11 Brands Like Virus International for Compression Gear
Compression kit gets bought for what it does after the session, not during it. That works until your size sits out of stock for a month, or the piece you want is a $160 competition singlet when what you need is a layer for a cold Sunday run.
Virus International is a US performance-apparel brand, styled VIRUS on its own labels, selling compression, combat and weightlifting kit under the line "the most technical training products on earth". It puts the science in writing: Bioceramic minerals spun into the yarn rather than printed on top, far-infrared warmth off your own body heat, and a claim of soreness clearing 24 to 48 hours faster. Compression and tech shorts run $45 to $74 USD.
These 11 brands like Virus cover what sits either side of that. We read every price off the brand's own store this week and named the currency each time, because one of these shops prices in pounds and two wouldn't show us a figure at all.
Quick comparison: the whole list, what it costs and what it replaces.
| Brand | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Under Armour | Mid-range | A baselayer you can buy in a shop today |
| 2XU | $85 to $145 USD on compression | The recovery half of the Virus range |
| TYR | $69 to $128 USD on men's apparel | Lifting shoes and training kit in one order |
| Alo Yoga | $114 to $144 USD on leggings | Studio kit you'd wear to dinner |
| Nike | Prices not readable on the site | Nike Pro baselayers, stocked almost anywhere |
| Gymshark | $26 to $80 USD on men's shorts | The cheapest way to restock a gym drawer |
| Sweaty Betty | Premium | Prints instead of black-on-black |
| Varley | $62 to $128 USD on leggings and shorts | A compressive fabric with no logos on it |
| Beyond Yoga | $94 to $118 USD on leggings | Soft knit for the day after a heavy session |
| TALA | £52 to £64 GBP on leggings | Pilates and studio kit from a UK store |
| Hylete | $38 to $88 USD | Barbell work, at the lowest price here |
Under Armour
Under Armour organises its clothing around two named systems, UA HeatGear for hot training and UA ColdGear for cold, which is the same split Virus runs with CoolJade and Magmatic Thermal minus the mineral story. Baselayers are the reason the company exists, and they're still the reason to shop it.
The site wouldn't return prices to our checks this week, so we've left it at mid-range instead of quoting a figure we can't stand behind. Breadth is the argument anyway. The US store runs men's, women's and kids' ranges alongside footwear, with its own "Shoes Under $100" edit and a 25% off promotion running on selected styles when we looked, so one order can cover a training block rather than a single layer.
Best for: replacing a compression top today rather than waiting on a restock.
2XU
2XU is the closest thing here to a like-for-like swap, because compression is the whole catalogue rather than one shelf of it. The US store lists compression from $85 to $145 USD. Light Speed Compression Shorts are $85 USD, Refresh Recovery Compression Tights $100 USD, and Power Recovery Compression Tights $120 USD.
There's a far-infrared version too. The Power Recovery Compression Tights with FIR are $130 USD, which lands on the same idea Virus sells through Bioceramic, from an Australian company founded in 2005. Sizing runs XXS to XXXL, though several colourways showed the smallest sizes unavailable when we looked. If you're weighing it against the obvious studio giant, we've put the two side by side in our 2XU and Lululemon comparison.
Best for: recovery tights, which is the piece most people buy Virus for.
TYR
TYR arrived from competitive swimming and now sells across four shelves: swimwear, footwear, apparel and accessories. Its store runs out of Farmingdale, New York, in USD, with men's apparel at $69 to $128. The Vintage Wash Oversized Tee is $69 USD and the Core Logo Oversized Pullover Hoodie $128 USD.
The footwear is what makes it useful to a Virus wearer. Weightlifting shoes and cross-trainers sit in the same checkout as the tees and shorts, so a lifter kitting out from scratch doesn't split the order across two brands. Apparel sizing skews oversized rather than compressive, so pair it with tighter shorts underneath if you train in a singlet.
Best for: buying lifting shoes and training clothes together.
Alo Yoga
Alo Yoga prices leggings at $114 to $144 USD, which puts it above almost everything in a Virus drawer. The 7/8 High-Waist Airbrush Legging is $118 USD, the High-Waist Alosoft Lounge Legging $114 USD, and the Airlift High-Waist Speedwork Legging $144 USD. Nothing carried a struck-through price when we checked, so those are the numbers you'd pay.
The fabrics are built for studio work and the street rather than mat burn and barbell knurl. Alo also sells a class-streaming subscription, which is a separate digital product and ships no clothing, so ignore it if you came for kit. Treat this as the rest-day and travel end of the wardrobe.
Best for: a matching set you'd wear out of the gym without changing.
Nike
Nike runs its compression under the Nike Pro name, and that line is the direct answer to a Virus tech short or long-sleeve. Dri-FIT knit, snug through the thigh and shoulder, sold in the widest size and colour spread of anything on this page.
