Leggings vs Yoga Pants vs Tights: What Is the Difference?

By the Sale Splash Online team · Updated October 16, 2026

Leggings are footless, opaque stretch trousers made to be worn on their own. Yoga pants are leggings (or flares) built for mat work, with a high waist and a dense knit that stays opaque in deep stretches. Tights are hosiery: usually footed, graded by denier from sheer to opaque, and worn under clothes rather than alone.

The three terms get used interchangeably, but knowing which one you actually want saves a mis-buy. Below: what each garment is, how they compare side by side, and which to reach for.

Leggings

Footless, opaque, stretch-knit trousers worn as outerwear. Thickness varies from lightweight summer knits to fleece-lined winter pairs. The defining trait: opaque enough to wear alone. Wikipedia’s hosiery entry draws the same line, describing leggings as differing from tights chiefly in that they can be worn as outerwear (Wikipedia, “Pantyhose”).

Leggings cover the widest range of any of the three. The same word describes a thin everyday cotton blend, a sculpting high-waist gym pair, a faux leather evening legging and a thermal winter pair. What they share is a close fit through the whole leg, no fastenings and enough fabric density to be worn without anything over them. That stretch comes from spandex, the fibre DuPont chemist Joseph Shivers invented in 1958 and sold as Lycra (Textile World, 2018). Spandex can stretch to about five times its length (Wikipedia, “Spandex”).

Yoga pants

Technically a broader family that includes flare and bootcut cuts as well as tight ones. Yoga pants in nylon and Lycra came onto the market in 1998, sold by Lululemon in Vancouver (Wikipedia, “Yoga pants”; “Lululemon”). In practice, “yoga pants” today usually means a performance legging with a high waist and construction details for mat work. Those details are smooth front seams that do not press in during a forward fold, and dense knits that stay opaque in deep stretches. Browse our yoga range to see the difference in construction.

The original yoga pant was looser, often flared from the knee, in a soft cotton-stretch jersey. That style is back in fashion as the flare legging, but most people searching for yoga pants now mean something skin-tight.

The category is large. In the year to June 2014, NPD Group data showed US sales of yoga pants and other activewear up 7% to $33.6 billion, while jeans fell 6% to $16 billion (Associated Press via WTOP, 2014). Amanda Hallay, a fashion merchandising professor at LIM College, told the AP: “Everyone wants to look like they’re running to the gym, even if they’re not.”

Tights

The sheerer, footed (or stirrup) garment worn under things rather than as trousers. Tights are graded by denier, the mass in grams of 9,000 metres of yarn (Wikipedia, “Units of textile measurement”). Roughly, 20 denier is standard sheer and 30 is semi-opaque, with heavier counts running up to fully opaque (Wikipedia, “Pantyhose”). Our thermal tights sit in between: tight-weight construction with legging-level warmth.

Running “tights” muddy this further. In sportswear the word often means a close-fitting performance legging, usually footless, sometimes with reflective details and a zip pocket. If a product is sold as a running tight and has no foot, treat it as a legging.

Leggings vs yoga pants vs tights at a glance

Fabric: what separates a good pair

For anything you will move in, look for a nylon or polyester blend with a decent share of elastane. Nylon feels softer and has a slight sheen. Polyester holds prints well and absorbs very little water. Standard moisture regain is 0.4–0.8% for polyester, 4.0–4.5% for nylon 6,6 and 7–11% for cotton (Wikipedia, “Yarn conditioning”, citing Kadolph, Textiles). That is why cotton blends are comfortable for lounging but hold sweat and lose shape over a long session. Our fabric guide goes through each blend in detail.

Opacity is where cheap pairs fail. A legging can look solid on the hanger and go sheer in a squat. That matters most for yoga, where deep stretches put the most strain on the fabric. Our squat-proof test shows how to check a pair before you wear it out.

Which to buy

• Wearing them alone to train or run errands → leggings
• Yoga, pilates, deep stretching → yoga pants with a smooth front seam
• Under dresses and trousers for warmth → tights
• Cold-weather walks and commutes → fleece-lined leggings
• Evenings out → faux leather or ponte leggings, which read as trousers

Whichever you choose, the sizing rule is the same: international sizing runs about one size smaller than US. Our size guide covers how to measure.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between leggings and yoga pants?

Yoga pants are a kind of legging designed for mat work. They have a wide, high waist, a smooth or seam-free front and a denser knit that stays opaque in deep stretches. Plain leggings vary more in weight and waistband. Yoga pants can also be flared, which leggings never are.

Can you wear tights as leggings?

Only the thickest opaque styles, and even then they tend to go sheer at the seat when you bend. Tights are made to be worn under other clothes, so for wearing on their own, choose leggings.

Are yoga pants just expensive leggings?

Not quite. A good yoga pant has construction choices a basic legging skips: a smooth or no-front seam, a high supportive waist and a denser knit. Whether that is worth it depends on how much floor work you do.

What does denier mean on tights?

Denier is the weight in grams of 9,000 metres of the yarn. The higher the number, the thicker and more opaque the tights. Around 20 denier is standard sheer, around 30 is semi-opaque, and heavier counts are opaque.

Do leggings count as trousers?

In most casual settings, yes. For more formal occasions, see our guide to wearing leggings to dressier events.

Are running tights the same as leggings?

Usually, yes. In sportswear, “running tights” normally means a footless performance legging, often with reflective details or a zip pocket. If it has no foot, treat it as a legging.