There are pros and cons of both earphones and headphones but which one is the best match for you depends on your personal lifestyle and what you will be using them for most often. If you are undecided about which style to get, let's look at some of the pros and cons of each.
Earphones
While modern earphones are much more slim and compact than their enormous bulky counterparts from 30+ years ago, you can now actually fit earphones in your pocket and virtually take them with you anywhere. Earphones are best when you are running or exercising because they are lightweight, extremely compact and more comfortable if you break a sweat. With intense workouts, you could also consider wireless earphones, such as the Modern Wireless Fitness Earphones by Denon, so you don't have to worry with cords being tangled or dealing with your earphones falling out. Earphones are less conspicuous and also perfect for when you need your music fix but don't want to sacrifice your hat and mess up your suave hair style.
Headphones
Headphones are going to give you a much higher quality sound, especially superior bass frequencies. While headphones are generally larger in size, they make up for the added weight and size with added drivers and enhanced sound technology. These bad boys are perfect for the serious gamer, audiophile, musician or audio engineer. Over-the-ear headphone models are a must for those working in noisy environments who need a level of sound isolation that earphones simply cannot provide. While high quality earphones can be good at canceling out noise, they don't cancel out noise as well as a headphone's capability, causing the volume to be turned up to an unnecessary level to block out any ambient noise.
Hopefully, this guide has given you a better idea of whether earphones or headphones would be the best match for you and your personalized audio needs. If you are a musician, sound engineer or just using your device in a loud environment, headphones are typically the best match for you. If you are looking for something that is not too conspicuous, exceptionally lightweight and portable and something that you can work out with, then you may want to check out a nice pair of high quality modern earphones. Some audiophiles simply cannot choose between the two and it is not uncommon for music lovers to eventually own both to switch out when needed to have the best of both worlds.