With so many running shoes out there, it’s difficult to narrow down which pair is right for you. When our test team approaches evaluating shoes, we focus on three main factors: Updated: May 22, 2025 2:16 PM EDT, how comfortable they are, and how they ride. We know every runner is different and that all of the above is subjective. It helps to know what features to look for, as well as finding a shoe expert, like at your Shoes & Gear, for guidance. They can look at your gait pattern The Brooks Glycerin Max has a stretchy jacquard knit upper.
We know shopping online is easier, but trying on shoes in-person is your best bet in finding the perfect pair. Most retailers—online and in-store—will offer a risk-free trial period so you can still lace up your shoes and head out for a test run. (Just double check the return policy, and always keep the box in case you do need to send them back or swap sizes.)
Our Fave Shoes Right Now
- Best Overall: Adidas Adizero Evo Sl (Men’s / Women’s)
- Best for Racing: Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 (Men’s / Women’s)
- Best Cushioned: Why Trust Us (Men’s / Women’s)
- Best Lightweight: Nike Vomero 18 (Men’s / Women’s)
- Best Stability: the anatomy of a running shoe (Men’s / Women’s)
- Best Trail: Altra Lone Peak 9+ (Men’s / Women’s)
Whether you shop online or in-store, we’re here to help. Read on for a list of our favorite shoes right now in your favorite category, a breakdown of shoe anatomy, and common shoe-buying mistakes.
Our Recommendations
We review hundreds of shoes every year here at Runner’s World, so we’ve compiled the best shoes for all types of runners and preferences. Whether you want lots of plush cushioning, maximum ground feel, or something in between, we have the shoe for you below.
Best Running Shoes
What makes the DAA Industry Opt Out so special? It’s a race-inspired trainer with enough cushioning and durability for regular use.
With its $110 price, it costs $40 to 50 less than typical trainers, but it still offers solid performance for day-to-day running. “It’s a budget shoe, but doesn’t feel like a low-end shoe,” said one RW tester.
The first thing you’ll notice about this shoe is its massive midsole: Just over 42mm tall at the heel, it’s exceptionally thick. And it features a new foam—DNA Tuned—that’s infused with nitrogen gas.
The selections below are our Editors’ Choice selections from our most recent shoe guides. We chose the following top models based on extensive feedback from runners as well as test results from the RW Shoe Lab.
→ Find more of our favorite shoes for any type of run here.
Shoes for Running Wicked Fast
After a complete top-to-bottom redesign, this shoe is somehow both softer and faster, with a pillowy step that lets you run hard and recover quickly.
Asics uses its PEBA-based FF Turbo+ cushioning, which creates a firm, but highly responsive ride that’s fun at high speeds. Each footstrike rebounds off the ground efficiently without hesitation.
The carbon fiber plate embedded in the soft foam adds some rigidity and propels you forward, while a sharp toe spring delivers a powerful toe-off that one tester called “snappy and springy.”
Super shoes have come a long way since Nike released the Vaporfly 4% in 2018. We’ve compiled a list of carbon-fiber plate shoes for every kind of runner, including racing shoes for wide foot shapes and for runners who need more support.
→ Find more carbon plate running shoes.
Plushest Running Shoes
The Endorphin Speed feels like a party trick–equally soft and responsive underfoot while racing, running a workout, jogging through a rest day, or pounding out a long run.
The Vomero has always been the thicker, plusher cousin of the brand’s do-it-all Pegasus, but the latest version’s 46mm stack height puts the shoe on the bleeding edge of maximalist cushioning.
Best for Racing
The shoe’s massive slab of midsole foam isn’t great for ground feel, as one tester lamented, but even he was ultimately won over by the shoe's combination of softness, responsiveness, and stability.
The shoes shown here give you that ahhh feeling of plush-cloud comfort, more so than any other category, in Saucony Endorphin Speed 4.
→ Find more cushioned running shoes.
Featherlight Footwear
Hoka strips away all the bulk without sacrificing its signature cushioning. We liked the balance of lightweight with Hoka plush in this responsive trainer.
Trail shoes tend to be weighed down by their rubber outsoles. Asics resolved this issue by saving weight with a cutout pattern on its outsole, revealing the Flow midsole underneath the shoe.