Nike's site blocked our price reads this week, so there are no figures here. That's a limit of our checking rather than a comment on the range. What Nike gives you that a smaller label can't is availability, both on its own site and through third-party sports retailers, which matters when a training block starts on Monday. For the loud graphic end of gym clothing instead, our list of brands like ASRV covers that side.
Best for: a compression baselayer in a size and colour that's in stock.
Gymshark
Gymshark is the cheapest full-wardrobe option here. Men's shorts run $26 to $80 USD, with Arrival 5" Shorts at $26 USD, Train 5" Shorts at $30 USD and Sport Hybrid 6" Shorts at $54 USD across 132 styles on that page alone.
The cut is closer to gym-to-street than to competition kit, and the technical claims are modest next to a mineral-infused yarn. What you get for the money is volume. Four pairs of the $26 Arrival shorts come in under the price of two pairs of Virus tech shorts, which changes how often you're at the washing machine mid-week. Sizing runs slim through the leg, so size up if you squat heavy.
Best for: filling a drawer in one order without spending $300.
Sweaty Betty
Sweaty Betty is the print-heavy option, and its Power leggings are the piece to know. The fabric is 62% polyamide and 38% elastane, described on the brand's own page as sweat-wicking, quick-drying and cut for an ultra-supportive fit, with 174 leggings styles listed.
Prices didn't render for our checks, so we've left it at premium rather than guessing. The appeal against Virus is colour. Where a Virus rail is mostly black with a logo, this is where you find pattern, and the running tights carry more pockets than most compression tights do. Sizing is women's only, so it replaces part of the range rather than all of it.
Best for: training clothes you can pick out of a pile at a glance.
Varley
Varley splits its leggings by fabric, and one of those fabrics does the Virus job. Assure is the brand's most compressive knit, and the Assure High-Rise Legging 25" is $128 USD. FreeSoft sits under it at $98 USD for the High-Rise Legging and $62 USD for the 5" short, with the Always High-Rise Legging at $118 USD.
The look is the opposite of a competition singlet. Muted colours, no visible logos, and a range that runs into knitwear and swim. Buy the Assure pieces if you want hold, the Always pieces if you want a second-skin feel on an easy day. US shipping is free over $100 and returns are free for 30 days.
Best for: compressive leggings with nothing written on them.
Beyond Yoga
Beyond Yoga prices leggings at $94 to $118 USD and builds most of them from its Spacedye knit, a heathered fabric with a soft hand that suits the day after a session more than the session itself. The Spacedye Pedal Pusher High Waisted Legging is $94 USD, the glowzone High Waisted Midi Legging $108 USD, and the Spacedye It's A Tie Legging $118 USD.
Worth knowing before you shop the sale filters: every item lists a compare-at price identical to its selling price, so nothing on the site reads as marked down even when a promotion is running. Sizing is inclusive and the fit is forgiving rather than sculpting, which is the trade you're making against a compression brand.
Best for: the soft layer you pull on when your legs are wrecked.
TALA
TALA prices in pounds, so read the figures accordingly: the store reports GBP and a UK base. Leggings run £52 to £64. The SkinLuxe No Front Seam Legging is £52 GBP, the DayFlex Wrap High Waisted Legging £59 GBP, and the DayFlex Wrap Flared Yoga Pant £64 GBP.
SkinLuxe is the sculpting knit and DayFlex the everyday one, and the no-front-seam construction is the detail people buy it for. US shoppers can order, but you'll pay in sterling and wait on international shipping, which makes this a considered purchase rather than a quick restock. The range covers pilates and studio work rather than grappling or barbell contact.
Best for: no-front-seam studio kit at half a premium brand's price.
Hylete
Hylete is the closest match on intent, built for barbell work and functional fitness, and it's the cheapest brand on this list. The store runs in USD, and the prices sit well under everything else here: the Barbell Club HY-Blend Crew Tee is $38, the Ava Short and Altium II Bra are $58 each, and the Aurora Jogger is $88.
The construction reads familiar to anyone in Virus shorts. Flat seams and four-way stretch, with a cut that stays put through rope climbs. What you don't get is a mineral or far-infrared story, so if you bought Virus for the recovery claim, this covers the training half only. Everything we checked was in stock across the core sizes.
Best for: gym clothes that take a beating, at $38 to $88.
Which of These Replaces Which Part of Your Kit
Split the decision by what you bought Virus for. If it was recovery, 2XU is the only brand here selling that as its own line, far-infrared version included. If it was training kit that survives mat burn and knurling, Hylete does it from $38 and TYR adds the shoes. If it was the fit, Nike Pro and Under Armour baselayers are the two you can buy off a shelf.
The studio picks work differently. Varley's Assure knit gives you hold without a logo, Beyond Yoga and Alo cover the soft end, and TALA does it in sterling, so check the currency at checkout before you commit to that one. More lists like this one sit in our article library.
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Written by
Spencer Lanoue
