Running Shoe Finder and Comparison Tool
Answer a few questions about how and where you actually run, and this narrows 42 shoes from the major brands down to the ones worth trying. No wet test required.
Last updated . Availability is checked against Amazon automatically.
How to use this tool
Answer as many questions as you want. Every answer narrows the list below. Skip anything you are unsure about and the tool simply keeps more options open.
Then go try them on. This tool gets you to a shortlist. The last step should always happen in a store, on your own feet, because comfort is the one thing no filter can measure.
Find your shoe
Showing 42 of 42 shoes
Brooks Ghost 18
The default daily trainer, and the shoe I hand most new runners first
- Most forgiving all-rounder
- Wide and x-wide available
- Reliable version to version
Brooks Glycerin 22
Brooks' softest ride for runners who want to feel less of the road
- Softest Brooks ride
- Great for long slow miles
- Wide available
Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24
The stability shoe that does not feel like a stability shoe
- Guidance without harshness
- Wide and x-wide
- Long-running favorite
Brooks Launch 12
A light, simple trainer at a price that does not sting
- Best value on this list
- Light and responsive
- Good uptempo option
Brooks Cascadia 19
A rugged, do-anything trail shoe with real underfoot protection
- Rock plate protection
- Stable on uneven ground
- Wide available
ASICS Gel-Nimbus 27
ASICS' plush flagship, and one of the most cushioned daily trainers made
- Very high cushioning
- Wide and x-wide
- Excellent for long runs
ASICS Gel-Kayano 32
The long-standing stability flagship, now much softer than its reputation
- Support plus plush cushioning
- Wide and x-wide
- Marathon-friendly
ASICS Novablast 5
Bouncy and fun, the daily trainer that makes easy runs feel quicker
- Springy, energetic ride
- Doubles as an uptempo shoe
- Great value for the feel
ASICS Gel-Cumulus 27
The sensible everyday ASICS, less shoe and less money than the Nimbus
- Balanced daily ride
- Good value
- Wide available
ASICS Gel-Trabuco 13
A road-shoe feel with trail-ready grip underneath
- Comfortable on mixed surfaces
- Good door-to-trail option
- Familiar ASICS fit
HOKA Clifton 10
The shoe that made HOKA mainstream: very cushioned, surprisingly light
- Max cushion, light weight
- Low drop
- Wide available
HOKA Bondi 9
The most cushioned shoe most runners will ever put on
- Maximum cushioning
- Excellent for recovery
- Wide and x-wide
HOKA Arahi 8
Stability from geometry rather than a hard corrective post
- Light for a stability shoe
- Smooth guided feel
- Wide available
HOKA Mach 6
HOKA's uptempo trainer, light and quick without being a race shoe
- Light and responsive
- Good tempo option
- Still cushioned enough for daily use
HOKA Speedgoat 6
The benchmark cushioned trail shoe for long days on rough ground
- Aggressive Vibram grip
- Max cushion for trail
- Wide available
HOKA Challenger 8
Road-to-trail crossover with a smooth ride and modest lugs
- Comfortable on road and trail
- Modest lugs
- Wide available
Saucony Ride 18
A consistently well-balanced daily trainer with none of the gimmicks
- Well-balanced ride
- Slightly lower drop
- Wide available
Saucony Triumph 23
Saucony's plush flagship, soft without feeling unstable
- Very soft PWRRUN PB midsole
- Great for long runs
- Wide available
Saucony Guide 18
Modern stability that most runners will not notice is a stability shoe
- Unobtrusive support
- Comfortable daily ride
- Wide available
Saucony Endorphin Speed
A nylon-plated trainer that makes fast days genuinely fun
- Nylon plate, not carbon
- Excellent for tempo and intervals
- Can race in it too
Saucony Peregrine 15
The all-round trail shoe: grippy, light and close to the ground
- Excellent grip
- Light and agile
- Wide available
New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v15
New Balance's plush flagship, one of the softest daily trainers made
- Very soft Fresh Foam X
- Excellent width range
- Great for long runs
New Balance Fresh Foam X 880v15
The sensible, do-everything New Balance daily trainer
- Dependable daily trainer
- Wide and x-wide
- Good value
New Balance Fresh Foam X 860
New Balance's stability workhorse with excellent width availability
- Best width range in stability
- Dependable support
- Long-run capable
Nike Pegasus 41
Nike's long-running everyday trainer, firmer and more responsive than most
- Responsive daily ride
- Good for mixed-pace running
- Wide available
Nike Vomero 18
Nike's most cushioned road shoe, a genuine long-run option
- Very high stack
- Comfortable for long runs
- Soft landing
Nike Air Zoom Structure
Nike's stability trainer for runners who want a supportive, firmer ride
- Supportive and firm
- Familiar Nike fit
- Everyday workhorse
Altra Torin 8
Zero drop with a foot-shaped toe box, cushioned for daily miles
- Zero drop
- Foot-shaped toe box
- Cushioned enough for daily use
Altra Lone Peak 9
The cult trail shoe: zero drop, huge toe box, built for long days out
- Zero drop
- Roomiest toe box on this list
- Ultra-distance favorite
Mizuno Wave Rider 29
A firmer, springier daily trainer for runners who dislike mushy shoes
- Firmer, responsive feel
- Distinctive Mizuno ride
- Wide available
Mizuno Wave Inspire 21
Mizuno's stability trainer with the same firm, responsive character
- Firm, supportive ride
- Responsive feel
- Wide available
On Cloudmonster
On's most cushioned shoe, with their distinctive springy CloudTec ride
- Most cushioned On shoe
- Springy ride
- Distinctive look
On Cloudsurfer
A smoother, softer On built for everyday running
- Smoother than older On models
- Light daily trainer
- Strong everyday comfort
Brooks Hyperion 3
A light, firm trainer built for the days you want to run fast
- Light and firm
- Great for tempo days
- Can race in it
Saucony Kinvara 16
The long-running lightweight trainer, low to the ground and quick
- Very light
- Low to the ground
- Long-standing favourite
New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4
Light and bouncy, the daily trainer that wants to go fast
- Light with real bounce
- Doubles as a workout shoe
- Wide available
ASICS Gel-Excite 11
A genuinely inexpensive ASICS that still runs well
- Lowest price on this list
- Familiar ASICS fit
- Wide available
New Balance Fresh Foam 520
A simple, affordable everyday trainer with real width options
- Budget price
- Wide and x-wide
- Straightforward ride
Saucony Xodus Ultra 4
Maximum cushioned trail shoe built for very long days
- Max cushion for trail
- Built for ultra distance
- Wide available
Brooks Caldera 8
Brooks' cushioned ultra trail shoe, softer than the Cascadia
- Softer than the Cascadia
- Good for long trail days
- Wide available
Brooks Divide 3
An affordable door-to-trail shoe that handles pavement fine
- Budget trail option
- Comfortable on pavement too
- Wide available
Nike Pegasus Trail 5
The trail version of Nike's everyday trainer, smooth on mixed ground
- Smooth on mixed surfaces
- Cushioned for trail
- Familiar Nike fit
A word on pronation and arch height
If you have been to a running store, you may have been put on a treadmill, filmed, and told you overpronate and need a stability shoe. That approach has been the standard for decades. The research has not been kind to it. Studies looking at assigning shoes by foot type have generally failed to show that it reduces injuries, and some found no benefit at all.
What does hold up is comfort. Runners who pick the shoe that feels best to them tend to get injured less than runners assigned a shoe by category. That is why this tool asks about surface, distance and feel first, and treats support as a preference near the end rather than a diagnosis.
None of that means stability shoes are useless. Plenty of runners genuinely prefer them, and if that is you, filter for them. It means you should not feel locked into a category because of a wet test you did once. I go into this in more detail here.