Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds for the Gym Under $100

The Problem With Gym Audio

Walk into any commercial gym and you're hit with a wall of sound: clanking weight plates, someone's phone on speaker, treadmills humming, and a sound system that seems permanently stuck on the same playlist. It's not just annoying — it kills your focus mid-set.

Active noise cancellation (ANC) earbuds are the obvious fix, but most ANC recommendations assume you're on a plane or in an office. The gym is different. You're sweating, moving aggressively, and your earbuds need to stay locked in through burpees and bench presses alike. That means three things matter equally: real ANC performance, water and sweat resistance (IPX4 minimum, ideally IP68), and a secure fit — ear hooks or wing tips, not just silicone tips hoping for the best.

We focused on options under $100 that hit at least two of those three criteria, with one premium reference pick for context. Here's what we found.

Our Picks at a Glance

1. Soundcore Sport X20 — Top Pick

The best all-around gym ANC value under $100.

The Sport X20 is purpose-built for the gym in a way most earbuds aren't. It carries an IP68 waterproof and dustproof rating1, which means it can handle full submersion — not just a sweaty forehead. That's a meaningful step up from the IPX4 baseline most workout earbuds offer, and it means you don't have to baby these after an intense session.

The standout feature, though, is the rotating, swiveling ear hooks1. These adjust to your ear shape and lock the buds in place during aggressive movement. If you've ever had an earbud pop out mid-sprint, you know why this matters. The hooks aren't an afterthought — they're the core design decision.

ANC is adaptive, meaning it adjusts to your environment rather than applying a one-size-fits-all filter1. It won't match a $300 Sony or Bose flagship, but it meaningfully tamps down gym background noise. Multipoint pairing lets you connect to your phone and laptop simultaneously1, a small but appreciated convenience.

At roughly $70, the Sport X20 hits the sweet spot of ANC, durability, and fit. It's the pick we'd recommend first.

2. Earfun Air Pro 4 — Best Pure ANC Value

Stronger noise-cancellation tech, but less gym-specific.

If your priority is maximum noise cancellation per dollar, the Earfun Air Pro 4 is the stronger pure-ANC play. It uses hybrid ANC augmented by AI noise reduction (QuietSmart 3.0)2, which is impressive tech at a budget price point. Snapdragon Sound support means high-quality audio streaming on compatible devices2, and multipoint connection is included2.

The trade-off: the Air Pro 4 lacks gym-specific design features. There are no ear hooks or wing tips — just standard in-ear silicone tips. For moderate workouts that's fine, but for high-intensity training the fit is less secure than the Sport X20. The water resistance rating also isn't specified to the same IP68 standard2, so we'd be more cautious about heavy sweat exposure.

Think of the Air Pro 4 as the best ANC you can get on a budget — just pair it with aftermarket ear hooks if you plan to go hard.

3. HyperX Cloud Earbuds — Wired Fallback

Zero latency, zero charging, zero fuss.

Not everyone wants another device to charge. The HyperX Cloud Earbuds are a wired option with a tangle-free cable, in-line microphone, and high portability4. There's no ANC — you're relying on passive noise isolation from the ear tips — but what you get in return is zero latency (critical if you're watching form-check videos between sets) and rock-bottom simplicity.

These are the pick for gym-goers who've been burned by dead batteries mid-workout or who prefer the reliability of a cable. They're also highly portable4, easily pocketed in a gym bag. The trade-off is obvious: no active noise cancellation means you'll still hear the gym's speaker system. But for the price and the peace of mind, that's an acceptable compromise for many.

4. Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 — Premium Benchmark

Over budget, but the gold standard for serious athletes.

At roughly $230, the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 is well past our $100 ceiling — but it's worth understanding as a benchmark. It matches the Sport X20's IP68 rating3, delivers strong ANC, and features LE Audio via a smart case3. The secure fit is designed specifically for athletic use3.

If you train daily and can stretch your budget, the Elite 8 Active Gen 2 is the upgrade path. But for most people, the Sport X20 covers 80% of what the Jabra offers at roughly a third of the price.

For context, even Apple's AirPods Pro 3 — at $229 with an IP57 rating and ANC — doesn't match the IP68 durability of either the Sport X20 or the Elite 8 Active5. Gym-specific design matters more than brand recognition here.

How We Made These Calls

We evaluated each pick against three criteria that matter specifically for gym use:

• ANC effectiveness — Does it actually reduce gym noise, or is it a marketing checkbox?
• Water and sweat resistance — IPX4 is the minimum we'd accept; IP68 is ideal for unreserved sweat exposure.
• Fit security — Will it stay in during burpees, sprints, and heavy lifts?

Price was the final filter: everything except the Jabra reference pick lands under $100.

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