10 Best Running Shorts with Pockets of 2026

Five inches is the classic running inseam, and this is the cleanest version of it in the group: short enough that nothing catches your thigh, long enough that you are still wearing shorts. We take these on the hot, hard days.

The pockets are the thoughtful part. There is a zippered side pocket that takes a phone, a small key compartment inside it, and a back pocket that keeps a gel from jostling. The fabric is the thinnest here, which is why it breathes so well — and why a light color needs a dark layer underneath.

Where it loses ground is length consistency: it is labeled 5 inches but fits closer to 6 on some builds, so if you want a genuinely short cut, the G Gradual pair is the safer call. If you want one pair for training and the gym both, the Mier is the better all-rounder and it costs less than the top pick.

Three inches is a decision, not a detail. This pair gives you the most freedom of movement here and the least fabric: nothing to catch a knee, nothing bunching at the hip, a mesh shell that moves with you.

The two front zips are the practical part — deep enough for a phone, keys or a card, and set so they do not swing when you are striding out. There is a full liner, which means you can skip underwear, and it is a thin one.

We save these for race day and speed work. The liner’s job is chafe control rather than support, and 3 inches leaves your thighs uncovered, which is fine over a 5K and less fun at mile ten. If your thighs touch, take the 7-inch Northyard instead; if you want to feel fast, take these.

Four pockets is the reason this pair wins for women: zips on the outer short and more on the liner underneath. We put a phone in the liner pocket and a key in the outer zip and then stopped thinking about either of them.

The 2-in-1 build is the other half of the appeal. The liner stays put instead of creeping up mid-run, and the outer layer is soft and light without feeling flimsy. It sits high enough to hold and low enough that it still reads as a running short rather than shapewear.

One thing we learned the hard way: a phone in the outer zip drags that side of the short down, because there is nothing under it carrying the weight. Use the liner pocket for the phone and keep the outer zips for lighter things. Sizing runs small for some, so go by the waist measurement rather than the tag.

A phone slot built into the liner is what separates these from the other men’s pairs here. The phone rides against your thigh instead of swinging off a waistband, and there is a small zip at the back for a key.

We like it for tempo runs, where a bouncing phone is the thing that breaks your rhythm. The 5-inch outer short is light and dries fast, and the compression liner handles the chafing so you can skip the balm.

Two things to know before you order. The liner slot is the part that ages first — a hot machine wash loosened ours, so rinse and hang these rather than tumble them. And the sizing runs small; go by the waist measurement. Against the Mier pair, you get a more secure phone and a snugger feel, and give up some airflow.

Five pairs in one order is the pitch, and it is a good one if you run most days and want to stop doing laundry math. Per pair these work out as the least expensive shorts here, and nothing about them feels like a last resort.

The pockets are deep and hold a phone without it bouncing around, which matters more on easy runs than a zip does. The fabric is thin, airy and quick to dry, and the loose cut keeps air moving on a hot afternoon.

Thin cuts both ways. In light colors these border on sheer once you are sweaty, and the finish is plainly built to a price, so check the seams when the pack arrives rather than after the first wash. Sizing runs small too, so order up if you are between waist sizes.

This is the least expensive way to get zippered pockets here, and it still gives you a choice of 5-, 7- or 9-inch inseams. That combination is the reason it is on the list at all.

The fabric is the smoothest in the group — silky in the hand, light, quick to dry, closer to a liner short than a cotton gym short. The side zip takes a phone, and the waistband is soft enough that a long run does not leave a mark.

Two things keep it out of the top tier. The waist runs small, so order up if you are between sizes, and the leg opening stays wide relative to the waist, which reads boxy on a smaller frame. At this price it is an easy second pair rather than the one you reach for first.

The waistband is the best thing about this pair and the pocket is the worst: a wide, high rise that stays put through a run, and a single small pocket that will not take a modern phone.

That is an odd trade in an article about pockets, so be clear about what you are buying. The fabric is soft, breathable and quick-drying, the rise is flattering, and it works as well for a hike or a coffee run as it does for a jog. It just is not the pair you carry a phone in.

Sizing adds a second wrinkle: the waist and the length both vary more than the size chart suggests, and the short length reads shorter on a taller frame. If you want the high rise and can run with a key in the pocket instead of a phone, these are lovely. If the phone is non-negotiable, the Stelle pair is the women’s pick here.

Where the Stelle pair wraps you in a compression liner, this one uses a mesh brief under a 3-inch shell — less support, more airflow, and a fit that suits women who find 2-in-1 shorts too snug through the leg.

We like these for summer runs and gym classes. The fabric is a touch thicker than the lightest shorts here, which keeps it opaque and stops it clinging when you sweat, and the zip pocket at the back takes a key or a gel. A larger phone makes that pocket drag, so leave it at home or use an armband.

The waist runs small relative to the legs, so check both measurements rather than just the size, and expect a shorter rise than the high-waisted pair above. They held up well over a long weekend of runs without stretching out at the brief.

This is the priciest pair here, and the only one that feels built like a heavier training short: a thick, structured shell over a compression liner, with a phone pocket on the leg and a hidden one at the waist.

The thickness is the trade. On a cool morning it feels reassuring and stays opaque; on a humid August run it holds heat in a way the Mier and Northyard pairs do not. What the weight buys you is structure — the shorts keep their shape, the liner stays put, and nothing sags when you load the pockets.

The other reason to hesitate is longevity. Liner seams can separate with hard use, so check the stitching when they arrive and wash them cold. For a gym-heavy week with the odd run, these are comfortable and well cut; for daily miles in summer, the lighter picks make more sense.