The 14 best stretchy work pants that feel like sweatpants

Best overall: Athleta Endless High Rise Pant

When it comes to the best stretchy work pants for women, Athleta's best-selling Endless High Rise Pant stands above the rest. I've worn these to work and to work out, and they remain superiorly comfortable and look incredibly put-together for either occasion thanks to their moisture-wicking, breathable, wrinkle-resistant, quick-drying fabric made from recycled polyester.

The pull-on bottoms with a faux fly and two front zip pockets are available in seven colors, and they come in 25.5-inch, 27.5-inch, and 30.5-inch inseams. The brand also has a cargo version of the pants, which adds a touch of casual flair in the form of two additional cargo pockets and snap cuffs at the ankles that let you transform the hemline between a straight leg or jogger-style silhouette.

Best budget: Halara Wide Leg Micro Waffle Work Pants

These affordable wide-leg slip-ons from Halara are like pajama pants you can wear to work, thanks to their plicated tailoring. They'd also be perfect for long plane rides since they're cozy enough to snooze in.

After hours of wear, they didn't wrinkle at all. Crafted from Lycra, the pants have a fine waffle knit that's designed to resist wrinkles. I wore these all day both sitting and standing and they didn't get a single wrinkle. They packed nicely, and once unfolded they were still crease-free.

The fabric is stretchy and breathable. According to the brand, the material absorbs sweat and you can even work out in it. There are functional side pockets, too. Unfortunately, there's only regular and long inseams available — I'm 5-foot-7 and the regular length grazed the floor when I go barefoot.

With their stretchy fabric and elastic waistband, these pants are definitely comfortable enough to be worn for business travel on long plane rides. Then, you can rewear them as part of a casual or dressy outfit during your trip, saving you precious luggage space.

See more in our guide to the best travel pants for women.

Best lightweight: Luxeire High Rise Flare Trouser

If your office has a business casual dress code, you'll appreciate these polished Luxeire trousers that sneakily feel like yoga pants. The secret is in the lightweight technical fabric with two-way stretch and a hidden high-rise elastic waistband. Elegant front pintuck detailing further distracts from the pants' undeniable comfort. I wore the flare bottoms while sitting for hours and never felt any pulling or digging. Plus, I love that they have a UPF 50+ rating.

Best wide-leg: Vuori Elevation Trouser

If you value comfort above all else, these Vuori bottoms are a near-perfect pick. They are about as close as it gets to wearing sweatpants to work — in the best way possible. The fabric feels identical to my favorite Vuori joggers: soft, stretchy, and perfectly cozy. Despite that, they still manage to look put-together thanks to the tailored silhouette and hook-and-eye closure. I was a little skeptical about the heathered color options (I usually associate heathered fabric with loungewear), but the Ecru shade surprised me with how sleek it looked. The texture is barely visible and looks much more polished in person.

That said, these lean more toward casual offices than business formal settings. I wouldn't reach for them in a setting that requires suits or blazers. They're especially well-suited for business travel (or any travel, for that matter) since they're comfortable enough to snooze in but polished enough to head to the office straight from the plane. They are fairly wrinkle-resistant, too. I had them shoved at the bottom of my (clean) laundry hamper for a couple of days, and was able to shake them off and wear them without ironing. The only real downside is that popular sizes and colors tend to sell out fast.

Best cropped: Cozy Earth Always Cropped Pant

Cozy Earth makes my all-time favorite pajamas, so I was excited to try the brand's daywear. I tested the Always Cropped Pant and found it aptly monikered, thanks to its versatility.

I wore these elastic-waist travel pants with sandals and a T-shirt for a day of running errands. The nylon-Spandex blend fabric was about as comfy as yoga pants, but looked more put-together. In the evening, I switched into heels and a blouse for a dinner date. I was impressed with how polished the pants looked, especially since they were forgiving after a pasta dinner. The faux fly helps give a more flattering look, too.

Thanks to the cropped silhouette and lightweight, stretchy fabric, these pants kept me plenty cool in 80-degree weather.

I love that I could wear these for long travel days since they're comfortable, stretchy and don't wrinkle. They're equally great for packing, though. They fold up nicely and are compact.

Though the website says these run true to size, I found they run a touch small, though it wasn't too bothersome for me. I'm 5-foot-7 and they hit me right above the ankle — shorter people might find they fit more like long pants.

Best pull-on: Everlane The Easy Barrel Pant

An elasticated waistband is the first sign of a good pair of stretchy work pants. You'll find just that in the updated version of one of our favorite Everlane styles, the Easy Pant, now with a contemporary barrel leg. They have a nice roomy fit that's perfect for warm weather commutes, plus a drawstring so you can adjust the rise however you see fit.

The Easy Barrel Leg Pants are made with a lightweight cotton twill that holds its structure just enough to maintain the wide silhouette, making them an easy gateway if you've never tried a barrel leg pant before. Their breathable shape and airy fabric creates an ankle-length four-pocket pant that's the total comfort ideal. You can find them in five neutral colorways (which pair perfectly with Everlane's legendary Day Glove flats).

Best tapered: Aday Turn It Up Pants

Like many of the best stretchy work pants, these cigarette pants from Aday offer a snug and pleasant fit thanks to an elastic waistband, which is partially exposed. They're crafted from a high-stretch fabric that's breathable, quick-drying, and thermoregulating. The Italian-made vegan bottoms hit at ankle length, with a tapered silhouette similar to joggers, and they pair equally well with a pair of sneakers as they do with heels.