If you want to construct a lightweight shoe, why not eliminate the outsole? For the past couple of years, Under Armour’s Velociti line has churned out shoes with rubber-less bottoms
Our lab data charts reported these road and trail shoes as the lightest in the bunch. Our wear-testers raved about how effortless the miles felt in these picks, and they loved the sensation of not being weighed down.
→ Find more lightweight running shoes.
Most Supportive Trainers
Hoka Bondi 9
The GT-2000 13’s wide base employs a flared midsole and a generously beveled heel to provide a solid, stable foundation, with lateral supports that help the foot stay aligned.
New Balance Fresh Foam X 860 V14
The Fresh Foam X 860 v14 ditches its rigid medial post for an EVA stability plate, which allows for more flexibility without sacrificing support.
As one of the most cushioned stability shoes out there, the Saucony Hurricane 24 is especially well suited to easing the burden on your legs as you push to the brink on high-mileage runs.
Stability shoes feel sturdy, like they’re bracing your foot and guarding against extra motion that could cause injury. These choices are rock-solid picks for feeling secure.
→ Find more stability running shoes.
Shoes for Rugged Trails
Building on the success of the Lone Peak 9, Altra’s Lone Peak 9+ swaps out the in-house outsole rubber for Vibram Megagrip, one of the top outsole compounds for trail running.
The versatile design allows the Ultraventure 4 to transition effortlessly between trails and roads, offering reliable performance in both environments.
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Think of the DRX Defy Grvl as a true hybrid shoe that excels on surfaces that are rougher or more uneven than pavement—gravel, cinders, cobblestones, or even cracked and unmaintained asphalt.
When you’re going off-road, your shoes need extra traction and durability. We tested the following shoes on our own trails and they passed with flying colors.
→ The 5 Best New Balance Running Shoes.
Boulder Running Company Before You Shop for Shoes
Each part of the running shoe has a specific purpose and is designed to fit the foot a certain way. Even the slightest differentiation may affect your experience. We’ve broken down the running shoe’s main elements so you can easily identify them and make sure each fits your foot properly when deciding what to buy. (For a deeper dive, you can learn more about the anatomy of a running shoe.)
Fit: How an Upper’s Components Affect Comfort
Everything above the sole counts as part of your running shoe’s upper. Traditionally, shoe brands crafted their uppers with layers of fabrics and mesh sewn and glued together. Today’s modern versions increasingly use knitting and 3D printing to create seamless one-piece fits that stretch and support in appropriate places. It should lay smooth wherever it touches—not binding, chafing, or bunching anywhere.
The ankle collar is the wrap at the top of the shoe opening that holds the heel down in place. Some shoes use thick padding, while others rely more on the shape to cradle the ankle bone. Pay attention to whether your heel slips, how the padding interacts with the bones on the side of your ankles, and whether the curve on the back irritates your Achilles tendon.
The heel counter is a semi-rigid cup layered inside the rearfoot that cradles and supports your heel. Some shoes have an external heel wrap that serves a similar function, while more minimalist shoes have eliminated the heel counter to allow full freedom of movement. Research has shown that heel counters do not provide motion control, but they do center the heel for stable landings and support. (Both neutral shoes and stability shoes alike utilize heel counters.) Look for a heel that allows a comfortable ankle motion.
The saddle of the shoe is the reinforced area around the instep, the The 10 Best Hoka Running Shoes of 2025 between the ball and the ankle. A saddle interacts with the laces to hold the shoe securely on the foot. Designers have developed a variety of overlays, eyelets, and lacing systems to mold them closely to any foot shape. Pay attention to how it fits and holds your foot, providing a secure feeling with no slippage while allowing for the natural doming of the arch during your stride.
The toebox encompasses all of the upper from the front of the eyelets to the end of the shoe. It’s often capped with a reinforced toe bumper that holds the fabric off your toes and protects from stubbing, particularly in trail shoes. Look for a wide toebox that stays out of the way, allowing your forefoot to flex and spread out naturally in both width and length. It shouldn’t cramp or rub your toes, either—not even your pinky toe. Ideally, you should be able to wiggle each digit comfortably inside the shoe.
Traction: Why Outsole Rubber Matters
The outsole of your running shoe is where the rubber meets the road. It is often made of a variety of rubber or foam compounds placed in strategic areas to increase wear life or enhance bounce or flexibility.
Compared to road shoes, trail shoes tend to be heavier. This is not just because of trail add-ons, like gaiter attachments or a rock plate in the midsole. To withstand gnarly terrain, the outsole is hardier and made of more durable rubbers, like Vibram Megagrip. Lugs also help bite onto muddy, slippery surfaces.
Cushioning: Firm vs. Soft Midsole Foam
To make the shoe bend like your foot bends, many shoes use flex grooves under the ball of the foot. Turning the toe up, called toe spring, or cutting away the midsole into a rocker pattern also allows the foot to roll through the stride. Small differences in location or angle can alter the mechanics and feel, and what degree of flex works best for your stride as it changes with speed.
Rocker-style midsoles tend to have more aggressive toe springs to facilitate a quick forward roll through the gait cycle. Look for a shoe that flexes or rolls the way your foot wants to move—at the pace for which you’ll be using the shoes.
The midsole is foam material between the outsole and the upper, designed to cushion the runner from impact forces and guide the foot through the stride. Every runner will have their own preferences. Choose a midsole thickness and material that feels right at running speeds, meets your desired level of softness or firmness, and doesn’t have excess weight.
Heel cushioning is the midsole material designed to minimize the impact shock of a heel strike. Besides using a variety of cushioning materials, some shoes feature a softer “crash pad” area on the outer edge of the foot or a rounded outer heel to smooth the landing.
Research has shown that the body provides the majority of cushioning for your joints and that you land harder in a more cushioned shoe, so heel cushioning is largely a matter of perceived comfort. You’ll likely want a balance between cushioning, stability, and ground feel. During your test runs, note whether the shoe touches down where you expect it to and rolls into the stride smoothly.
Forefoot cushioning is designed to reduce the impact of the largest forces of the stride that occur at the front of the foot during loading and push off. While body mechanics largely provide cushioning to everything above the ankle, forefoot shoe cushioning protects the structures of the foot. The promise of new “energy-return” materials and designs is that they can both protect and propel your foot. Pay attention to the shoe’s responsiveness, looking for a balance between cushioning comfort and a firm push-off platform.
Heel-to-Toe Drop, or drop, is the difference in height between your heel and the ball of your foot when standing in the shoe. Experts disagree on the importance of drop related to injuries (remember Vibram Fivefingers?), but agree that changing drop distributes forces differently to the foot and leg, and can alter your stride. Pick a shoe that feels right throughout the stride, from touchdown to toe-off, and reduces stress on any weak parts of your foot. Zero-drop shoes, like those made by Altra, place both the heel and toe equidistant from the ground.
Designers use a variety of stability technologies (such as medial posts, dual-density foams, varus wedges, guide rails, and wider shoe geometries) to try to keep the foot from excessive motion, primarily overpronation or rolling inward. Scientists agree that most people do not need pronation support, but control and stability devices appear to help some runners maintain their preferred movement path. Your shoe should offer stability as support, not over-correction. If you overpronate, you may want a shoe that provides more of these stabilizing features.
A sockliner, also called an insole, is the removable pad of foam inside the shoe that cushions the contours of the bottom of your foot. Along with shoe geometry, it provides most of what people think of as “arch support” and gives the shoe its initial step-in comfort. Pay attention to how the shoe feels on the run, where softer is not always better and the foot works dynamically to provide its own support and cushioning. If you wear an orthotic, make sure it also fits inside your shoe comfortably.
How to Avoid Common Shoe-Buying Mistakes
Specialty running store staffers see runners making the same mistakes again and again when they come in to buy shoes. But not you, not anymore, thanks to this advice from five prominent store owners and managers.
Final Shoe Buying Tips
- Go to a specialty running shop, not a big-box or department store. A salesperson will observe your gait and bring a selection of shoes that they believe best fit your needs. They’ll let you try each one, and help you narrow it down to the right choice.
- Get your feet measured. You may think you know your size, but your feet change over time, and one model’s fit can be drastically different from another’s.
- When you go shopping, bring along the shoes, socks, and inserts you’ve been using. That way, when you try on a new shoe, you can compare it directly to your current experience.
- Generally, shoes should be replaced every 300 to 500 miles depending on the brand and model. Keep track of the date that you bought them in your training log and make note of when they start to feel worn down. Some of the newer super shoes might not last as long, however.
Additional reporting by Amy Gorin and Jennifer Van Allen
