Minimalist

21 Brands Like Athleta for Stylish Activewear Essentials

Spencer Lanoue·14 min readUpdated August 5, 2026

The Elation Ultra High Rise 7/8 Legging is $99. Add a bra and a tee and you're past $200 before anything has been worn. Then the colour you wanted goes out of stock in your size and the restock lands in three weeks.

Athleta earns that price for a lot of shoppers. Sizes on the Elation run XXS to 3X, petite and tall are both offered, and the footer of its own site reads "We Are a Certified B Corp". One label still can't cover yoga, trail miles, swim and the school run at once.

We checked 21 alternatives this week against the brand's own store, not a press release. Five brands from the previous version of this article came out, and we've said why below.

Quick comparison: the closest matches on price and sizing are Beyond Yoga, Girlfriend Collective and Title Nine. The cheapest ways in are Under Armour and Zella. The premium end runs Alo Yoga, Sweaty Betty, Varley and KORAL. For outdoor and yoga specifically, look at prAna, Manduka and Onzie. For running, Oiselle. Lululemon, Fabletics, Nike, Outdoor Voices, Vuori, Lorna Jane, Nux and TALA fill in the middle.

BrandCore priceBest for
LululemonPremium, no price obtainableShoppers who want the store network
FableticsBudget, membership pricingRestocking a whole rotation cheaply
Outdoor Voices$88 to $118 on leggingsMuted colour and low-key training
Nike$105 to $115 on flagship leggingsRunning and high-impact training
Alo Yoga$114 to $144 on leggingsYoga kit you'd wear to dinner
prAnaMid-range, Heavana legging $89Climbing, hiking and yoga in one wardrobe
Girlfriend Collective$98 to $128 on leggingsSizing from XXS to 6XL
Beyond Yoga$94 to $118 on leggingsThe closest price match to Athleta
Vuori$98 to $110 on leggingsClothes that pass as normal clothes
Sweaty Betty$118 to $138 on Power leggingsPrint and colour with a British accent
Zella$45 to $99, Nordstrom onlyBasics you can return in a store
Lorna JaneAU$125 to AU$130 on tightsAustralian fit and heavy compression
KORALAU$125 to AU$169, ships AU and NZShine finishes and going-out cuts
Nux$79 to $114 on leggingsSmall-batch pieces made in Los Angeles
TALA$68 to $78 on leggingsThe lowest full prices on this list
Manduka$58 to $138 on apparelMat, props and clothes from one place
Varley$72 to $138 on apparelQuiet colour and knitwear alongside
Onzie$64 bras, $88 to $98 leggingsPrints, hot yoga and quick-dry fabric
Under Armour$25 to $65 on women's apparelCheap layers for hard training
Title Nine$60 to $130 on own-label piecesSports bras sized by cup, not by S/M/L
Oiselle$68 to $128 on bottomsRoad running and race day

Lululemon

Lululemon is the brand Athleta shoppers cross-shop most, and the hardest one here to price from the outside. Its store returns a 403 to automated checks on every path we tried, so we won't print a figure we can't stand behind.

Growth we can confirm. A lululemon corporate release dated 18 December 2025 announces stores opening in six new markets during 2026, which is the opposite of a brand in trouble. Positioning sits above Athleta, and unlike Athleta it runs a full men's business, so a household can shop one label instead of two. Best for: shoppers who want a physical store within driving distance and don't mind paying for it.

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Fabletics

Fabletics is the cheapest route to a full activewear rotation on this list, and the one with the biggest catch attached. Prices depend on membership rather than a flat retail ticket, so the number on the tag isn't the number you pay, and it isn't the number you pay if you skip a month either.

The scale is real. Forbes reported in January 2026 that Fabletics passed $1bn in annual revenue, running 120 stores with 40 more planned through 2026. Athleta sells you a piece. Fabletics sells you a monthly relationship, and that's the whole decision. Best for: filling out a drawer of leggings and sets without Athleta money.

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Outdoor Voices

Outdoor Voices

Outdoor Voices sells leggings from $88 to $118, with the TechSweat Core 7/8 Legging at $118 and the Puddle Legging at $88. Its own About page says the brand was founded in 2013 by Ty Haney, and the muted palette it built its name on is still the house signature.

