Best bone conduction headphones in 2024

The best bone conduction headphones use vibrations on your cheekbones to recreate sound, leaving your ears open, boosting awareness of your surroundings and offering a more comfortable experience if you don't get on with in-ear designs.

But its hard to know how they'll perform until they're actually on your head, so we've put the best bone conduction headphones to the test to help you find a set to suit your needs. And for most people, that'll be the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. 

They're not the cheapest bone conduction headphones, but we found them to be impressively versatile, long lasting, and comfortable. Or, if you're after something more budget-friendly, the Shokz OpenRun offer similar performance for less. 

But these aren't your only options. We've spent hours running, walking, and listening to these open-ear sets to help you find the best bone conduction headphones for a range of activities and budgets. 

The quick list

The best bone conduction headphones you can buy right now

Best bone conduction headphones overall

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are the best bone conduction headphones for sound quality we’ve tested, with the new DualPitch technology improving the bass in particular when compared with the original OpenRun Pro and other open headphones.

While they can still be drowned out in very loud environments, the OpenRun Pro 2 are enjoyable to listen to both during and outside of workouts. They come with the reliable and comfortable fit you get from Shokz’s headphones, with the over-ear hooks and headband keeping the OpenRun Pro 2 securely in place during our workouts, which included runs, bike rides, yoga and strength sessions.

There are two size options as well, with the OpenRun Pro 2 Mini having a shorter headband that creates a closer fit around the back of your head — this can be handy when doing exercises where you lie on your back.

The battery life is also excellent at 12 hours, though we did find this would drop to more like 10-11 hours if you consistently listen to the headphones at the max volume, which was necessary when using them for outdoor runs and bike rides. Even so, the OpenRun Pro 2 outlast all of the other options on this list.

If you need bone conduction headphones for swimming or value an MP3 playback option in general then the OpenSwim Pro are a good alternative, and the Shokz OpenRun are a more affordable option that still impressed us during testing. 

However, the OpenRun Pro 2 are a step up in sound quality and battery life, and the best bone conduction headphones available right now.

• Read our full Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review

Best value bone conduction headphones

The Shokz OpenRun were originally called AfterShokz Aeropex, and make a great introduction to the Shokz range of bone conduction headphones. Unlike the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, these come in four dual-color options, including blue eclipse, cosmic black, lunar grey, and solar red.

They're fraction lighter than the OpenRun Pro 2, and the barely-there weight lands perfectly between comfort and the kind of secure fit you want from a set of sports headphones. 

At the time of testing, our reviewer found they could wear these bone conduction headphones for hours without complaint. It’s worth noting, though, that you can’t adjust the OpenRun in any way but you can get a smaller version for the same price if the distance between the backs of your ears is less than 9.3 inches.

In terms of sound quality, the OpenRun exceeded our expectations. Electronic music seems particularly compatible with this type of headphone; the main synth riff in The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” wasn’t diminished at all, and La Roux’s “Bulletproof” was pleasantly punchy.

Vocals are usually nice and clear too, and delivered with enough detail that it’s possible to pick out all the layers of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Certain effects can sound scratchy, though, and the bass never goes truly, powerfully deep.

• Read our full Shokz OpenRun review

Best premium bone conduction headphones

The Shokz OpenSwim Pro are almost a mash-up between the OpenRun and OpenSwim bone conduction headphones, blending the best features of each set to create a premium model that can handle swims, outdoor runs, and sweaty workouts. 

There are two audio modes, including a dedicated swimming option which adjusts the output to make sure you still get good audio quality even while in the pool. We didn't find that it changed the quality much, so generally stuck with the standard mode even while swimming. 

The nine-hour battery life should easily see you through most sessions, even extended runs, although we were disappointed that the battery drops down to six hours if you listen to local MP3s downloaded to the device. 

And if you train in noisy environments, the open-ear design means there's no noise cancellation, so you'd need a set of the best workout headphones instead. But this isn't unique to the OpenSwim Pro, which are easily some of the best bone conduction headphones available right now. 

