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Byrdie / Marcus Millan
You know that satisfying feeling of taking your bra off at the end of the day? It’s incredibly freeing—but that sensation of relief probably means that your bra wasn’t all that comfortable to begin with. For years, bras have been notoriously uncomfortable and difficult to properly fit your unique shape. But thankfully, the intimates industry has come a long way in terms of size, inclusivity, and design, meaning that we now have plenty more options to choose from.
“There’s so much out there now in the bra realm that you can really find what works for you,” says Jené Luciani Sena, author of The Bra Book 1st & 2nd edition. “Due to advancements in materials, technology, and bra construction, even larger busted women are finding comfort in seamless wire-free styles.
So, to find the most comfortable bras, we conducted extensive research on dozens of the most popular and highly rated options out there. Then, we gathered a group of testers with various body types and bust sizes to take home the bras and test them out for three weeks. Each bra was evaluated based on fit, support, comfort, adjustability, and quality and given a score in each category. Those that scored the highest appear on this list.
Best Overall
Cuup The Scoop Bra
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CUUP
Thin, smooth material
Supportive straps
Underwire doesn’t dig into the skin
Supportive design and aesthetically pleasing
Looks pretty seamless underneath clothing
Nipple shape can show through thin fabric
Comfortable, supportive bras are often deemed “grandma bras” due to their dowdy designs, but this one is simple and chic while getting the job done. It comes in an extensive size range and a ton of fun and neutral colors, and we love its sleek look. It’s an underwire bra with no padding, so it doesn’t add any extra bulk to an already full bust, but don’t let that fool you—it still provides excellent support for small, medium, and large breasts. The cups support bottom-heavy breasts nicely, and we love that the coverage is somewhere between full and demi. The thin, smoothing fabric lays against the skin seamlessly, and while you can see a bit of nipple protrusion through it, this isn’t super noticeable underneath most clothing. The underwire is light and doesn’t dig into the skin, and the straps are slightly wider at the front than most bras, making them really supportive. And while this might sound like a minor detail, the fact that the bra doesn’t have a tag (the details are printed on) seriously adds to the level of comfort.
Overall, this is a more structured garment than most options you might picture when you hear the term “comfortable bra,” but it manages to be way more comfortable than most bras with similar designs. The pretty and supportive design makes it an ideal option for a wide range of occasions—think work, a night out, or a special event—which really adds to the value. Plus, despite featuring a thin material, it washes well and totally maintains its shape as you wear it.
Price at time of publish: $75
Size Range: 30A-44H | Material: 83.5% polyamide, 16.5% elastane | Color Options: 12
Best Size Range
Skims Fits Everybody T-shirt Bra
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Skims
Offers great support
Nice level of padding
Smooth, comfortable material
Band is wide, smooth, and supportive
Looks nice underneath clothing
Size chart on the site isn’t the most accurate
Underwire isn’t the most comfortable
There’s always room for more size inclusivity in the fashion industry, but we love that this super popular bra from Skims does come in a wide range of sizes—and diverse neutral shades. Just like the name suggests, it’s a classic T-shirt bra, making it versatile but ideal for everyday wear. The fabric is smooth and comfortable, it has adjustable straps, and the band is wide for smoothing and support. The cups are padded but not overly so, and their rounded shape offers excellent support and demi coverage. The design is simple, meaning there’s no uncomfortable lace, unnecessary wires, or pesky tags. We found it to be pleasant to wear all day, and it looks seamless under clothing.
After our test, our overall consensus is that this is a fantastic comfortable bra—if you get the right size. It seems that the side guide on the brand’s website isn’t all that accurate for those with larger chests, and the bands run a bit snug. If you’re in between sizes, we recommend opting for the bra with the larger band size to prevent the fabric and underwire from digging into your skin. If you’re concerned about finding the right size, it’s a good idea to go into a store that sells this bra to get properly fitted.
Price at time of publish: $52
Size Range: 30A-46H | Material: 76% polyamide, 24% elastane | Color Options: 9
Best for Small Busts
Pepper Classic All You Bra
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Pepper
Specifically designed for small chests
Cups don’t gap
Thin straps are supportive
Comfortable underwire
Ideal amount of padding
Edges of mesh material can be seen through tight clothing
If you have a small chest, then you know that finding padded bras to give you some shape can be challenging because you’ll often experience gaping between your breast and the cup. Because Pepper thoughtfully designs bras specifically for small boobs, it’s no surprise that the problem was completely eliminated with this bra. It features soft fabric, a wide band for support, adjustable straps, flexible underwire, and lightly padded cups. The fact that the straps are seamlessly connected to the cups rather than being sewn vertically into them makes them extremely functional and supportive and makes the overall design more ergonomic. The bra features a plunging neckline which makes it easy to wear with a wide range of clothing, but the cups manage to mold to the breasts perfectly to offer ideal coverage and support. We experienced absolutely no gaping with this bra, and it was comfortable to wear all day long. If you’ve been looking for a comfortable bra to shape and support your small chest, we absolutely recommend checking this one out.
Price at time of publish: $55
Size Range: 32AA-40B | Material: 75% polyamide, 25% elastane | Color Options: 6
Best Full-Coverage
Soma Intimates Perfect Coverage Bra
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Soma
Provides excellent frontal coverage for a large chest
Looks seamless under clothing
Comfortable underwire
Thick band is supportive
Lightly lined for ideal nipple coverage
Buttery soft material
Adjustable straps stop at the top of the shoulders
Size range could be more extensive
Not only do we think this is the best full-coverage comfortable bra, but we also think this is the best bra for large busts. We would like the size range to be more extensive, but if you can find your size in this bra, we think you’ll love it. The material is buttery soft, the band is wide and supportive, the cups have the perfect level of padding for support without adding bulk, and the underwire is bound by the fabric well to ensure it doesn’t dig in.
The best thing about this bra is the level of coverage it provides. It’s full coverage and quite supportive, but it still creates a little bit of cleavage and a really flattering neckline that lays nicely underneath clothing. Our testers with large breasts didn’t experience any spilling out over the top—it kept everything in place without feeling restrictive. While the straps are only adjustable to the top of the shoulders, they do seem to have enough adjustability. We also like that although they’re standard, thin straps, they feel completely supportive in combination with the rest of the bra design. Whether you have a large chest and you’re looking for a supportive and comfortable bra, or you simply prefer full coverage, we think this would work out nicely for a wide range of people.
Price at time of publish: $49
Size Range: 32B-42DDD | Material: 81% nylon, 19% spandex | Color Options: 10
Best Seamless
Thirdlove 24/7 Second Skin Unlined Bra
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Thirdlove
Provides great coverage
Invisible underneath clothing
Thick band and straps offer smoothing and support
Silky, smooth material
Thin material doesn’t have great nipple coverage
Underwire is a bit uncomfortable
The truth is, most bras are visible under clothing. This is often because they have somewhat bulky designs that contribute to supporting the bust, but if you’re not in need of a ton of support and you want a seamless look, this is a great option. The unlined cups act more like pockets for the breasts than actual supportive cups, but they lay seamlessly on the skin, and the wide straps and underwire provide a bit of lifting. Note that if you want sufficient nipple coverage, the thin material of this bra won’t provide that, but because the material is thin, it’s essentially invisible under clothing.
The bra provides pretty full coverage—one of our testers with large breasts shared that it almost completely covered her cleavage. This level of coverage helps to prevent spillage and makes for a uniform look. The one thing we’re torn on with this bra is how comfortable the underwire is. While some people found it to be flexible and comfortable, others with smaller busts and more bony chests did find that it dug in and created some redness. But if you’re not sensitive to underwire bras and you’re looking for something seamless, we still think this is an excellent one to check out.
Price at time of publish: $72
Size Range: 32A-44H | Material: 76% nylon, 24% spandex | Color Options: 3
Best Wireless
True & Co. Soft Form V Neck Adjustable Strap Bra
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Bloomingdale's
Great coverage
Offers excellent support
Wide band provides smoothing and support
Lightly padded, removable cups
Sizing isn’t ideal
Have to pull the bra over your head to put it on
Think of this bra as a hybrid of a sports bra and a T-shirt bra. It has no clasps or underwire, meaning it won’t dig or feel restrictive, but it features pockets for the breasts with light, removable padding. The wide band provides support and excellent smoothing and coverage for the sides and back, and the adjustable straps allow you to customize your fit. The sizing isn’t ideal in the sense that it’s fairly limited and doesn’t go by band and cup size, but we did find the size guide on the brand’s website to be accurate.
Despite not having an underwire, this bra is really supportive—even for those with large busts. It has a high, rounded V-neck design that covers a lot of the cleavage, and the fabric is thick enough, even without the pads, to provide sufficient nipple coverage. If you’ve been looking for a comfortable, wireless bra that still offers shaping and support, this one is a great choice.
Price at time of publish: $49
Size Range: XS-3X | Material: 92% nylon, 8% elastane | Color Options: 5
Best Front Closure
Spanx Bra-llelujah! Lightly Lined Full-Coverage Bra
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Spanx
Provides great full-coverage
Wide band provides support and coverage
Front closure is convenient and means the back is totally smooth
Light padding provides shape and nipple coverage
Limited size range
Straps are not adjustable
We’re deeming this the best front closure bra for several reasons. First, being able to clasp your bra in the front is both convenient and helpful for people with limited mobility. But not only that—because there are no hook and eye closures in the back, it allows the thick, soft band to lay flat across your back and provide smoothing. The cups are lightly padded, so they don’t add much excess bulk, but they do work to shape the breasts and provide total nipple coverage. The bra features underwire for support, and while underwire isn’t inherently the most comfortable, we still found this bra pleasant to wear all day long.
While the thick straps provide great support, they aren’t adjustable, which isn’t ideal. However, non of us had issues with the straps being too tight and digging in or too loose and slipping down, so perhaps the brand has mastered the appropriate strap length for each bra size. All-in-all, we think this is a great front closure, full-coverage bra with sufficient support.
