In this article
Whether or not you believe in wearing them outside the house (I wouldn’t judge you either way), leggings should be the most comfortable pair of pants you own. The best ones are stretchy and formfitting without feeling restrictive, and they’re made from high-quality materials that can withstand hundreds of wash and dry cycles without wearing out. To find options for different activities (from lounging to traveling to CrossFit), I spoke with athleisure designers and consultants about which features to look for and which brands to trust. Then I tested out their recommendations for myself. All of the leggings below are stretchy enough to exercise in, but I’ve also written a stand-alone guide to the best yoga pants if you’re spending a lot of time on the mat.
Update on September 12, 2024: Added expected restock note for Madewell MDW High-Rise Knit Leggings; Named Skims Cotton Rib Legging the best leggings for home; updated prices and checked stock for all products.
What we’re looking for
Size range
Leggings should feel like a second skin when you’ve got them on, so the best brands will offer an extensive size range to ensure that everyone gets a good fit. I’ve noted the available sizing for each of our recommended pairs below.
Fabric
Leggings are typically constructed from a blend of either nylon and spandex or polyester and spandex. Slightly more durable than polyester, nylon is also usually more expensive. Polyester is still a great choice and highly effective at wicking sweat away from your skin while exercising.
Elastane (also commonly referred to as spandex or Lycra) is what makes leggings stretchy and comfortable compared to regular pants. “The higher the percentage, the more stretch the fabric will have,” explains Shadi Adada, the co-founder of FittDesign. High-elastane leggings are also more compressive, supporting muscles and enhancing blood flow while you exercise. Most leggings these days claim to have “four-way stretch,” but this is essentially just a marketing term that refers to a high percentage of elastane.
Compression
In general, low-compression leggings are best for wearing around the house, medium-compression leggings are great for yoga and Pilates, and high-compression leggings are ideal for running and high-intensity exercise. If you’re exercising (or just prefer a less jiggly look) a percentage of at least 18 percent elastane is ideal, says Souad Acha, co-founder of Stateless Fashion Design and Consulting.
Pockets
I’ve taken note of whether or not each pair of leggings listed here has pockets. For lounging around at home, walking the dog, or running, pockets are ideal — they “allow you to easily store your keys and phone when you need use of both hands,” says Acha. But yogis I’ve spoken with tend to prefer pocket-free pants. “Anything with extra seams, zippers, or buttons is distracting because you’re rolling around on the floor a lot,” says Sky Ting yoga co-founder Krissy Jones.
Best women’s leggings overall
Size range: 0 to 14 | Fabric: 81 percent nylon, 19 percent elastane | Compression: Medium | Pockets: Two side pockets
Lululemon’s leggings are a significant investment but one that I — as well as fellow Strategist staffers and numerous fitness experts we’ve spoken with over the years — have found to be worth it. While the brand’s Wunder Train pants are my favorite for yoga, these Align leggings are thinner and more flexible, which makes them more comfortable to wear while lounging. They’re also ideal maternity wear: Strategist contributing editor Jessica Silvester wore them while seven months pregnant and says the same pair snapped back into shape and still fits her regular proportions years later.
Best less expensive leggings
Size range: XS to 3XL | Fabric: 82 percent nylon, 18 percent elastane | Compression: Medium | Pockets: Waistband pocket, two side pockets
Strategist contributing writer Maggie Slepian has tried all the high-end athleisure brands and still finds herself coming back to this affordable pair of mid-weight tights from Baleaf. Lightweight and stretchy, they’re ideal for everyday wear and low-impact workouts. “For reference, my go-to running tights have 25 percent elastane, while my lightest yoga pants have 12 percent elastane,” she says. At 18 percent elastane, “these tights fall right in the middle, feeling sturdy and heavy-duty without tightness or pinching.” The high, seamless waistband stays in place no matter what she’s doing, while two deep pockets keep her phone and keys secure.
Best leggings for home
Size range: XXS to 4XL | Fabric: 95 percent cotton, 5 percent elastane | Compression: Very low | Pockets: None
I prefer to wear nonathletic leggings around the house — no shiny compression pants while I’m watching Hacks, thanks. If you feel the same, these Skims leggings are slinky and comfortable. Fitness guru Tracy Anderson told us she’s obsessed with hers: “I wear them with a cashmere sweater — that’s my uniform.” Lightweight and slightly sheer, the fabric has a subtle rib texture that’s soft enough to wear while hanging out at home but sleek enough for running errands. The thick stretchy waistband sits high enough to hold everything in, which means you won’t spend the whole day pulling your leggings up.
