The 5 Best No-Show Socks of 2025

Best for…

The airiest, smoothest pair we put on our feet, these cotton-blend socks are simultaneously thin and supportive—a rarity—and unusually sweat-wicking. They’re also available in the most vibrant range of colors and patterns—but they aren’t cheap.

Stance Icon No Show Socks are a treat for your feet. They’re even lighter than our basic Idegg pick and much softer and smoother. (They’re also nearly five times the price.)

The Stance socks are made from a combed-cotton blend that feels airy and sleek beneath snug shoes but still provides support via light compression and subtle cushioning. Plus, they’re totally seamless, so nothing bunches up in your shoes or presses against your feet.

They’re best worn with low-top sneakers, or dressier shoes like oxfords. The Stance no-show socks have the lowest heel of any sock we tested, which makes them great at disappearing behind the backs of shoes. But they’re not ideal for wearing with shoes that rub against your ankles, since they leave lots of that sensitive skin exposed.

Although the Stance socks are low on the backs and sides, they come up fairly high on the bridge of the foot; they peek out of most low-cut loafers and slip-ons. (For those types of shoes, we recommend our Eedor pick, but it only comes in women’s sizes 5-12.)

They’re so comfy, we forgot we were wearing them. The Stance no-show socks don’t merely disappear into your shoes—they feel invisible, too. “The fabric melted into my feet like butter,” said one tester.

They’re made from a light and smooth blend of combed cotton—for extra softness and durability—plus nylon and 4% elastane, which adds some nice stretchiness that helps the socks conform instantly to the foot. (The exact fabric composition may vary a bit, depending on the colorway; there were no noticeable differences in texture, stretch, or breathability between any of the pairs that we tested.)

Some barely there (yet deeply appreciated) cushioning is on the front third of the sock bed, plus a lightly compressive band that hugs the arch of your foot. “These socks felt supportive, without any pinching or squeezing,” said a tester.

These are a great choice if your feet tend to get swampy—they have the highest nylon content (39% in the colorway pictured) of any of our picks, so they’re better at wicking away moisture.

They’re cut low, but they stay up. Despite their extra-low profile across the heel and sides, the Stance no-shows felt secure. Three silicone strips kept them firmly gripped to our ankles while wearing shoes and when taking them off. (Their stretchy fabric and the arch compression band also help the socks stay in place.)

Still, the Stance socks aren’t quite as slip-resistant as our picks from Bombas and Idegg, which have similar silicone grips, since those socks come up higher on the heel. When we rubbed the back of the Stance socks vigorously with our thumbs, they did peel down a bit, though we never had an issue while actually wearing them.

We recommend air-drying this pair. They have a higher percentage of synthetic fabric than our other picks, so they’re more sensitive to high heat from the dryer. In our tests, the Stance socks that we air-dried retained more elasticity, whereas the ones that we tumble dried got a bit stretched-out and didn’t stay up as well.

They’re available in lots of sizes, colors, and patterns. The Stance socks come in a broad range of sizes (almost as many as the Bombas Cushioned No Show Socks) and—if secretly fun socks are your thing—colors and patterns beyond the usual, including two skin-tone hues, some vibrant solids and stripes, and a few statement-making graphic prints.

Flaws but not dealbreakers:

• They’re spendy, though their comfort, style, and fit make them a good value. (Stance offers a 60-day return policy and a 90-day limited warranty.)
• The heel may be too low for some; these socks don’t protect heels and ankles from chafing in higher-collared shoes.
• They’re not quite as good at staying up as our other picks. To maintain their elasticity, we recommend air-drying.

Material: 55% combed cotton, 41% nylon, 4% elastane; fabric composition may vary slightly by colorway
Sizes: women’s 5 to men’s 13
Colors: over a dozen colors