The Best Workout Music Players

Best for Swimming

H20 Audio Stream Waterproof MP3 Player

$100 at Amazon $100 at Walmart

TL;DR: The perfect swimming workout companion, thanks to IPX8 certification, which means it's waterproof up to 3 meters (or about 10 feet) underwater.

Why We Recommend It

The H20 Audio Stream 2 is well-named because it's completely waterproof (including the bundled headphones) up to 10 feet, making it functional for swimming and water sports.

It's small, with no screen and physical buttons for controls, and also has a 360-degree swivel clip, meaning you can attach it anywhere.

You get around 10 hours of playback for the 2,000 songs it holds (via the 8GB of storage).

Our reviewer 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, he found it didn't get very loud, even at total volume.

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.

Purchasers give this product an average 4.2 out of 5 stars.

_{Display: N/A | Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, FLAC, APE | Battery Life: 10 hours of playtime | Water Resistance: IPX8}

Best Budget

AGPTEK Clip MP3 Player

$36 $27 at Amazon

TL;DR: The battery lasts for up to 30 hours, which is impressive for an MP3 player that costs less than $30.

Why We Recommend It

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.

It includes 8GB of storage out of the box, but you can expand it by up to 64GB via the MicroSD slot. And the Agptek clip supports Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio, and e-books in the .txt format.

This player also supports lossy and lossless formats, and a tiny screen displays song lyrics. However, the screen is monotone, so seeing the small screen from a distance is challenging. 

On the plus side, the battery lasts up to 30 hours, which is impressive for an MP3 player in this price range. During testing, we got 14.5 hours of straight music playback before running out of battery.

Overall, the AGPTEK 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.

Over 50% of purchasers give this product 5 out of 5 stars.

_{Display: 2 inches | Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC, WAV, AAC | Battery Life: Up to 30 hours | Water Resistance: Sweat-proof case}

Best Wearable

Sony Walkman 4GB Headphone

$105 $100 at Amazon $98 at Walmart $98 at B&H Photo Video

TL;DR: An all-in-one, self-contained unit with 4GB of storage.

Why We Recommend It

The Sony Walkman is a wearable MP3 player and headphone set that provides local storage for easily playing music while leaving your phone at home.

The 4GB of storage is enough to hold about 1,000 songs, and a single charge gives you approximately 12 hours of playback.

The headphones are waterproof in up to 2 meters deep in the pool. You can also take them in salt water, 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.

Purchasers praise this product's durability and waterproof build.

_{Display: N/A | Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, Linear PCM, AAC | Battery Life: Up to 12 hours | Water Resistance: Up to 2 meters}

Best Battery Life

Sony 8GB Walkman MP3 Player

$75 $60 at Amazon

TL;DR: It's small but still manages to pull off a useful screen and about a day and a half of continuous playback.

Why We Recommend It

If you're looking for a tiny device with a screen and controls, the Sony Walkman NWE394/R offers both in a relatively 3.6-inch package.

This device includes a five-way rocker for navigation and buttons for home and options, and switches on the side 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.

Plus, the player has up to 35 hours of continuous playback, and charging takes only around two hours.

This player comes with good earbuds, but the Walkman doesn't clip onto clothing easily like some of the other models on this list, so it might be a better choice for walking or light exercise.

Amazon purchasers give this product 4.2 out of 5 stars.

_{Display: 1.77 inches | Audio Formats: PCM, AAC, WMA, and MP3 | Battery Life: 35 hours | Water Resistance: N/A}