Best less expensive leggings for home
Size range: XXS to 3XL | Fabric: Cotton and elastane | Compression: Low | Pockets: None
Madewell’s cozy cotton tights are another excellent choice for wearing around the house. As former Strategist editor Casey Lewis wrote back in 2020, they’re “substantial but not suppressive.” The waistband “expands comfortably if you’re lounging on the couch or working from bed, but it also retains its shape.” Cotton dries slowly compared to nylon or polyester, so these really aren’t ideal for sweaty workouts. You could get away with a bit of YouTube yoga, though.
Note: These leggings are currently sold out in all sizes except XXS. I have reached out to the brand for an expected restock date and will update this post.
Best leggings for running and workouts
Size range: XS to XL | Fabric: 75 percent polyester, 25 percent elastane | Compression: High | Pockets: One back pocket, two side pockets
Speaking of sweat, these Under Armour leggings are made from moisture-wicking polyester as well as elastane, making them optimal for high-intensity exercise. Acha says that they provide muscle compression without feeling too tight and can be worn alone or as a base layer. She also likes that they feature a convenient back zip pocket for storing salt pills or nutrition gels as well as reflective stripes for extra safety at night. The brand’s leggings are known for being durable; one of her fellow fashion consultants has worn a pair regularly since 2012.
Best sustainable leggings
Size range: XXS to 6XL | Fabric: 79 percent RPET, 11 percent elastane | Compression: Medium | Pockets: One back pocket
I’m not exactly sure how Girlfriend Collective manages to turn plastic bottles into pants, but the result is unusually comfortable and stylish. These yoga pants are a hit among Strategist staffers as well as athletes and yogis we’ve spoken to over the years, including Jones, who calls them “by far the most sustainable” leggings that are “still concerned with fit and look.” Health-care entrepreneur Hil Moss, a breast-cancer survivor who has undergone a mastectomy and rounds of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, says that they made the process just a bit easier: “I have multiple pairs in different colors. That’s how much I love them.”
Best warm leggings
Size range: XXS to XXL | Fabric: 96 percent acrylic, polyester, and rayon; 4 percent elastane | Compression: Very low | Pockets: None
I like to wear Uniqlo’s Heattech leggings around the house during winter, when central heating is doing most of the work but I still want an extra boost of warmth. They’ve also come in handy while waiting for the Q train in cold and windy subway tunnels. Over the years, numerous fashion insiders have told us that they love their Heattech layers too; celebrity stylist Krisana Sotelo is a fan, and so is Richer Poorer co-founder Iva Pawling, who ran to purchase a pair during an unexpected freezing-cold NYC trip. “They were easy to wear under jeans and saved my built-for-70-degrees self,” she says.
Best stirrup leggings
Size range: XS to XL | Fabric: 90 percent Supplex, 10 percent elastane | Compression: Medium | Pockets: None
While most leggings are utilitarian-looking at best, Live the Process’s ballet-inspired designs manage to be “shockingly beautiful,” as Jones puts it. “If anyone wants to splurge on the nicest yoga pants out there, their shapes and colors are amazing,” she says. “So is the quality of the material.” The brand’s stirrup leggings were first recommended to me by dancer Angela Trimbur, who came across them while receiving breast-cancer treatments a few years ago. “I spent a lot of time at home resting in blah-looking basics that left me feeling extra blah,” she recalls. “I realized that investing in chicer looks to rest in made me feel more confident, hopeful, and happy.” These days, she wears them while dancing in her home studio and then tosses street clothes over the top to run errands.
Best bootcut leggings
Size range: XXS to L | Fabric: 87 percent nylon, 13 percent elastane | Compression: Low | Pockets: None
Flared yoga pants are both trendy and versatile; what I especially like about Alo’s Airbrush ones is that they’re constructed from a soft and stretchy matte fabric rather than the more traditional shiny yoga-pant material. This means they really do work as (very comfortable and flattering) everyday pants if you throw a T-shirt over the top. I tried both the flared and bootcut styles and would advise the latter if you favor a subtle ’90s look over a more billowy ’70s one.
Our experts
• Souad Acha, co-founder of Stateless
• Shadi Adada, co-founder of FittDesign
• Krissy Jones, co-founder, Sky Ting
• Casey Lewis, former editor at the Strategist
• Hil Moss, entrepreneur
• Iva Pawling, co-founder of Richer Poorer
• Jessica Silvester, contributing editor at the Strategist
• Maggie Slepian, writer and film wrangler
• Krisana Sotelo, celebrity stylist
• Angela Trimbur, dancer and actor
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
