The 5 Best DAILY Running Shoes for EVERY Type of Runner

Your daily running shoes are the most important shoe you own. They’re what you’ll use to log the majority of your miles, so getting them right is essential.

I test basically every running shoe that gets released for our YouTube channel, and the daily runners are my favourite category to cover. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a world-record holder, you need a pair of daily running shoes.

These aren’t racing flats or plated super shoes.

They’re the daily workhorses.

The ones you’ll lace up for easy miles, recovery runs, or long slow efforts. If you’re hunting for a reliable companion for the bulk of your weekly mileage, this is your guide.

#5 Best for versatility: Saucony Ride 18

Score: 7.8

To me, the Ride is Saucony’s most versatile easy running shoe. It’s comfy and durable like you’d expect from a daily trainer, but it can also move pretty quickly.

It’s a lightweight shoe, and the foam (Saucony calls it PowerRun Plus) gives you bounce without feeling aggressive. It’s not the kind of foam that pushes you onto your toes or makes you feel like you’re wearing a racing shoe—it’s just nice, cushioned, and quick when you want it to be.

But the real reason I’m including the Ride 18 is the comfort. The upper is stretchy and adapts to your foot shape. The heel cradles your foot really well. It’s just a good, no-frills training shoe: good grip, good speed, and great comfort.

• Best for: Easy runs, maybe even progressive workouts
• Why we like it: Lightweight, bounce without aggressiveness, super comfortable fit

We’ll break down the scoring more in a future video where we compare it to the Saucony Guide (which sounds similar but is very different). But for now: 7.8.

For more on Saucony’s current line-up, here a video I made with their product specialist running through their latest shoes.

#4 Best Durability: Hoka Clifton 10

Score: 7.8 (Narrowly beating Ride 18 by decimals)

Here’s the Clifton’s secret sauce: it’s a highly cushioned shoe with an aggressive rock-forward profile. That’s rare.

Usually, when shoes have this much stack and cushion, they absorb shock but don’t help propel you. The Clifton somehow does both. Hoka’s rocker tech pushes you onto your midfoot—not quite your toes, but definitely away from heel-striking too much.

I’ll be honest: the Clifton almost fell out of the rankings this year. Past versions haven’t been very durable. The Clifton 10 is heavier than the Clifton 9—but that’s because it’s more durable. Best decision Hoka could have made.

They added stack height, widened the fit (goodbye toe scraping), and made it last longer. For me, this is the best version of the Clifton ever made.

• Best for: Easy runs, possibly fartleks
• Why we like it: Soft landings + pop, improved durability and fit

Here’s my full video review of the Hoka Clifton 10:

#3 Best Cushioning: Nike Vomero 18

Score: 8.1

Here’s one for the chunky lovers.

At 11.5 oz, the Vomero 18 is the Clydesdale entry on this list. Normally, I don’t love max-cushioned shoes—they’re often mushy, heavy, off-balance. But the Vomero 18 is different.

Nike put a ton of ZoomX foam in the midsole—firm, bouncy, and surprisingly stable. It doesn’t feel slow, even with the weight. I feel the same way about the Pegasus Premium this year: the foam tech has gotten so good that Nike can get away with bulky shoes.

I’ve come to love the Vomero for long runs—20, even 25K—and I finish pain-free, ready to go again. Awesome recovery shoe.

• Best for: Recovery runs, easy long runs
• Why we like it: Great cushioning without sluggishness, long-run comfort

My colleague Michael Doyle even called it the best easy running shoe he’s ever tried—and he’s been running for like 200 years, so that’s saying something.

Here’s a video of me interviewing a Nike product rep on their revamped Vomero line:

#2 Best For Beginners: Asics Gel-Nimbus 27

Score: 8.5 (Value Score: 9.1)

Old reliable.

The Nimbus makes my top list every year. Honestly, it was going to be my number one—until the winner came out and blew it out of the water.

Still, the Nimbus is a one-trick pony—but it does that one trick really well. It’s the quintessential easy running shoe.

I was reminded of that when I got stuck in New Jersey on a flight delay and had to do a threshold workout in the Nimbus. It wasn’t that fast. I questioned why I packed it. But then on my easy run—it felt amazing.

• Best for: Classic easy runs
• Why we like it: Unbeatable comfort and durability

It’s the shoe I still recommend to new runners who ask, “What should I buy?” ASICS updates it just enough each year—like adding a bit of supercritical foam and better tread—without ruining the formula.

Also, they finally ditched those weird little gel pods. The new design looks cleaner, better. Bottom line: the Nimbus 27 is perfect for people who want comfort, durability, and predictability.

Want to learn more? Here I am chatting to Paul Lang, Global Product Manager at ASICS, about the Nimbus 27:

#1 Best Overall: Brooks Glycerin 22

Score: 9.0

If the Nimbus is the easy running shoe of today, the Glycerin 22 is the easy running shoe of the future.

Brooks totally redesigned this shoe. It looks nothing like previous Glycerins. The biggest change? The midsole. They loaded it with DNA Loft v3—their best supercritical foam, usually reserved for race and workout shoes.

Other brands are trying to bring super foams into easy-day shoes, but nobody pulled it off like Brooks. The result is a shoe that’s more durable, more comfortable, and a little faster—without sacrificing stability.

• Best for: Everything—easy runs, workouts, even slow race efforts
• Why we love it: Top-tier foam in an easy shoe, perfect all-rounder

I think this signals a new era of easy running shoes—where brands stop settling for cheap EVA foam and start using their best stuff everywhere.

The Glycerin 22 is this year’s “everything shoe.” It does easy runs, workouts, long runs—you name it. It’s the only easy running shoe to crack a 9.0 score from us this year.

Here’s my full video review of the Glycerin 22: