Underwear can play a big role in your daily comfort and confidence, so choosing the right pair (instead of whatever's on the shelf at the store) can mean the difference between feeling cool, comfortable, and fully supported and the discomfort of constant readjustments, chafing, and tight elastic waistbands.
As a men's style editor, I've spent years of my career actively testing underwear from well known brands and smaller startups alike, writing reviews of the best ones, and coordinating testing among our team to get additional feedback. Our team's top pick for the best men's underwear brand is Tommy John, and more specifically, we love the Tommy John Cool Cotton boxer briefs because they're super supportive despite the extraordinarily light and breathable material.
Below, you'll find our recommendations for the very best men's underwear brands and which pairs are the most comfortable, based on many years of testing. To shop for more specific underwear styles, check out our buying guides to the best boxer briefs for men and the best boxers for men.
Learn more about how the Reviews Team tests and researches style products.
Our top 3 picks for the best men's underwear
Designed to be moisture-wicking, breathable, and two to three times cooler than regular Cotton, the Cool Cotton Boxer Brief is super comfortable.
Featuring a built-in hammock, Saxx's underwear will keep everything in place for all-day comfort.
Similar to garments worn by NASA, Olympic athletes, US Special Forces, Mack Weldon Silver Underwear adds pure silver to its Supima cotton to provide strong odor protection.
Best overall: Tommy John
You know that one pair of underwear you get a little bit excited to put on when it makes its way to the top of the underwear drawer? For me, that's Tommy John.
I've tried just about every noteworthy pair, and Tommy John has the best boxer briefs for men to surpass them all.
While the brand's startup buzz may have dwindled somewhat, it still remains our top pick for a specific reason: the amazing fit. Boxer briefs are my go-to underwear style, and Tommy John's have a slightly longer-than-average inseam length. This eliminates that awful feeling of riding up or chafing. There's plenty of room and support in all the right places.
Secondly, the Cool Cotton material is incredibly comfortable against the skin, doesn't cause irritations like polyester, and holds up well in the wash. If you like trunks, briefs, or relaxed fit boxers, Tommy John has all of those, too. They are relatively expensive, but are well worth the upgrade.
Read more in our full Tommy John review here.
Best support: Saxx
While several of the best men's underwear brands focus on either comfort or fun patterns, Saxx Underwear manages to do both exceptionally well, and its Vibe Xtra Soft Comfort Boxer Brief is the best example.
The highlight of the brand's comfort technology is the BallPark Pouch, which adds support, reduces chafing, controls moisture, and prevents you from constantly having to readjust. For most men, there's not much more you can ask for in underwear.
You'll find basic solid colors as well as cool patterns, bright colors, and themes. If you like to have fun with your underwear, you'll find plenty of options to fill your drawer with.
Read more in our full Saxx review here.
Best odor-resistant: Mack Weldon
Using a combination of Pima cotton, Ionic+, and Lycra, the Mack Weldon Silver Boxer Briefs are made with some of the highest quality materials for the best men's underwear available.
While Supima cotton and Lycra are common in soft and comfortable clothes, the inclusion of pure silver in Ionic+ is rather important. Silver is naturally anti-microbial, so it helps rid garments of bacteria, including the types that cause odor. Learn about Ionic+ technology here.
To put into perspective how useful silver can be, similar technology has been used in clothing for NASA astronauts, Olympic athletes, and US Special Forces.
Although astronauts probably have to wear their gear for much longer than you have to wear your underwear, you'll still get great use out of them in the real world. Whether you work super long days, you live a high-intensity athletic lifestyle, or you're on a camping or hunting trip where showers are few and far between, you'll get through it without stinking.
In addition to odor protection, the Silver Boxer Briefs are very comfortable thanks to a no-roll waistband, which is designed to prevent digging into the skin, and targeted mesh zones to keep high-heat areas nice and cool.
Read more in our full Mack Wheldon review here.
Best value: All Citizens
There's a lot more than a person's waist size that goes into finding comfortable underwear, and All Citizens recognizes that.
