Everything comes in subscription form now. From streaming TV to Xbox Game Pass to food and wine, you can set-and-forget just about anything to be regularly delivered to your door. But underwear?
I’m the kind of guy who orders underwear in big batches, wears them til they fall apart, and then goes out and does it all again. But as underwear subscription boxes became more popular, I became intrigued: are these actually a useful way to replenish your drawers, or are they just a way to suck your bank account dry on an automatic subscription?
Okay, it’s maybe a little of both—but most allow you to configure the cadence so you aren’t overburdened with boxer briefs, or skip a shipment if you need to. And some even allow you to try different brands and styles while sticking to a general framework you lay out—like “no briefs” or “solid colors only.” And, of course, you can cancel when you’ve got enough pairs. With a few well-placed reminders on your calendar, a subscription box can be a great way to keep your underwear drawer fresh, especially if you have a partner who’s tired of looking at the same ratty stuff every time you get down and dirty.
Tons of High-Quality Variety: Underwear Expert
When it comes to selection, Underwear Expert was top of the pack of the services I tested. When you sign up, you go through a wizard that asks you a number of questions about your style, ranging from the type(s) of underwear you like (from thongs and jockstraps to trunks and boxer briefs) to a little “taste quiz” where you pick the underwear you like best from a series of pictures, which will help determine what kind of styles and patterns you get. You can then select a cadence from every month to every three months, with one to three pairs per box, with the ability to pick specific pairs or let Underwear Expert pick for you.
Underwear Expert has their own in-house brands, as well as a number of other brands in their catalog (some of which are brands that have partnered specifically with Underwear Expert for exclusive offerings). That means you may find some variety in fit and finish, but I found every item in my box to be of good quality and quite comfortable.
Pricing ranges from $26 per month (for one pair in a box) to $70 (for three pairs)—with a free pair for your first month if you go with two or three pairs per box. And obviously, if you spread out your shipments, you’ll only get charged for the months you actually receive a box. You can also shop their store separately, if you aren’t looking to subscribe—though a subscription is a better value, given that some styles are more expensive than the price of a monthly pair.
Great Quality from a Beloved Brand: Stance
Ask around about the best sock brands, and someone will almost undoubtedly bring up Stance. But they make underwear as well—with subscription options for both. As a longtime fan of their socks, I had high expectations for Stance’s underwear, and they didn’t disappoint, with plenty of styles to choose from (both plain and patterned) in three fabrics. They only offer boxers and boxer briefs, but the latter has an option for Stance’s “Wholester” style, which adds a few flaps surrounding your junk to cradle everything in glorious comfort. Stance isn’t the only underwear brand I’ve seen do this, but they’re one of the only few on this list that offered it in a subscription, and after using it, it’s hard to go back to normal underwear.
Stance’s underwear subscription costs $19 per month for one pair, up to $57 for three pairs, and you can subscribe monthly or quarterly, or shop directly from their store (albeit with higher prices).
Sexy on a Subscription: Daily Jocks
Daily Jocks is almost in a category of its own. Unlike the other subscriptions on this list, which mostly focus on underwear (and maybe a related category or two), Daily Jocks offers underwear, sportswear, swimwear, resortwear, and fetishwear, with a sex toy store to boot. Its marketing is aimed more toward gay men, but straight guys can still find a lot to like here, particularly if you’re looking for something that shows off a bit more. They offer a solid selection of trunks, briefs, and jockstraps from a few different brands—all of which felt sturdy and high quality. Their signup process is middle-of-the-road in terms of detail, with a few ways to determine the style you get, and a first preference/second preference lineup that works well as a fallback if something is out of stock.
The service costs $24 per month for one pair, and you can get underwear shipped once every month or two months—with 50% off your first shipment. You can also shop their store separately, if you don’t want to subscribe.
Patterns Galore: MeUndies
If you’re looking into underwear subscriptions, you’ve probably already heard of MeUndies, which has had a big hand in popularizing the concept. Their men’s subscription offers a number of styles, including boxer briefs (with or without a fly), long boxer briefs, trunks, boxers, and briefs, which come in a very soft, comfortable fabric. MeUndies also offers a few different patterns, though they mostly focus on solids and fun pictures (martinis, surfboards, that kind of stuff) with only a few stripes and plaids to round out the selection. They also offer more sizes than most of the services we looked at, from small all the way up to XXXXL, and you can even add your significant other to your subscription to get matching underwear.
MeUndies is one of the most affordable subscriptions we looked at, starting at only $16 a month for one pair. You can shop their store separately, but you’ll pay significantly less with a subscription.
All the Undergarments: Basic Man
While many of the stores listed here offer clothing beyond underwear, Basic Man is specifically designed around subscribing to the whole package: one pair of underwear, one pair of socks, and one T-shirt, once per month. As the name suggests, you’re getting all the basics—though while they aren’t flush with different patterns, all the items are well-made. The underwear in particular uses memes for the inside of the fly and the gusset, which is nice for keeping things cool. The selection was the smallest of the bunch, but it seems that’s by design: if all you want is the basics done well, Basic Man is a fantastic choice.
Basic Man’s subscription costs $25 per month, though you can get discounts for pre-paying in advance. To shop for specific items instead, you can go straight to their store.
A Wacky Hammock for Your Junk: Shinesty
Shinesty’s mission, as they state it, is to “bring you the most outlandish collection of clothing the world has ever seen,” from suits to swimwear to ski onesies to accessories, with plenty of themes available. Their underwear subscription, available for men, women, or matching couples, is certainly in line with this, offering a number of silly patterns and unconventional designs. Apart from that, though, their underwear stands out with the “ball hammock,” a piece of fabric designed to support your boys and keep them from sticking to your legs. It’s similar to Stance’s Wholester, but instead of two pieces of fabric on the sides, it’s one large swoop along the bottom—this keeps your sack more secluded, but in my experience, is also more prone to them falling out entirely. Though this may have been because the underwear ran a bit large on me, so it might be more ideal for those who sit in between sizes.
Shinesty only offers a once-per-month subscription, billed quarterly at $45 or annually at $160. That’s about $13-15 per month, which is very affordable compared to others we tested, albeit more limiting since you’re committed to a certain number of shipments. If you want to try the ball hammock before you sign up, you can shop for individual pairs in their store.