The 6 Best Running Socks of 2025

Socks are simple to take without any consideration — until you commonly pound the pavement or trot on the path. Runners’ toes put in dozens, perhaps tons of, of miles each month, so it pays to care for them with the perfect operating socks out there.

Socks have advanced from plain cotton sweat-soppers to extremely technical, sport-specific items of substances designed by and for runners. We appeared round and put in tons of of miles on pavement and trails to search out you the perfect operating socks within the sport. We discovered wonderful operating socks for heat climate, long-distance runs, compression, and extra.

Proper out the gate, the Balega Hidden Consolation Socks are our favourite efficiency socks, and the Saucony Efficiency Heel Tab Athletic Socks are our best choice in the event you’re seeking to reinvigorate your sock drawer on a budget. There’s nobody nice sock for everyone, however we’ve discovered that there are nice socks for all types of runners. And we’ve acquired a strong number of the perfect proper right here.

Editor’s Be aware: Recent for summer time, this information acquired an replace on Might 6, 2025. Our prime picks stayed the identical — they’re exhausting to beat. We examined and added the Courier HiFi Sock, a premium sock with strategically positioned cushioning and graduated compression, which comes at a premium worth.

Extra Nice Socks, Subject Examined

Although the socks beneath didn’t make the highest of our record, they’re nonetheless nice operating socks and worthy of your toes, particularly once they go on sale.

Working Socks Comparability Chart

How We Examined Working Socks

The GearJunkie crew is made up of a bunch of runners. From informal weekend warriors to severe operating addicts, we’ve all of them. Naturally, operating socks match proper into our experience. Our crew sifted by way of tons of of manufacturers and sock variations. Our purpose was to search out the perfect of the perfect operating socks, budget-friendly pairs, and every thing in between. 

Our Skilled Testers

Constance Mahoney is an skilled runner who has accomplished races from native 5Ks to path ultramarathons. In 2021, she based and continues to steer the Path Sisters Crested Butte, Colo., chapter. Constance has been a GearJunkie contributor since 2019, after she reviewed out of doors gear for FitnessTravelGear.com for 2 years.

Will Porter is a author and equipment tester who has been operating competitively for 20 years, from junior excessive cross nation to his first ultramarathon in 2024. He’s examined gear on the streets of New York Metropolis, the foothills of Boise, Idaho, and the coastal mountains in Marin County.

He has been writing and reviewing gear since 2019. Socks have at all times been certainly one of his largest operating complications, so it’s secure to say he’s a well-versed skilled within the topic. 

Our Testing Course of

We examined operating socks the one approach we knew how: operating many miles in all completely different situations. We wished to understand how quick every sock dried from creek crossings, sweaty monitor periods, and humidity. We paid consideration to seam placement and if the sock slid in any respect.

We thought-about how compression and cushioning placement helped (or didn’t) over lengthy runs. We fastidiously inspected every pair after every run and washing to see if any deterioration or pilling occurred. 

Socks are your first protection in opposition to blisters and fatigue, however everyone knows footwear are far more thrilling! Take a look at GearJunkie’s guides to the perfect path trainers for males, the perfect highway trainers, and the perfect path trainers for ladies.

Patrons Information: How you can Select the Greatest Working Socks

Wicking & Breathability

One of the necessary points of operating socks is how nicely they regulate moisture. Moisture results in friction, and friction is what causes the vast majority of blisters.

A method that socks get rid of moisture is by permitting extra warmth to exit the sock (breathability), which helps stop sweating within the first place. The opposite is by pulling (or wicking) the sweat off of the foot and transferring it to the skin of the sock, the place it will probably evaporate. Each of those options are important when selecting a pair of operating socks.

Due to its toe sock design, the Injinji Run Light-weight No-Present Sock can wick moisture away from in-between the toes, a standard place for blisters to pop up. Holding your toes cool isn’t solely a option to reduce sweat, but it surely additionally retains your toes comfy and helps stop swelling.

At greatest, swelling is uncomfortable. At worst, it’s going to trigger your foot to press up in opposition to the sidewalls of your shoe, which is painful and provides friction factors the place blisters can seem.