Price at time of publish: $68
Size Range: 32A-40DD | Material: Nylon, elastane | Color Options: 8
Best With Removable Pads
Aerie Smoothez Unlined Bra
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American Eagle
Removable pads provide nipple coverage
Seamless design
Provides sufficient support and coverage
Provides sufficient support and coverage
Seamless under clothing
Not great nipple coverage when pads are removed
Having the option to remove pads from a bra makes it more versatile. If you want more shape and structure, pads provide that. But if you want to prevent excess bulk and go for a more natural shape, removing them is a great way to achieve this. The pads are lightweight and provide great support and nipple coverage. When you remove them, the fabric is thin and comfortable, but beware that it doesn’t provide much nipple coverage at all.
We love the seamless design of this bra because the lack of seams makes it comfortable and easy to layer under all different styles of clothing. The bra has an underwire that helps to lift and shape the breasts, but we love that the underwire is encased in the fabric to ensure it doesn’t dig into the skin. If you’re looking for a supportive and comfortable bra that you can adjust based on your preferences, this is a solid choice. Not to mention, it’s one of the more affordable picks on our list.
Price at time of publish: $40
Size Range: 32A-40D | Material: 70% nylon, 30% elastane | Color Options: 5
Best Mesh
Negative Sieve Demi Bra
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Negative
Provides demi to full coverage
High cut on sides prevents spillage
Undetectable under clothing
Thin, mesh fabric provides ample support
Size range could be more inclusive
We were pretty blown away by this bra. You might think that a bra with no padding, just mesh pockets, wouldn’t offer much support, but somehow the brand figured out how to make the lightweight fabric seriously supportive. They use what they call “Belgian power micromesh,” which is a see-through, fine mesh material that’s durable and shockingly strong. The coverage is on the fuller end of demi, meaning that it comes up fairly high but still shows a nice amount of cleavage—and we really appreciate that it’s pretty high-cut on the sides to prevent spillage.
It was incredibly comfortable to wear all day long, despite having underwire, thanks to a thoughtful design and high-quality material. It’s excellent for everyday wear, and it’s also a great option to layer under pretty much all clothing. If you’ve been looking for a lightweight bra that still provides ample support, this is the one for you.
Price at time of publish: $75
Size Range: 32B-40D | Material: 74% polyamide, 26% elastane | Color Options: 4
Final Verdict
The best comfortable bra we tested is the Cuup The Scoop Bra. It has a cute design, is made with smooth, silky materials, provides great support, and looks seamless underneath clothing. But if you’re looking for a bra that you can wear with or without pads to achieve a variety of looks, we recommend the Aerie Smoothez Unlined Bra.
How We Tested
In order to find the most comfortable bras on the market, we did extensive research on tons of the most popular and highly rated options out there. We then gathered a group of testers with various body types to take home the bras and test them out in their daily lives for three weeks. Each product was evaluated based on fit, support, comfort, adjustability, and quality. We scored each bra in each category, and those that scored the highest appear on this list.
Other Options We Tested:
Harper Wilde Base T-Shirt Bra
We like the cups and coverage of this T-shirt bra, but we found the underwire digs into the skin, and the hook and eye closure leaves indents on the back.
Journelle Victoire Plunge Bra
This plunge bra has a cute design, but the cups weren’t supportive, and we found the band material to be a bit itchy.
Savage x Fenty Core Microfiber T-Shirt Bra
This popular bra comes in tons of fun colors and an excellent size range, but the coverage isn’t great, which leads to a lot of spillage.
Meet the Expert
- Jené Luciani Sena is the author of The Bra Book 1st & 2nd ed (BenBella Books)
What to Look for When Buying a Comfortable Bra:
An Extensive Size Range
The most important component of a comfortable bra is the size. If it’s not the correct size for you, it likely won’t be comfortable, no matter how it’s designed. It’s wise to look for bras that come in a wide variety of sizes with various band sizes and cup options. If you struggle to find the appropriate size, we recommend checking out the Skims Fits Everybody T-shirt Bra and getting fitted in person if you can.
Specific Design Features
Comfort is relative, so what’s comfortable for someone with a large chest might not apply to someone with a small chest. According to Jené Luciani Sena, if you have a large bust and need support, opting for a bra with underwire, wide straps, and a wide band is best. If you struggle to wear underwire bras because of digging, there are still options for you. “Nowadays wires are being placed in ‘plush channels’ in most instances, to up the comfort factor,” she explains. For example, the Aerie Smoothez Unlined Bra has underwire that’s encased in the fabric to ensure it’s comfortable. She also recommends bras with full coverage, like the Soma Intimates Perfect Coverage Bra, for people with large breasts.
If you have a smaller chest, she recommends wearing a simple bralette or a seamless pullover bra, like the True & Co. Soft Form V Neck Adjustable Strap Bra.
Why Trust Byrdie
Alyssa Kaplan is an experienced writer in the beauty industry and product tester specializing in cosmetics. She received a bachelor’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she studied marketing and product development in the cosmetics industry as well as fashion business marketing. Alyssa has been a commerce writer at Byrdie since 2022, where she covers all things beauty.