The Best Sports Bras for Running

Updated January 22, 2025 10:46PM

Gone are the days when sports bras were simply an inconvenience. There are so many functional and fun options that they’ve become an integral way to store items such as your phone, gels, or car keys, and cute enough to wear on their own. We tested the gamut to find the nine best sports bras for running for everyone, every need, every season, and every body.

Best Sports Bras At A Glance

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Best Sports Bra for Low Impact

Title Nine Handful Bra

Pros and Cons
⊕ Loose cup fabric is supremely comfortable
⊕ Flattering shaping
⊗ Adjustable straps can chafe

Testers were impressed by the combination of the compressive chest band and loose cups on this bra, which provided a balance of support and flexibility. We also liked that the thin straps and lower cut of this bra made it easy to wear under all sorts of tees and tanks. “I found myself reaching for it over and over,” said one tester, who liked that the shaping avoided the “uni-boob” effect. She also appreciated how it supported her as an active mom. “This bra was really comfortable for breastfeeding!” she reported. “Some of the more fitted bras made it tricky or impossible to pop a boob for a hungry baby.”

Best Sports Bra for High Impact

Rabbit UtiliBRA-vo

Pros and Cons
⊕ Über-secure phone pocket
⊕ Classic racerback fit
⊗ Not the most breathable

If you love classic racerback bras, add a few of these to your underwear drawer. Chances are good they’ll fit and support you well, as one of our testers raved: “The fabric hits a sweet spot of compression that I think will please 85 percent of runners—not too much, not too little.” This bra also has the most secure back phone pocket we’ve ever used, without being over-designed. “Most phone pocket bras try to be all fancy and featured and space-agey,” another tester said. “This is the first one I’ve tried that’s basically just a regular old racerback, both in terms of fit and looks.” The polyester-spandex fabric is slightly thicker than the other favorites, making it a great choice for high-impact activities year-round.

Best Sports Bra for Large-chested Athletes

Brooks Convertible 2.0

Pros and Cons
⊕ Provides ample support
⊕ Not hot or constrictive
⊗ Can be slightly uncomfortable in racerback mode

Our DDD tester reported that this bra proved “very supportive” for running and jumping without massive amounts of material, which other high-support bras tend to have. “I liked not being overly sweaty when I’m done working out,” she said. The bra straps convert to a racerback to fit under tanks, which all testers appreciated, though one reported slight irritation by the fastener clip when in criss-cross mode. However, this bra ranked high in comfort while in standard mode. “I could wear this all day,” said a tester. The adjustable chest band and shoulder straps add somewhat custom fitting.

Best Sports Bra with an Adjustable Fit

Tracksmith Allston Adjustable Bra

Pros and Cons
⊕ Adjustable shoulder straps and chest strap
⊕ Convertible to racerback
⊗ Clip can be felt in racerback mode

This bra is adjustable three ways: the chest band has three clips for dialing size around the ribcage, the shoulder straps are length-adjustable, and the bra can convert to racerback via a clip in the middle of the back, which puts it in high-impact-support mode. The racerback clip can be switched back and forth during one workout. “I love the adjustability and the smooth fabric,” said a tester who wore the bra while hiking, biking, and running. “It’s a great bra for someone who might end up wearing a sports bra all day because of logistics, but who wants to ease off the intensity for aprés workout.” The Allston Adjustable is made of Tracksmith’s luxuriously smooth nylon-elastane blend, with interior cups lined with nylon-elastane powermesh, which enhances compressive support.

Best Sport Bra for Wearing on its Own

Janji Pace Sports Bra

Pros and Cons
⊕ Best range of sizes among pull-over bras
⊕ Unique, flattering and supportive straps
⊗ Removable pads come out in wash

This seemingly simple sports bra has design details we fell in love with—a flattering neckline with double straps, positioned narrower than most, that weave between each other when they cross mid back. This bra proved supportive enough even for C- to D-cup testers doing high-impact activities like running and jumping. “Nice encapsulation and I love the cross back with support!” said one. “You don’t usually get ‘cute’ with ‘supportive.’” We wore this skate skiing, running, cycling, and, when a tester couldn’t find her bikini, at swim lessons with her son. This bra proved comfortable and up to the task for all activities.

Best Sports Bra for Wearing All Day

Patagonia Live Simply Everyday Bra

Pros and Cons
⊕ Minimal and versatile
⊕ Quick drying
⊗ Can fit a little loose in places

We’ve worn this bra hiking in 106˚ heat, working at a desk for hours then jumping into a weight-lifting session, and running in all sorts of conditions—including plunging into trailside lakes. This bra remained comfortable throughout all activities and even when sitting around casually. Its bonded seam construction lies flat and smooth with zero irritation, and the extremely lightweight, soft, 100 percent polyester tricot fabric dries ridiculously quickly. Since it doesn’t contain Spandex, the bra isn’t as supportive as some others, but it also doesn’t stretch as much. It’s best for low-impact for all cup sizes, or any activity for A to C cups. This bra also has the antimicrobial treatment HeiQ PURE to combat odor.

