC, APE Battery Life: 10 hours of playtime Water Resistance: IPX8 "The H20 Audio Stream MP3 player is a neat device that makes its mark by being light, easy to use, and most importantly—waterproof." — William Harrison, Product Tester Lifewire

Best Advanced Features: Apple Watch Series 6

4.5 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Best Buy What We Like Robust health/fitness tracking Speedy and responsive Fun, diverse watch faces What We Don't Like Modest upgrade over Series 5 Apple Watch Series 6 Review: A Modest Upgrade, But Still the Best The Apple Watch Series 6 is loaded with robust fitness and health tracking features including a blood oxygen sensor, ECG, and fall detection. You also get sleep tracking, step tracking, and GPS functionality to record your runs and routes when you're on the go. With its focus on overall wellness, the Series 6 is an ideal option for those who want more than just fitness tracking features. There are plenty of third-party apps supported, a solid operating system with reliable updates, and options for music controls and notifications. You can sync content from your iPhone to the Apple Watch, and then listen to music and audiobooks with a pair of Bluetooth earbuds when you’re away from your phone. Hardware hasn't changed dramatically since the previous version, but you have some new color and style options. The screen is as bright and colorful as ever, and the performance is slightly improved with the dual-core S6 chip. However, if you have the older Series 5, the upgrade likely isn't big enough to warrant the splurge. But otherwise, for iPhone users, the Series 6 is one of the best accessories available. Our reviewer Andrew Hayward still had 40-50% battery capacity remaining after using the device all day, so this is a good choice for those who want a wireless option that offers a long battery life and additional fitness features. Display: 40 to 44 millimeters Audio Formats: N/A Battery Life: Up to 18 hours Water Resistance: Up to 50 meters "I love how it automatically starts tracking once I’ve been on a brisk walk for 10-or-so minutes, meaning I don’t even have to manually begin the process to track my activity." — Andrew Hayward, Product Tester Expert Tested: The 9 Best Smartwatches in 2022 Lifewire / Andrew Hayward

Best Compact: Mighty Vibe Portable Music Player

Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart What We Like Small and durable design Has a clip Spotify and Amazon compatibility What We Don't Like Mediocre battery The Mighty Vibe MP3 Player gives you the freedom of streaming music without being confined to a phone or needing an internet connection. It stores around 1,000 songs, and it's only 1.5 inches tall and 1.5 inches wide. The music is synced to the square device, so it can play while offline, and a "Stay Fresh" feature updates your music whenever you're connected, so you can keep your playlist updated. On the downside, such a tiny package comes with compromises. A thousand songs isn't a lot for a modern music player, nor is the five hours of playtime the device provides on a single battery charge. Additionally, Spotify and Amazon Music are well-regarded services, but the device leaves out other popular streaming platforms such as YouTube Music, Tidal, and Apple Music. However, since this device is microscopic, clips to clothing, works offline, and it’s drop- and water-resistant, we feel it still makes a solid workout companion. Display: N/A Audio Formats: Offline streaming Battery Life: 5+ hours Water Resistance: IPX4 The 9 Best Free Music Streaming Apps for iOS and Android (2022)

Best Budget: AGPTEK Clip MP3 Player

3.7 Walmart View On Amazon View On Walmart What We Like Lengthy battery life Includes clip, arm band, and silicon case Supports MicroSD expansion What We Don't Like Small monotone screen Agptek Clip MP3 Player Review: A Budget MP3 for Exercising The Agptek Clip offers a lot in a rather affordable package. It comes with the MP3 player, earbuds, a sweat-proof silicon case, and an armband to clip the player onto while you work out. Out of the box, it includes 8GB of storage, but you can expand it by up to 64GB via the MicroSD slot. It supports lossy and lossless formats, and there’s a tiny screen for displaying song lyrics. However, the screen is monotone, and our reviewer Erika noted it’s quite difficult to see the small screen from a distance. On the plus side, the battery lasts for up to 30 hours, which is impressive for an MP3 player in this price range. During testing, Erika was able to get 14.5 hours of straight music playback before running out of battery. The Agptek clip supports Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio, as well as e-books in the .txt format. This is an ideal choice for someone who wants a cheap device they can use while running or at the gym, as it costs less than $30 and includes several accessories. Lifewire / Erika Rawes Display: 2 inches Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC, WAV, AAC Battery Life: Up to 30 hours Water Resistance: Sweat-proof case "The Agptek can go from volume levels 0 to 31, but it loses sound clarity after level 22 when you use the included earbuds. I didn’t see an equalizer in any of the menus either." — Erika Rawes, Product Tester 10 Things That Make the iPhone and iPod Touch Different

