Altra Instinct 3.0

Name: Altra Instinct 3.0
Brand: Altra
Rating: 4.4 (7 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.1 oz · 17/17mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Altra Instinct 1.0 replaced it

How it ranks

The Altra Instinct 3.0 ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 7 runner reviews and 4 other rated shoes in the Instinct product line. Another 5 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

Good

87/100

Overall

Good 87

Cushioning

Decent 76

Comfort

Decent 75

Value

Decent 74

Durability

Decent 72

Appearance

Bottom-tier 49

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

80/100

Moderate 80

What runners say

“Firm enough to get a good spring off the ground vs. mushing into the shoe as you do with too much cushion.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 4

“I have wide feet and have struggled to find a comfortable shoe that fits. This is it.”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Pure Grit 2

“The durability has not been great as I had 145 miles on the first pair.”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Pegasus+ 29

“The zero drop has done wonders for my achilles and heel issues.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 4

“Running downhill when toes ram into end of the uniquely designed large toe box.”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for middle distance came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 14

“The shoe fits better than any shoe I have ever had.”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Pegasus+ 29

“200 miles so far and they have just broke in the sweet spot.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a marathon

“The wide toe splay is great.”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Pegasus+ 29

“A little slippage in the heel.”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 4

“There is just enough cushioning to feel comfortable.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 4

Prefer this shoe over another

86% 6/7

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Five reviewers praise the wide toe box, two of them for wide feet.
Three reviewers say the zero drop suited them, one citing Achilles and heel trouble that eased.
It stacks 17mm front and back at zero drop, and weighs 8.1 oz.

Cons

Reviewers rate appearance 2.9 out of 5, its lowest dimension by a wide margin.
One of seven reviewers so far has their toes hit the end of the toe box running downhill.
One of seven reviewers so far got 145 miles from a pair before replacing it.

Instinct 3.0 rates 87. This shoe has moderate certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Altra Instinct

Each dot is one version of the Instinct, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

77 2014 87 2015 94 2017 61 2012 88 2018

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Instinct 4.5

2018 · 3 reviews

88 Good

54 Confidence
Instinct 1.5

2012 · 12 reviews

61 Below average

82 Confidence
Instinct 4.0

2017 · 3 reviews

94 Excellent

76 Confidence
Instinct 3.0 This shoe

2015 · 7 reviews

87 Good

80 Confidence
Instinct 2.0

2014 · 13 reviews

77 Decent

78 Confidence

Reader Ratings

7 ratings

5/5 3

4/5 4

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 8.1 oz
Release: 2015
MSRP: $110
Stack Height: 17mm heel - 17mm toe

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

5/5

Overall

I have wide feet and have struggled to find a comfortable shoe that fits. This is it. If you have wide feet - like a ducks webbed feet wide - and you are a forefoot runner who can handle nuetral zero drop shoes, try this out.

[email protected] · Apr 13, 2016

25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Pure Grit 2

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

The wide toe splay is great and I love that is a zero drop shoe. The shoe fits better than any shoe I have ever had. The zero drop felt like I was walking like a duck at first but I got used to it in a few days. The durability has not been great as I had 145 miles on the first pair, bough another and the new one felt like there was a lot more question. But I'm still running in the old shoe some.

Anonymous runner · Dec 9, 2015

25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Pegasus+ 29

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 2/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

The zero drop has done wonders for my achilles and heel issues. The transition was easy as I ran in 4mm drop shoes prior to running in the Altra Instinct 3.0. Although the shoe is low to the ground (I've seen it listed at 17mm and 20mm) there is just enough cushioning to feel comfortable. They are also firm enough to get a good spring off the ground vs. mushing into the shoe as you do with too much cushion.

jar · Dec 7, 2015

40 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 4