Read the price tags carefully. Of the 19 leggings in stock when we looked, 16 carried a markdown and only three sold at list, with the TechSweat down to $35.97 in one colour. Sizing stops at XL, well short of Athleta's 3X. Haney returned in 2025 after Consortium Brand Partners bought the company, and the retail estate closed in March 2024. Best for: low-key training clothes bought on sale.

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Nike

Nike

Nike prices its flagship women's leggings between $105 and $115, with the Zenvy High-Waisted 7/8 at $105 and the Universa High-Waisted 7/8 at $115. Both sit in the same bracket as Athleta's Elation, so this is a swap rather than a saving.

Where Nike pulls ahead is high-impact. Sports bras, race-day shorts and running kit are the deepest part of the catalogue, and Athleta's strength lies further toward yoga and everyday wear. The permanent markdown tail is worth knowing about, since plenty of colourways sit at $75.97 to $89.97 all year. Best for: running, court sport and anything that needs proper support.

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Alo Yoga

Alo Yoga

Alo Yoga is the most expensive brand on this list and the most disciplined about it. The 7/8 High-Waist Airbrush Legging is $118, the Airlift is $134, and the Airlift High-Waist Suit Up Legging runs $144. Every variant we read carried no compare-at price at all, meaning the catalogue holds full price.

The look is Los Angeles rather than trailhead, cut to be photographed. Sizing runs XXS to XL, narrower than Athleta at the top end, which matters if 2X or 3X is your size. We've covered the wider field in our Alo alternatives guide. Best for: yoga clothes you'd keep on for the rest of the day.

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prAna

Prana

prAna lists the Heavana 7/8 Legging at $89, and the rest of the leggings sit in the same mid-range bracket as Athleta's. Columbia Sportswear lists prAna among its brands on its own investor site, which explains the outdoor bias running through the range.

Climbing pants, hiking bottoms and yoga leggings share one catalogue here, which is closer to Athleta's spread than most of this list gets. Two things to flag. The store sits behind a bot filter that blocked repeat checks, so treat any single price you see quoted elsewhere with care. And we found no first-party certification page we could read, so we're not repeating an eco claim for it. Best for: an outdoor wardrobe that doubles as studio kit.

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Girlfriend Collective

Girlfriend Collective

Girlfriend Collective runs XXS to 6XL, the widest size range on this page and the clearest reason to pick it over Athleta. The size guide charts a 22-inch waist at XXS and 53 inches at 6XL. Leggings run $98 to $128, with the Compressive High-Rise at $108 and the Laguna Luxe at $128.

Attribution matters on the eco side. The Compressive, Float, Luxe and SuperTrack fabrics are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, and the certificate belongs to the fabric rather than the company. Its own pages state that every collection uses over 75% recycled polyester. Our Girlfriend Collective alternatives piece covers the rest of that bracket. Best for: anyone Athleta's 3X ceiling has turned away.

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Beyond Yoga

Beyond Yoga

Beyond Yoga is the closest price match to Athleta on this list. The Spacedye Caught In The Midi High Waisted Legging is $99, the same figure as Athleta's Elation, and the range runs $94 to $118. Sizes cover XS to XXL plus 1X to 4X, which beats Athleta at the top.

There's a detail here that no other entry can offer. Beyond Yoga was bought by Levi Strauss & Co in 2021, and since January 2024 it has been run by Nancy Green, who was Athleta's CEO before that. Founded in 2005 by Jodi Guber Brufsky and Michelle Wahler, it makes no certification claim on its own about page. Best for: swapping an Athleta habit with the smallest adjustment.

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Vuori

Vuori

Vuori sells leggings at $98 to $110, with the Daily Legging at $98 and both the AllTheFeels and Clean Elevation Leggings at $110. Founded in 2015 by Joe Kudla and based in Encinitas, California, it built its following on clothes that read as normal clothes.

That's the split with Athleta. Athleta designs for the activity and lets the piece carry over into the day. Vuori works the other way round, starting from a jogger you'd wear on a plane. Its impact page claims about 56% of 2024 fabric spend went to what it calls Vuori Preferred Fibers, an internal standard of its own rather than a third-party certification. Sizes XXS to XXL. Best for: travel days and school runs.

