8 Best Maternity Swimsuits of 2026, Tested and Ranked

A skirt on a swimsuit is usually decoration. This one covers the upper thigh and the seat, which is the difference between sitting on the pool steps with your legs crossed and actually getting in. If you have been avoiding the water because of your leg line, that is not a small thing.

We recommend it for anyone who wants that coverage without a modest-swimwear look. The ribbed knit, twist front, and ruffle sleeve read as a normal summer suit, and the waist cutout keeps the whole thing from turning into a dress. The brief underneath is full, the skirt falls to the upper thigh, and the neckline stays put instead of gaping when you lean forward.

Removable pads, adjustable shoulder straps, and a stretch that runs comfortably from early pregnancy to full term take care of the practical side. Sizing is where to be deliberate: your usual size is right for the second trimester, and one size up is the better call if you want the same suit to still fit at 38 weeks.

Ribbed knit became the default fabric for maternity swimwear because it stretches in two directions and springs back rather than sagging, and this is the version here that makes it look deliberate. The tie knot at the front and the ruffled shoulder turn a very simple one-piece into something worth wearing even without a bump.

Fit is the strength. Adjustable shoulder straps plus a tie at the back give you two places to take up slack, which is more than most suits in this group offer, and the stretch is the kind that lasts a summer rather than relaxing by August. Coverage is generous without being frumpy, and the leg line sits at a normal brief height instead of climbing.

The ruffle is the one detail that divides people: it is a lot of fabric on the shoulder if you like a clean line, and it is the first thing you notice in a photograph. If the lace-up back on our top pick is more hardware than you want, this is the simpler version, two ties and no fuss, at a lower price.

A tankini with boyshorts solves a problem none of the one-pieces here touch. You can crouch, squat, and chase a toddler without thinking about your leg line, and the shorts stay where you put them when you stand up out of the water. They are the reason to buy this suit, and for some people the reason to send it back, because they fit like compression shorts around the thigh rather than a loose swim short.

We recommend it anyway for active days and for anyone who wants more than a brief and less than a skirt. The top is ruched and cross-backed, the drawstring waist lets you set the shorts above or below the bump, and the stretch has enough give to see out a third trimester without pulling across the belly.

Sizing is the part to get right. If you are between sizes and you carry weight in your thighs, take the larger one: the top has room to spare, and you want the shorts sitting smoothly rather than biting. The other quiet advantage of a two-piece this late in pregnancy is that bathroom breaks stop being an event.

The straps come off. That sounds minor until you have spent a summer with tan lines across your shoulders and a top that shifts every time you stand up, and a bandeau you can strap back on for actual swimming is the most useful trick in this group.

The bottoms are the maternity part: a high waist that pulls over the bump and keeps stretching as it grows, cut high enough that the set reads as a one-piece when it is on. The ruffle hem and the removable straps keep it from looking like a maternity garment with a bikini bottom bolted on.

We like it best for the second half of pregnancy and for anyone who wants a two-piece without a lot of skin. Just size for the top, because it runs small across the bust while the bottoms run true, so if you are between sizes or well endowed, take the larger and accept a roomier brief. At the low end of this group’s pricing, it is an easy way to try a two-piece, and the top keeps working after delivery.

Where our top pick adjusts at the back, this one solves the fit question at the front. The crossed panels create a V that opens over a fuller chest instead of compressing it, so the fabric sits on top of you rather than pushing everything flat.

That is why it is our pick for larger busts. Coverage runs high across the chest and the back, it holds up for lap swimming as well as lounging, and the front cross is flattering in a way that ruched maternity suits often are not. It also does not read as a maternity suit, which matters if you want one suit for a babymoon and the pool at home.

Measure before you order and follow the size chart rather than your usual size, because this one rewards it more than most. Choose a darker shade: the pale and pink colorways are the ones that fade, so treat it as a one-season suit, rinse it after every swim, and it will get you to the end of the summer looking like it did in June.

This is the suit in the group that looks like it came from a swim boutique rather than a marketplace listing. The V-neck, the ruched waist, and the thin straps all read simple and expensive at once, and none of it shouts pregnancy.

It is cut generously through the middle, which is both the appeal and the complication. Early on it can feel loose through the waist, and by the third trimester some people find it perfect while others want more room. If you are shopping in your first trimester, expect to grow into it rather than out of it.

The details are well judged: adjustable spaghetti straps you can shorten as your shape changes, removable soft cups, and ruching that does the maternity work without looking like a maternity panel. It is the kind of suit you can wear to a resort pool without feeling like you are in pregnancy gear.

We rate it as the style pick of the set, and the one to pack for a babymoon where the photographs matter as much as the swimming. Be clear-eyed about the seat, though, because the leg line is cut narrow and the back is skimpier than most one-pieces. If full coverage is the point, the Charmo swim dress or our top pick does that job properly.

This is the least expensive suit in the group, and it does not behave like it. The fabric is opaque, the ruffle top covers the bust properly, and the high-waisted bottoms pull all the way up over the bump instead of stopping underneath it.

The catch is that the two halves were cut for different bodies. The top runs big and the bottoms run small, so ordering your usual size gets you a top you want to tighten and a brief that bites. Order for the bottoms and be prepared to wear the top a little loose, or size down and accept a firmer fit through the hips.

Coverage is genuinely full for the money, the white-lined bottoms stay opaque in the water, and the quality is better than the price suggests. It is not the suit to buy if you want something that fits perfectly out of the bag.

For a suit that only has to survive one summer in the backyard, we think that is a fair trade, and it is the one to add as a second swimsuit for the last stretch rather than the suit you build a vacation around.