Best Value: Sony 8GB Walkman MP3 Player

4.7 Courtesy of Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On B&H Photo Video What We Like Small with a screen Affordable price 35 hours of playback What We Don't Like Hard-to-use controls The Sony Walkman NWE394/R is relatively small, measuring only 3.6 inches tall and less than two inches wide, but it still manages to have a TFT color screen built in, which makes navigating music easier. Plus, the player has up to 35 hours of continuous playback, and charging takes only around two hours. The controls take some getting used to. There's a five-way rocker for navigation, along with buttons for home and options. There are switches on the side as well, for volume and locking the player (so you don't interrupt a workout). All of these buttons on such a small frame can make this player a little unwieldy. But that also means the player has a lot of functionality, so there's definitely a trade-off. This player comes with earbuds, and they actually sound good, but the Walkman doesn’t clip onto clothing easily like some of the other models on this list, so this might be a better choice for walking or light exercise. Display: 1.77 inches Audio Formats: PCM, AAC, WMA, and MP3 Battery Life: 35 hours Water Resistance: N/A

Best Headphones: Sony Walkman 4GB Headphone

Walmart View On Amazon View On B&H Photo Video What We Like Self-contained unit in the headphones 12 hours of playback Waterproof What We Don't Like No Bluetooth Small storage The Sony Walkman 4GB headphones basically act as a wearable MP3 player, as they have local storage that lets you play your music while leaving your phone at home. They are an all-in-one, self-contained unit with 4GB of storage. This is enough to hold about 1,000 songs, and a single charge gives you approximately 12 hours of playback. The headphones are waterproof, meaning you can take them in the pool up to two meters deep. You can take them in saltwater too, which is comforting for those who like to surf or exercise on the beach. On the downside, these headphones don't have Bluetooth connectivity like many of the others on the list. What you store on the headphones is what you have to choose from. That's an understandable compromise, but we still miss it. Overall though, if you know what music you like to work out to, these might be a good fit. Display: N/A Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, Linear PCM, AAC Battery Life: Up to 12 hours Water Resistance: Up to 2 meters Expert Tested: The 8 Best Workout Headphones in 2022 Final Verdict All told, our top pick has to be the SanDisk Clip Sport Plus (view at Amazon). It's a small, versatile player with a screen that clips to your clothing and won't get in the way. Plus, the price is right, and 16GB stores a ton of music for your workout. If you're looking for a device that does a lot more than stream music, the Apple iPod touch (view at Amazon) is basically an iPhone that doesn't make phone calls. You can listen to music, send messages, play games, and a lot more.

What to Look For in a Workout Music Player

Water-resistance

Workouts tend to involve moisture in one form or another. Usually that's sweat, but this can also include sports such as swimming. Depending on your workouts, you'll want to look for properties like "sweat-proof," "water-resistant," or the best, "waterproof." Lifewire / Erika Rawes

Physical Controls

When you're working out and sweating, touchscreens tend to be difficult to use. Physical controls are important because sweaty hands can have trouble controlling a touchscreen.

Storage

This refers to how many songs you can keep on the device. The longer your workout, the more songs you'll listen to. Variety is the spice of life, so in terms of storage, higher is always better. If the device has a low amount of storage, see if it supports MicroSD expansion. Lifewire / Jason Schneider FAQ How are workout music players different from normal music players? Music players designed for working out have design elements that support an active lifestyle like the ability to clip to clothing, a certain amount of durability, and water resistance. People working out get sweaty and tend to put their devices in precarious positions, so the music player will need to stand up to those conditions.
Can't you just use your phone? Yes, you can! However, a dedicated music player is almost always going to be smaller, lighter, more durable, and more affordable than your smartphone. That's important when you're working out. Smartphones can be unwieldy when you're trying to run, lift weights, or even do stretches. A workout music player provides you with a bit of extra freedom, while also keeping your phone safe from moisture and drops.
What kind of headphones can you use? That depends. Most music players still have the 3.5mm headphone jack, while others rely on Bluetooth connectivity. Many come with earbuds included, while others are headphones in themselves. You'll want to check your specifications.

About Our Trusted Experts

Erika Rawes has been writing professionally for more than a decade, and she’s spent the last five years writing about consumer technology. Erika has reviewed roughly 150 gadgets, including ones on this list. She is an expert in consumer and smart home technology, and she currently writes for Digital Trends and Lifewire. Jason Schneider is a writer, editor, copywriter, and musician with almost ten years' experience writing for tech and media companies. His areas of expertise include Apple iPhones, iPods, and accessories, and he reviewed the iPod Touch on this list. William Harrison has written for Lifewire since January 2019 and is an expert in portable audio equipment. He has reviewed several of the products on this list. Andrew Hayward is a Chicago-based writer who has been covering technology and video games since 2006. His areas of expertise include smartphones, wearable gadgets, smart home devices, video games, and esports. He reviewed the Apple Watch Series 6 on this list.
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