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Sweaty Betty

Sweaty Betty

Sweaty Betty prices its Power leggings between $118 and $138 on the US site, with the Power UltraSculpt Piping Leggings at $134 and the Runner's High Power Leggings at $138. All 24 styles on the Power leggings page were in stock when we checked.

The brand opened its first store in Notting Hill in 1998, and the print work still reads British in a way nothing else here does. Prices land above Athleta and the compression is firmer. There's no certification claim anywhere on its own story page, which is worth saying plainly next to Athleta's B Corp line. Our Sweaty Betty alternatives guide has the rest. Best for: colour and print without going near neon.

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Zella

Zella is Nordstrom's own activewear label, and you can't buy it from Zella. There's no brand storefront. The domain resolves but times out on both ports, and the only place to shop the line is Nordstrom, with the off-price Z by Zella range at Nordstrom Rack.

Read the ticket price rather than the sale price if you're shopping in early August, since Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale runs to the 10th. The Studio Luxe High Waist Pocket Leggings are $79 after the sale, the Breathe Performance T-Shirt $45, the Ultra Luxe Volume Zip Hoodie $99. It undercuts Athleta on almost everything. Best for: basics you can try on and return over a counter.

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Lorna Jane

Lorna Jane

Lorna Jane is Australian, and the pricing you see depends on where you're standing. On the Australian site the All Out Full Length Leggings are AU$130 and the Training Day Rib Ankle Biter Leggings AU$125, with tights spanning roughly AU$90 to AU$130. The .com store reprices by region, so check the currency symbol before you commit.

Lorna Jane Clarkson founded the label in 1989, which makes it older than Athleta, and the compression through the tights is firmer than most of this list. Sizes run XXS to XXL. Our Lorna Jane alternatives guide covers the same bracket. Best for: high-support tights and a fit cut for a different market.

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KORAL

KORAL makes the shiniest kit on this list and comes with the biggest asterisk. The only live KORAL store anywhere is the Australian one. The Exceed Blackout High Rise Legging is AU$145, the Lustrous Infinity High Rise Legging AU$125, and the Emblem Blackout cropped style AU$169.

Shipping is the problem. The store's own shipping policy offers international delivery to New Zealand and nowhere else, so a US or UK reader can't buy direct and has to go through a stockist. The sustainability page says KORAL partners with OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified mills, a certificate held by the mill and not by KORAL. Sizes XS to XL. Best for: Australian and New Zealand shoppers who want shine finishes.

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Nux

Nux

Nux prices leggings from $79 to $114, with the Mel C Legging at $79 and the hand-dyed One By One Legging at $104. Its own page says the brand has been "making positive moves since 2008" and that it designs, knits, cuts, dyes, packs and ships from Los Angeles.

US manufacturing at this price is the reason to look, and Athleta can't match the claim. Two practical notes. Stock is thin, with about a third of variants available across the catalogue, so the colour you want may be gone. And the store reprices hard by region, so a UK visitor sees a different figure entirely. Sizes XS to XXL. Best for: small-batch pieces and hand-dyed colour.

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TALA

TALA

TALA undercuts everything above it. On the US site the UltraSculpt Legging is $78 and the Scrunch Legging $70, with the core range landing at $68 to $78. Nothing on the legging grid carried a markdown, so those are list prices rather than a clearance run.

Grace Beverley founded TALA in London in 2019, and it's grown on sculpting fits and a heavy social presence. Two things to be straight about: the brand names no certification on its purpose page, and the correct address is wearetala.com, since tala.com belongs to a Texas legal non-profit. Our TALA alternatives guide has more. Best for: Athleta shapes at half the money.

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Manduka

Manduka

Manduka is a yoga mat company that also sells clothes, and the ratio matters. Of 94 products in the catalogue, 31 are apparel and the rest are mats, props, carriers and towels. The women's CNTR Pant is $130 and the CAS Jogger $138, with the Atmana Tee at $78.

Peter Sterios founded the brand in 1997 and the Black Mat PRO is still the anchor product. One distinction worth holding onto: the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification Manduka publicises belongs to the PRO Series mats made in Germany, while the CNTR Pant page carries a separate bluesign line against the fabric. A 50% apparel promotion was running when we looked, so check the strikethrough. Best for: buying the mat, the blocks and the leggings in one order.