• Read our full Shokz OpenSwim Pro review

Best bone conduction headphones for calls

Like the other sets here, the Haylou PurFree BC01 are durable enough to use during sweaty workouts or in the rain, with an IP67 water resistance rating. And, there are two cheekbone pads designed to create vibrations. 

Despite these similarities, the PurFree BC01 stand out due to the inclusion of two microphones to help improve audio quality when you're talking on a call. And there's an onboard noise cancellation algorithm to further drown out unwanted sounds. 

They're light too — just 0.98 ounces — and we found them comfortable enough to wear for extended periods. This makes them well-suited to longer runs or other workouts, especially since they last 8 hours between charges. 

However, in a pinch, you can use the 10-minute fast charge feature to top up for another two hours of playback. We enjoyed wearing the headphones for calls, during exercise, and the set produced enjoyable, clear audio. 

• Read our full Haylou PurFree BC01 review

Best budget bone conduction headphones

The Creative Outlier Free Pro launched at $129, but has since dropped to $99, putting it much closer in price to the Outlier Free ($79.99). That also makes them a cheaper alternative to waterproof options like the Shokz OpenSwim and Naenka Runner Diver.

This make the Creative Outlier Free Pro headphones an affordable route into bone conduction designs. They are comfortable to wear for long periods, and versatile enough to work with Bluetooth streams on dry land as well as storage playback for pool swims.

Sacrifices have been made where sound quality is concerned though, and you'll need to spend a bit more if you want best in class sound with a similar level of versatility.

• Read our full Creative Outlier Free Pro review

How to choose the best bone conduction headphones for you

Before you decide on a pair of bone conduction headphones, there are a few factors to consider, aside from the way they transmit audio. Some sets have adjustable headbands to help you find a more comfortable fit, while others come in multiple (and often vibrant) colors to match your aesthetic. 

But probably the most important feature is the degree of water resistance on offer, and this will depend on how you want to use them. For swimming, you need waterproof sets, but for sweaty sessions and rainy outdoor walks and runs, you can opt for a pair with a high-degree of resistance around IPX7 or higher. 

Of course, as your ears are left untouched with bone conduction headphones, you won't get the same experience as with the best workout headphones, which have noise cancellation and can block out the environment around you until you switch to a transparency mode to keep tabs on your surroundings. 

Though that doesn't mean you have to compromise on the audio quality. Some pairs focus on bass-heavy performance and are ideal if you like to listen to (or train with) dance or tracks with an intense lower end. Others, meanwhile, are optimized for more general performance, so they'd be good for music and podcasts. 

How we test the best bone conduction headphones

Every pair of bone conduction headphones has been used over the course of a week for 2 hours at a time. This allows the tester to both gauge the performance across a mix of audio material such as podcasts and music at different volumes, and to see how comfortable they are when worn for extended periods. 

Although the design of bone conduction headphones transmit sound vibrations along your cheekbones instead of directing soundwaves into your ear canal to your cochlea, the listening process is similar.

Our full reviews are backed by extensive listening tests covering hip-hop, rock, jazz, classical, pop and more to see how each pair handles a different mix of genres and sounds.

We test any water resistant models in real-life situations just as they would be worn by the user, and we make sure manufacturer claims about battery life and Bluetooth range are accurate. Build quality, the ease of setup and any control schemes — including those involving an app — will also be judged.

Also tested

We're constantly testing headphones to make sure that the ones we recommend are what we truly feel are the best bone conduction headphones worth your money. But that means there will be some that don't quite make the cut. 

So, if you're after more options, these are the bone conduction headphones that we reviewed and liked, but didn't make the list. 

Mojawa Run Plus
These are a great alternative to the Shokz OpenSwim Pro. as they're also IP68-rated, so you can wear them while running, working out, or swimming. We were impressed with the sound quality, but they lost a few points as they didn't fit that well around a swimming cap, and the battery drained faster than we'd like at higher volumes. 

Read our full Mojawa Run Plus review

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