Former Business Insider commerce reporter Kelsey Mulvey tested the Turn It Up Pants when they first dropped and claims they're worth the splurge. "I've been wearing the Turn it Up Pants for the past two months and they're arguably one of the most versatile pieces I have in my closet. They're not too loose or too fitted and are incredibly comfortable. Best of all, I can wear them with anything from a crisp white button-down, to an oversized sweater, to a casual T-shirt," says Mulvey.

Best luxury: M.M.LaFleur The Foster Pant

M.M.LaFleur's cigarette pants offer yoga pant-level stretch, a comfy high rise, and their durable fabric makes them one of our favorite machine-washable work pants to boot. Most notably, the Foster pants come with an innovative feature we can't believe more brands aren't imitating: an adjustable hemline.

"These pants don't wrinkle easily because they stretch to fit your curves perfectly. Plus, the concealed button hem makes it absurdly easy to shorten the pants to the perfect length for my 5-foot-2 frame. I wish every pair of pants had that ingenious hem!" — Malarie Gokey, Director of Learning and Development

Read more in our full M.M.LaFleur Foster women's work pants review.

Best suit pant: Commando Neoprene Wide Leg Pant

"I tested this pair of stretchy work pants along with Commando's Neoprene CEO Blazer, and together the suit almost feels like my favorite buttery-smooth sweatsuit from Spanx. The fit is roomy in the thighs and calves, but draws in slightly around the knee. This way you don't feel like you're wearing baggy sweats, but they still have a powerful shape that takes up space.

The Neoprene Wide Leg Pants are made with an Italian blend fabric with high elastane content in both the fabric and waistband. The main thing to remember is to dry them on low heat after they've been through the washing machine, or else the dryer can wreck their stretch factor.

This soft, pill-resistant fabric also does a pretty decent job at repelling my cat's fur, which tends to cling to all my other black work pants. I wear a size 4 and am 5-foot-9, so I loved the fit of the extra long inseam. They might too long on petites, but they could also be the perfect length with the right pair of heels." — Gabrielle Chase, senior associate style editor, Insider Reviews

Best black work pants: Spanx PerfectFit Ponte Slim Straight Pant

Spanx recently rebranded their Perfect Black Work Pant collection as the "PerfectFit" line. Executive editor Sally Kaplan swears by hers as reliable, stretchy slacks. In our experience, these are pants you can pull on and forget about because they go with everything. They're more of an investment piece, but definitely worth the cost even if you wear them just once a week.

"The Perfect Black Pant borrows from the trademarks Spanx is renowned for, such as a smoothing, elongating effect. But unlike its shapewear, you won't feel constricted. The Ponte material has four-way stretch and a pull-on band that's easy to get on. In other words, it's a really well-made iteration of the black work pant," she writes.

Read more in our full Spanx Perfect Black Work Pants review.

Best petite: Quince Ultra-Stretch Ponte Straight Leg Pant

We've tested over a dozen of the affordable, high-quality basics from Quince, and can attest that these sleek Ponte pants are a must-have for anyone looking to update their petite workwear wardrobe. They have just the right amount of elasticity to fit comfortably even when sitting for long periods, and they're available in inseams that suit a short frame. Another bonus: this pair is wrinkle-resistant, so don't worry about wearing them right out of your suitcase. The straight-leg style comes in nine colors, including classic black and an eye-catching burgundy.

Read about more pieces we've tried and loved in our full Quince review.

Best tall: Gap High Rise BiStretch Flare Pants

Though these flare pants feel just like your favorite yoga pants, this Gap pair looks a lot more elevated and work-appropriate thanks to a sophisticated pintuck pleat down the front of each leg. The ultra high-rise waist sits above your hips, for a super comfortable feel that looks great with a top tucked in or draped with an oversized blazer. The pants, which have a zipper and a snap closure, are available in black or navy with inseams that fall past the ankles and drape handsomely over shoes.

Best pleated: Abercrombie & Fitch Sloane Tailored Pant

What I love most about these wide-leg bottoms is how many colors and fits they come in. Abercrombie & Fitch offers a whopping 23 shades to choose from, ranging from classics like black and tan to statement jewel tones like a bright red or emerald green. Beyond that, these pants tout a partially stretchy waistband to maximize comfort, and also come in a curvy fit that offers an additional 2 inches through the hip and thigh. I've found this pair versatile enough to dress up with comfortable heels and a white button-down shirt, or dressed down with crisp sneakers and a T-shirt.

Best plus-size: Universal Standard Stephanie Wide Leg Ponte Pants

Universal Standard is one of our favorite brands to find plus-size clothing for women because it considers how differently bodies are shaped in order to design fits that flatter them. It uses its own letter sizing system that equates a medium to a size 18 (the average size of a woman in the US), and its unique Fit Liberty program lets you exchange many items for a different size up to a year from your purchase date, no matter how used the clothing is.

These stretchy wide-leg Ponte trousers from the brand's best-selling Stephanie collection are among our favorites because they have a high-rise, fully elasticated waistband comfortably pulls on over apron bellies. They also have pockets with invisible zippers, so you can secure your valuables on your person.

See more inclusive brands in our guide about where to buy plus-size work clothes.

Meet the expert behind this guide

Talia Ergas, style contributor: After taking her career fully remote in 2020, Talia has accumulated a stacked collection of work-from-home outfits that blend polish with comfort. From her home office she determines which designs are best equipped for long days seated at a desk, looking for elasticated waistbands, roomy pant legs, and soft, breathable fabric blends.

Learn more on how the Reviews team tests clothing at BI.