Venting is straightforward to identify in operating socks. Search for slits, waffled or checkered patterns on the highest of the foot or across the midsole. Most socks will put breathable materials on this space as a result of the laces are a extra open a part of the shoe and let the warmth escape extra effectively.

So far as moisture-wicking goes, search for artificial supplies, which, not like cotton, repel moisture moderately than retain it. Supplies like polyester are efficient at pulling moisture off and evaporating it shortly.

Keep away from cotton socks in any respect prices. Until it’s bolstered by artificial materials, cotton will absorb water and retain it, leaving your toes susceptible to blisters.

Match

Socks that match poorly are horrible for runners. Socks which are too tight not solely trigger discomfort but in addition press the toes collectively, which significantly will increase the danger of blisters between the toes.

Socks which are too massive will bunch or wrinkle within the shoe, which creates friction factors the place blisters can type. One tester wore socks that stretched out on a hike and bunched up underfoot, inflicting a 3-inch blister to type on his sole. You’re going to wish to keep away from that in any respect prices.

Most operating socks are unisex, like Balega’s Silver No-Present operating socks. The most effective operating socks for males and the perfect operating socks for ladies are the identical, relying on how you intend on utilizing them. Look on the packaging or on-line for dimension scales for each women and men.

Socks hardly ever are available in particular sizes, so your choices are going to vary from XS to XL and above. Most socks stretch to accommodate completely different sizes, due to some share of stretchy fibers like elastane embedded within the materials.

Any given sock will work for a spread of sizes. For instance, a dimension giant could also be for toes sized 10 to 12. Sock packaging and web sites will record a scale to assist patrons select the proper dimension.

Compression socks are a bit completely different for the reason that socks are constructed to supply a tighter match, relying on the compression grade. You’ll nonetheless have an identical sizing scale, however many manufacturers recommend shopping for a smaller sock if you’d like extra compression or a bigger sock if you’d like lighter compression.

Consolation

You’ll be spending plenty of time in your operating socks, so that you’re going to need comfy ones. The Bombas Efficiency Ankle Sock and the Balega’s Hidden Consolation socks are about as comfy because it will get. Apart from discovering the proper match, you’re going to need a sock that regulates warmth and moisture nicely. Additionally, search for socks that can present satisfactory padding for the pounding that your toes face throughout a run.

Most operating socks are made with an artificial materials like polyester. These are efficient at wicking away sweat however aren’t identified for his or her softness. Larger on the consolation scale is a wool/artificial mix. The pure fiber is softer, whereas nonetheless retaining the flexibility to breathe nicely and pull sweat from the pores and skin.

Cotton is the softest materials and feels nice on the pores and skin. Nevertheless, it tends to lose its form (which might result in bunching), and it holds on to moisture. A couple of manufacturers have managed to search out the proper steadiness between cotton and artificial supplies. The result’s a snug sock that additionally wicks away moisture.

Overheating and sweat accumulation could cause discomfort and create blisters. Be sure that your socks are fabricated from breathable materials with breathable mesh panels. These are simple to identify. Search for a distinct sample on the highest of the foot. This means a extra open weave than the remainder of the sock.

Padding is vital as nicely. Discover a sock with padding operating alongside the only real of the foot, which is able to take up foot strike impression. This additionally serves to elongate the sock’s lifetime, as that’s essentially the most high-impact space of the foot. If you need the lightest sock doable, select a sock that solely has padding on the heel and forefoot.

Top

Working socks are available in a number of normal sizes. There’s the no-show sock, which sits beneath the ankle; the three-quarter-length sock, which sits above the ankle; the crew, which falls just below the calf; and the knee-high, which sits proper on the knee.

No-show socks are perfect for operating in sizzling or average climate. They’re lighter and have much less materials. This implies you may stash a spare in your operating pack in the event you run by way of a creek. This additionally is useful when nature calls on the path and you have to improvise some bathroom paper.

When searching for a no-show sock, make it possible for it has padding on the again of the cuff, just like the Feetures Elite Max Cushion No-Present Tab Sock. This added materials helps stop shoe rub on the again of your ankle, which might trigger blisters.

Three-quarter-length socks are favored by path runners. WRIGHTSOCK’s CoolMesh II has the next cuff and is best at stopping path particles, akin to grime or twigs, from getting contained in the sock. Particles in your socks can power you to cease your run and get it out earlier than it causes a blister.