Best Sports Bra for Winter Sports

Icebreaker Merino Blend 125 ZoneKnit Racerback Bra

Pros and Cons
⊕ Extremely soft against the skin
⊕ Comfortable fit
⊗ High maintenance washing: cold water, gentle cycle, like colors

Merino wool makes up 40 percent of this bra, and we love how it feels against the skin, especially on cold mornings. The other 60 percent—a blend of lyocell and elastane—help provide support while keeping the bra from stretching out and losing shape. Small perforations on the back aid breathability even during the sweatiest of winter activities (hello, Nordic skiing). And flatlock seams minimize irritation, even when worn under a backpack. This bra also has removable cups, for slight customization. “This bra is so good,” gushed a tester who wore it downhill and Nordic skiing, hiking, running, cycling, and casually. “It was my favorite of the entire test. “

Best Sports Bra for Carrying a Phone on the Run

Oiselle Flyout Bra

Pros and Cons
⊕ Perfectly placed and ventilated phone pocket
⊕ Padded cups stay in place
⊗ Wide shoulder straps show under some tops
⊗ Fabric is a little thick

Designed for trail runners who need soft, wide bra straps that lay flat under hydration packs, the Flyout Bra was a tester favorite for all sorts of high-impact activities, from running to Orangetheory Fitness classes. “It’s the only sports bra I have with padded cups that don’t fall out in the washing machine,” said a tester. We are all longtime fans of bras with phone pockets on the back, but the pocket on this bra exceeded expectations—it’s a cinch to reach, ventilates so your phone doesn’t get sweaty, and holds it in place so well you forget that it’s there.

Best Sports Bra for Value

Nike Swoosh Medium Support

Pros and Cons
⊕ Fixed cups mean no pads to lose
⊕ Durable, long-lasting comfort
⊗ Pads, if you’re not a fan of them

One tester has been wearing an earlier version of this sports bra for close to 20 years. “It’s been all over the world while keeping me comfortable running, cycling, hiking, Nordic skiing, etc.,” she says. The simple, pull-on style bra wicks sweat and remains comfortable for hours. The newest version of this do-anything, durable bra comes with light padding built in (no slipping, no losing the padding in the wash), and is made with sustainable, recycled polyester materials. Its $40 price point makes it among the least expensive sports bras out there, and while it’s classified as “medium support,” it can function as high support across a range of activities for smaller chest sizes. It also lasts for-e-ver.

How to Choose Sports Bras

When shopping for sports bras, you need to consider three factors: comfort, support, and breathability.

Comfort

Comfort is personal. Nothing can replace trying on the bra to ensure it fits your body and the fabric feels good against your skin. Each brand sizes their bras differently, so be sure to try on a range of sizes.

Support

When it comes to support, different categories like “low impact” and “medium support” can be confusing because different brands define them in different ways. In general, bras marketed for low-impact activities like yoga or hiking will offer less support and technical features than those for high-impact activities, like running or HIIT classes. On the flip side, bras designed to offer higher support may be less breathable and more constricting

If you have a small cup size, you may find that low- and medium-support bras work perfectly well for high-impact activities, but women with larger cup sizes often need those “high support” bras even for some low-impact activities. Whatever you choose, know that the bra’s underband—the most important part for support—should fit securely but not so tightly that you can’t breathe. The straps should not dig into your skin or leave red marks when you take the bra off.

Breathability

Too much sweat accumulation on a bra is not only uncomfortable but unhygienic, trapping bacteria on your skin and back. Sport-specific fabric blends—often made with polyester, nylon, or merino wool—should have strong moisture-wicking properties, and bras made of thinner fabric will allow more heat and perspiration to pass through.

How We Tested

We wore these bras for running, cycling, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, yoga, hiking, dog walking, camping, and working at a desk. Every tester wears a different size, ranging from A to DDD cups. If at least two testers agreed that a bra was comfortable and functional, it made our short list. Then we narrowed down the contenders based on functionality for various sports, style, and price.

Meet Our Lead Testers

Svati Kirsten Narula is a writer and Outside contributing editor based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She tested all the bras in this review while running, doing yoga, hiking throughout northern New Mexico, and driving and flying long distances in between. She still hasn’t found a bra that she can run in and bear to wear for more than six hours after, but hey, six hours is pretty good.

Lisa Jhung lives and works in Boulder, Colorado, where she writes, edits, and tests gear by doing a variety of outdoor winter sports: running (road, trail, and full-on mountain), Nordic skiing, snowboarding, dog-walking, etc. She also does yoga and lifts weights, sometimes by carrying flagstones around her yard and doing overhead squats and chest presses with a digging bar. She likes to get sh** done while strength training.

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