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Varley

Varley

Varley sits above Athleta and dresses like it. The Always High Rise Legging is $118, the Toyah High Rise Skort $106 and the Always Selma Bra $72, with apparel running $72 to $138. Lara and Ben Mead founded it in 2014, and it now works out of London, Los Angeles and New York.

What you get for the extra money is range beyond activewear. Knitwear, dresses, swim and bags sit alongside the leggings, so a Varley order can cover a weekend rather than a workout. Its own responsibility page currently 404s, so there's no eco claim to report. Sizes XXS to XL. Our Varley alternatives guide goes deeper. Best for: muted colour and pieces that don't read as gym clothes.

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Onzie

Onzie

Onzie prices the Hot Girl Legging at $88 in six colourways, with the Hawk Wisdom print at $98 and The Classic bra at $64. Nothing on the legging page was marked down when we checked. Kimberly Swarth, a yoga teacher with a masters in movement therapy, started it in Venice Beach, and the brand says 99% of its sewing, cutting and dyeing happens in Los Angeles.

Hot yoga is where this one earns its place. The fabrics are built to dry fast and hold up to heat, which is a narrower brief than Athleta writes for. On certification, the correct wording is that the garments use OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified fabric with CiCLO technology in the yarn, both held by the fibre rather than by Onzie. Best for: heated classes, print lovers and paddle days.

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Under Armour

Under Armour

Under Armour is the cheapest full-price option here. Women's apparel runs about $25 to $65 at list, with HeatGear Shorty Shorts at $33, the HeatGear Compression Short Sleeve at $35, HeatGear Leggings at $55 and the Crossback Mid Sports Bra at $38 before any discount.

Kevin Plank started the company in Baltimore in September 1996 with moisture-wicking base layers, and that heritage still shapes the catalogue. Compression and cold-weather layers are the strong suit, and the styling is plainer than Athleta's. There's a site-wide 25% promotion running most weeks, so the ticket price and the checkout price rarely agree. No textile certification is claimed on the shopping pages. Best for: hard training on a budget.

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Title Nine

Title Nine is the closest thing to Athleta in spirit. Missy Park started it in Berkeley in 1989 as a mail-order catalogue for women's sport, and its own page states it has been 100% women-owned and led since then, with no outside investors. Own-label pieces run about $60 to $130.

Sports bras are the reason to come. The Marvel Wireless Sports Bra is $79 and the Solidarity Bra $98, and the plus-size range means cup sizes to F on bands from 32 up, which almost nothing else on this list attempts. Two honest caveats: body sizing tops out around a 16, short of Athleta's 3X, and Title Nine stocks other brands alongside its own. Best for: bra fit above everything.

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Oiselle

Oiselle is the running specialist here. Sally Bergesen founded it in Seattle in 2007, and the Roga Shorts at $79 and Pockito Tights at $128 are the two pieces it's known for. Bottoms span roughly $68 to $128.

Sizing deserves a mention next to Athleta's XXS to 3X. Roga Shorts run 0 through 24/26, which is a wide ladder for a running brand. On materials, its fabrics page lists bluesign approved against the fabrics themselves, so the right phrasing is bluesign approved fabrics and not a company certification. Seattle runner Margo Cramer took a majority stake in April 2025, keeping it woman-owned. Best for: road running and race kit.

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How to Choose Between These Brands

Start with your size, because that decides more than taste does. If Athleta's 3X ceiling has ever been the problem, Girlfriend Collective goes to 6XL and Beyond Yoga to 4X, and those two are the shortest route out. If bra fit is the issue, Title Nine sizes by band and cup instead of S, M and L.

Then look at what you're doing. Nike and Oiselle are built for impact, while prAna and Manduka are built for the mat and the trail. Vuori and Varley barely pretend to be workout clothes at all, which suits the hours either side of one. Athleta covers the lot at once, and that breadth is what you'd be giving up.

Budget sorts the rest. TALA and Under Armour come in under Athleta, Beyond Yoga and Zella sit level, and Alo Yoga, Sweaty Betty and Varley ask more. Two are worth checking before you fall for them: KORAL ships only to Australia and New Zealand, and Zella has no store of its own. For the wider bracket, our Lululemon legging alternatives and the full Apart Style archive pick up where this leaves off.

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Written by

Spencer Lanoue

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