Crew socks serve an identical operate, including safety for off-trail runs. The Imaginative and prescient Six Impression socks wick away sweat and moisture earlier than it drips down into your shoe. The added peak additionally helps defend ankles from ankle-biting bushes alongside the path. 

Knee-high socks take crew socks to the acute. Knee-high types are frequent in compression socks. Thirty48 Elite Compression Socks go up across the calf and have a graded compressive materials that helps enhance blood move and reduce swelling of the calves and ankles.

Sturdiness

Working socks put in numerous miles on different terrain, making them inclined to extra put on than different socks. Many firms use greater needle counts to create a thicker materials or mix sturdy fibers to fight this.

Having a operating sock crumble can really feel like a small catastrophe. Any gap places your foot in touch together with your shoe, making a hotspot that may trigger blisters. With many operating socks sitting round $15, repeatedly changing operating socks can take a chunk out of your pockets.

You possibly can keep away from this by studying critiques or by going with manufacturers which are identified for his or her sturdy socks. Darn Powerful is our choose for the hardest sock available on the market. It additionally gives a lifetime assure: When you ever put on a gap in certainly one of its socks, the corporate will ship you a brand new one.

Meaning you’ll by no means have to purchase that sock once more until you need a number of pairs. For the report, we’ve by no means worn a gap in a single.

An alternative choice is to purchase socks in multipacks. Many firms like Saucony Efficiency Heel Tab Athletic Sock promote socks in eight- and 16-packs at a reduced worth. The trade-off right here is that the socks are sometimes decrease high quality than the top-tier ones.

When you’re new to operating, think about shopping for one higher-end pair of socks and a small multipack. This manner, you’ll have operating socks for the week, and you may accumulate extra high-end socks over time. Additionally, to assist your socks last more, be sure to wash them based on the product’s specs. Dryers are sometimes a great way to break high-quality socks. Right here is a useful article on the way to wash activewear.

Value & Worth

Whereas the precise worth vary for operating socks isn’t that vast, the variations between low-cost and costly socks are in depth. There’s nothing worse than attending to the previous few miles of a race and succumbing to blisters or waterlogged toes. Listed below are the variations in what you get based mostly on what you’re keen to spend. 

Cut price

Socks that value lower than $10/pair are what we’d think about discount costs. Don’t get us unsuitable, discount socks aren’t a nasty factor. The truth is, certainly one of our testers nonetheless likes to run in an ordinary pair of Hanes crew socks. Nevertheless, whenever you spend much less, you’re going to get much less.

Cheaper socks are typically made out of cotton, which doesn’t dry in a short time and might get scrunched up simply. They don’t maintain as much as frequent washing, and, typically, the development of a sub-$10 sock isn’t going to be as much as par with the large boys. 

Mid-Tier

We’ll name the mid-tier something that runs you between $10 and $20. There are some excellent socks on this class (which you’ll be well-acquainted with in the event you learn the entire information). That is the place you begin to get some premium supplies, higher moisture-wicking properties, and run-specific options like focused compression and cushioning. Mid-tier socks will last more than funds socks and, in lots of circumstances, last more than premium socks which are geared extra towards efficiency than longevity. 

Premium

Premium operating socks are those that set you again greater than $20/pair. This can be a rising class, and when you could not initially be ok with dropping a 20-spot (or extra) on one pair of socks, you’ll instantly have the ability to really feel the distinction.

Two of our absolute favorites, the Swiftwick Flite XT and the Close to Earth Distance Working Socks are $24, and after testing, we will confidently say they’re price it. They’re made to final and supply the perfect options of all of the socks we’ve examined. 

Much like the perfect trainers, some costly socks are designed for race day and gained’t final so long as some cheaper choices, however they gained’t be missing in efficiency. Contemplate this whenever you begin choices tailor-made for racing.

When you’re new to operating, think about shopping for one higher-end pair of socks and a small multipack. This manner, you’ll have operating socks for the week, and you may accumulate extra high-end socks over time. Additionally, to assist your socks last more, be sure to wash them based on the product’s specs. Dryers are sometimes a great way to break high-quality socks. Right here is a useful article on the way to wash activewear.

Continuously Requested Questions