Best Products > Audio 63 63 people found this article helpful The 7 Best Workout Music Players of 2023 Exercise and jam with these portable music players By Erika Rawes Erika Rawes Twitter 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 February 23, 2023 Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr Twitter 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 evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Tweet Share Email Audio Headphones Earbuds Speakers Home Theater Instruments Accessories 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 crucial since sweaty fingers and touchscreens don't 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. 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 Walmart Jump to Review Best for Swimming: H20 Audio Stream Waterproof MP3 Player at Amazon Jump to Review Best Compact: Mighty Vibe Portable Music Player at Amazon Jump to Review Best Budget: AGPTEK Clip MP3 Player at Walmart 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 FAQ Best Overall SanDisk Clip Sport Plus MP3 Player 4.2 Walmart View On Amazon View On Walmart View On B&H Photo Video 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 The SanDisk Clip Sport Plus has a battery that lasts about 20 hours on a single charge and supports both lossy and lossless audio files. It's tiny, lightweight, IPX5 water-resistant, and fastens to your clothing or your gear bag with the included sturdy clip. The buttons and screen are also tiny and hard to reach when you're in the zone. But if you 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. This is a solid choice because of its size and additional features. Reviewer Erika Rawes appreciated the color screen and 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 Walmart 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 The Apple iPod touch is 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 various iOS features, but you can't make phone calls. Aside from that, you're essentially getting 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 costing much less than a modern iPhone. It's pretty 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 comes in various 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 4.2 Amazon View On Amazon What We Like Waterproof 360-degree clip Tiny What We Don't Like No screen H20 Audio Stream Waterproof MP3 Player 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 can take this device 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, meaning you can attach it just about anywhere. Since there's no screen on this little guy and the buttons are small, it works better for continuous play than 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 it didn't get very loud, even at total 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 Compact Mighty Vibe Portable Music Player Amazon View On Amazon View On Bemighty.com 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 allows you to stream music without being confined to a phone or needing an internet connection. It stores around 1,000 songs in a tiny package. The music is synced to the square device for offline playing, and a Stay Fresh feature updates your music whenever you're connected, so you can keep your playlist updated. On the downside, it 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. 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 your clothing, works offline, and is 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 8 Best Free Music Streaming Apps for iOS and Android (2023) Best Budget AGPTEK Clip MP3 Player 4.2 Walmart 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 The Agptek Clip offers a lot in a relatively affordable package. It comes with an 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 a tiny screen displays song lyrics. However, the screen is monotone, and our reviewer Erika noted it’s pretty challenging to see the small screen from a distance. On the plus side, the battery lasts up to 30 hours, which is impressive for an MP3 player in this price range. During testing, Erika got 14.5 hours of straight music playback before running out of battery. The Agptek clip supports Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio, and e-books in the .txt format. This is an ideal choice for someone who wants a cheap device to 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 Best Value Sony 8GB Walkman MP3 Player 4.7 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 has a TFT color screen built-in, making 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 and buttons for home and options. There are switches on the side, too, for volume and locking the player (so you don't interrupt a workout). 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 a trade-off. This player comes with earbuds that 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 theheadphones 12 hours of playback Waterproof What We Don't Like No Bluetooth Small storage The Sony Walkman 4GB headphones are a wearable MP3 player, as they have local storage that lets you play your music while leaving your phone at home. They are all-in-one, self-contained units 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 up to two meters deep in the pool. 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 others. What you store on the headphones is what you have to choose from. That's an understandable compromise, but we still miss it. Display: N/A | Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, Linear PCM, AAC | Battery Life: Up to 12 hours | Water Resistance: Up to 2 meters Lifewire / Erika Rawes 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. Physical Controls Touchscreens tend to be difficult to use when you're working out and sweating. Physical controls are essential 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 tunes you'll listen to. Variety is the spice of life, so in terms of storage, higher is always better. If the device has low storage, see if it supports MicroSD expansion. 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. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit