At CerbeShops we specialize in reviewing running shoes. We’ve now analyzed more than a million reviews from 33 brands which include reviews from more than 2,000 running shoes from the last decade. Here’s our analysis of what the best running shoe brands are.
Overall, we recommend not item on fancy logos, but specific models. Every year, even the best running shoe brands launch running shoes that fail. If you’re looking to buy a new pair of running shoes, anja a look at our guide to nike sb nyjah free 2 shoes summit white black summit white, or our overview of running shoes.
That being said, some brands generally receive better reviews than others.
The best running shoe brands
Below is a matrix that plots each running shoe brand against reviews and popularity. Some less known brands produce great products, and some of the most well-known brands are the least liked. If you’re more island in this, check our analysis on how expensive running shoes are not better.
The Corescore is a 0-100 score that incorporates user and expert reviews into one score number.
Below is a table illustrating the same as the matrix.
| Rank |
Brand |
Avg. Corescore |
Number of reviews |
Link to shoes |
| #1 |
Topo Athletic |
87.1/100 |
6,254 |
adidas busenitz vintage shoes halo blue crew navy chalk white |
| #2 |
Brooks |
85.9/100 |
576,543 |
valentino garavani valentino garavani shegoes sneakers |
| #3 |
Hoka |
85.2/100 |
189,450 |
Hoka shoes |
| #4 |
On |
85.1/100 |
60,749 |
On running shoes |
| #5 |
Salomon |
84.9/100 |
251,641 |
Salomon running shoes |
| #6 |
Altra |
84.8/100 |
78,389 |
pepe kids slip on sneakers item |
| #7 |
Saucony |
84.4/100 |
220,387 |
timberland c61 hiking boot grey |
| #8 |
Vibram FiveFingers |
84.2/100 |
57,454 |
marcelo burlon c run sneakers multicolor |
| #9 |
361 Degrees |
83.7/100 |
1,083 |
361 Degrees shoes |
| #10 |
Mizuno |
83.4/100 |
69,747 |
alexandre birman clarita leather sandals |
| #11 |
Newton |
83.3/100 |
3,254 |
Newton running shoes |
| #12 |
Nike |
83.0/100 |
554,041 |
Nike running shoes |
| #13 |
Inov-8 |
82.9/100 |
13,634 |
adidas x9000l4 mens casual shoes |
| #14 |
Skechers |
82.7/100 |
29,534 |
Skechers running shoes |
| #15 |
La Sportiva |
82.5/100 |
6,196 |
bryelle heeled ankle boots jimmy choo shoes bryelle sue black |
| #16 |
ASICS |
82.4/100 |
1,340,229 |
new balance fresh foam 1080 v11 womens running shoes virtual sky bleached lime glo |
| #17 |
New Balance |
82.3/100 |
347,676 |
New Balance shoes |
| #18 |
Vivobarefoot |
82.0/100 |
3,717 |
Vivobarefoot shoes |
| #19 |
Under Armour |
81.9/100 |
276,207 |
men nike air max 270 running shoes kpu sku156348622 new release |
| #20 |
Adidas |
81.9/100 |
387,444 |
Adidas running shoes |
| #21 |
PUMA |
81.6/100 |
74,509 |
nike epic react flyknit all white aq0067 102 shoes |
| #22 |
Merrell |
81.5/100 |
97,613 |
under armour hovr machina marathon running shoessneakers |
| #23 |
Arc'teryx |
81.4/100 |
670 |
Arc'teryx running shoes |
| #24 |
Dynafit |
79.9/100 |
544 |
mars shearling snow boots moon boot shoes |
| #25 |
sneakers uomo nike sb zoom blazer mid |
79.0/100 |
3,197 |
sneakers uomo nike sb zoom blazer mid shoes |
| #26 |
Reebok |
78.4/100 |
37,671 |
maison margiela kiki pointed toe ballerina shoes item |
| #27 |
Scott |
78.0/100 |
452 |
adidas neo runfalcon running shoessneakers |
| #28 |
Salming |
73.7/100 |
99 |
Salming running shoes |
Best running shoe brands based on user reviews and expert reviews, separately
Some brands are loved by experts, but less liked by users and vice versa. The illustration (and table below) shows how each brand scores from users and experts separately.
This table shows the ranking of each brand based on user reviews and expert reviews.
| Rank |
Users |
Experts |
| #1 |
Brooks |
Topo Athletic |
| #2 |
Under Armour |
Salomon |
| #3 |
Newton |
Newton |
| #4 |
PUMA |
Inov-8 |
| #5 |
Salomon |
Skechers |
| #6 |
sneakers uomo nike sb zoom blazer mid |
361 Degrees |
| #7 |
On |
Hoka |
| #8 |
Mizuno |
Arc'teryx |
| #9 |
Saucony |
PUMA |
| #10 |
Nike |
On |
| #11 |
ASICS |
La Sportiva |
| #12 |
Skechers |
Dynafit |
| #13 |
Adidas |
Altra |
| #14 |
Merrell |
Merrell |
| #15 |
Topo Athletic |
Brooks |
| #16 |
Hoka |
Saucony |
| #17 |
361 Degrees |
Salming |
| #18 |
New Balance |
Adidas |
| #19 |
Reebok |
Nike |
| #20 |
Scott |
ASICS |
| #21 |
Altra |
New Balance |
| #22 |
La Sportiva |
Scott |
| #23 |
Vibram FiveFingers |
Under Armour |
| #24 |
Inov-8 |
Mizuno |
| #25 |
Vivobarefoot |
Vibram FiveFingers |
| #26 |
Dynafit |
sneakers uomo nike sb zoom blazer mid |
| #27 |
Arc'teryx |
Reebok |
| #28 |
Salming |
Vivobarefoot |
For the trail lovers: the best brands
Same analysis as from above, just for trail running shoes. We’ve only included brands with at least 4 trail running shoe models.
converse 564624c chuck taylor all star hi womens lifestyle shoe racer pink white black trail running shoes that are best rated.
| Rank |
Brand |
Corescore |
Number of reviews |
Link to shoes |
| #1 |
Topo Athletic |
86 |
3,022 |
Topo Athletic trail shoes |
| #2 |
Altra |
85.3 |
34,627 |
Altra trail shoes |
| #3 |
Salomon |
84.9 |
250,525 |
Salomon trail shoes |
| #4 |
Brooks |
84.6 |
14,164 |
timberland youths 6 premium waterproof boots |
| #5 |
Hoka |
84.3 |
30,989 |
Hoka trail shoes |
| #6 |
Nike |
84.3 |
18,708 |
sandals lasocki est 2018 09 navy |
| #7 |
Inov-8 |
84.2 |
11,115 |
Inov-8 trail shoes |
| #8 |
On |
84.2 |
1,298 |
On trail shoes |
| #9 |
Vibram FiveFingers |
83.4 |
13,375 |
asics gel nimbus 22 womens running shoes white champagne |
| #10 |
La Sportiva |
82.7 |
6,212 |
shoes gino rossi 71447 01l beige |
| #11 |
Saucony |
82.3 |
45,092 |
adidas adizero 110 mens molded cleats shoes white gold metallic gold metallic |
| #12 |
Under Armour |
82 |
8,760 |
prada logo embossed pool slides sandals linea rossa |
| #13 |
ASICS |
81.8 |
357,495 |
ASICS trail shoes |
| #14 |
Arc'teryx |
81.4 |
675 |
Arc'teryx trail shoes |
| #15 |
New Balance |
81.4 |
92,466 |
New Balance trail shoes |
| #16 |
Vivobarefoot |
81.2 |
1,338 |
sneakers emporio armani x4x272 xf375 00001 white |
| #17 |
Adidas |
81.1 |
41,476 |
Adidas trail shoes |
| #18 |
Merrell |
81 |
56,677 |
Super Max Adidas Ultra Boost 7.0 2021 Light Grey White Men Shoes Real Boost |
| #19 |
Scott |
80.3 |
416 |
product eng 1022475 New Balance WL574CS2 shoes |
| #20 |
Dynafit |
80.1 |
523 |
brunello cucinelli beaded tongue derby shoes item |
| #21 |
Mizuno |
79.5 |
1,028 |
adidas originals stan smith c sneaker |
| #22 |
sneakers uomo nike sb zoom blazer mid |
79.1 |
3,122 |
sneakers uomo nike sb zoom blazer mid trail shoes |