Perhaps named after its inclusivity, All Citizens has underwear for almost every size and shape. Although I'm not very tall, I went with the longer fit because I hate when my underwear rides up, and I've come to like longer pairs from other brands.
My first impression was that they were substantially better quality than most other brands. They're pretty thick, but not to the point of being uncomfortable or hot. I could tell they'd be able to hold up well to countless washes and wears, and after several months, they've done exactly that.
All Citizens also takes support seriously with its Paradise Pocket. While all underwear brands are gradually becoming more concerned with support, All Citizens has arguably the most advanced system to keep your business in place. Most pouch designs are more or less two extra pieces of fabric, but the Paradise Pocket is a comfortable compartment that keeps you from hanging all over the place.
At $18, they're a bit more affordable than other premium men's underwear, and there's no compromise in quality.
I'd recommend these to anyone who wants an affordable option, but wants a bit more quality than a budget multi-pakck.
Best budget multi-pack: Hanes
Founded in 1900, Hanes, for all intents and purposes, pretty much invented modern underwear. Love or hate underwear, we'd have our work cut out for ourselves if we were to claim not to have some deep appreciation for this brand.
These days, Hanes offers every kind of boxer, brief, and boxer brief you could imagine with dozens of styles. You'll find everything from high-tech synthetic athletic materials to the good old-fashioned cotton the brand was built on. The standard Cotton Boxer Brief 1- Pack is our favorite choice if you're on a budget.
This brand is timeless and it's not going anywhere soon. Plus, as some of the most affordable options for the best men's underwear you can buy, it's a good way to fill out your drawer when a 10-pack of Hanes is still cheaper than single pairs from the popular direct-to-consumer startups on our list.
Best subscription: MeUndies
If you're tired of boring tighty whities (or other basic underwear options), MeUndies is the easiest way to liven up your underwear drawer with a subscription service.
Every month, you get to choose your preferred style, size, and whether you want designs that are Adventurous, Classic, or Bold. And if you and your partner want to match, you can find the same patterns and colors in a number of other styles.
The brand hosts frequent sales events, offering opportunities to save on the best men's underwear and the MeUndies loungewear we've tried and loved. With a membership, you gain early access to these kinds of exclusive offers. MeUndies isn't the most advanced when it comes to material and fit choices, but the options that are available are super comfortable.
Best novelty designs: Shinesty
Shinesty is making underwear more fun with bold colors and novelty patterns. The brand offers seasonal designs for holidays and other themed designs you'll love. Not only can you liven up your underwear drawer, but you'll also be able to do the same for your partner with match pairs.
While Shinesty is one of the best underwear brands to shop for uniqueness, they're also extremely comfortable. Thanks to the brand's proprietary Ball Hammock technology, you'll stay secure and comfortable all day long.
Shinesty offers styles to fit your preferences. You'll find everything from boxer briefs and longer boxer briefs to trunks and briefs.
Best sustainable: Organic Basics
Made with recycled nylon and elastane, Organic Basics estimates that compared with traditional methods using virgin materials, production of its "SilverTech" style conserves some 21 gallons of water and prevents 4.2 pounds of CO2 and one ounce of waste from entering the atmosphere and earth. We can't quite confirm this, but you can take a virtual tour of the brand's factories and learn more about its practices.
SilverTech, which we find to be Organic Basics' most interesting style of men's underwear, is in fact infused with silver, which is supposed to quell odor and bacteria buildup. In our experience, it helps a good bit, but maybe not quite as well as others we've tried. The real win here is the comfort these skivvies offer, and since I've had them, they've easily been some of my most-worn pairs. A more relaxed boxer brief, they hold everything more or less in place while sitting flush so I can wear them with just about any pair of pants.
Organic Basics offers a couple of fabrics beyond SilverTech, and unlike that line, they're much more on the organic side: Tencel (a wood pulp-based cellulose that's more breathable and less shrinkable and wrinkle-inclined than cotton), and organic cotton.
You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.
Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@bjinnox.com.
