Altra Paradigm 4.5

Name: Altra Paradigm 4.5
Brand: Altra

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 10.5 oz

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Altra Paradigm 5.0 replaced it

How it ranks

The Altra Paradigm 4.5 trails most daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 4 runner reviews and 7 other rated shoes in the Paradigm product line. Another 8 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

Below average

67/100

Overall

Below average 67

Cushioning

Good 89

Comfort

Good 84

Value

Decent 70

Durability

Below average 63

Appearance

Bottom-tier 58

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

43/100

Low 43

What runners say

“Knit upper stretches a lot — you'll add an entire size and a half with use”

2/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Arahi 3

“The sole seems soft and wears out quicker than most”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a marathon came from the Altra Superior 4.0

“Holds a lot of fluid; if you step in water or sweat a lot, it stays in the shoe—effectively doubling its weight”

2/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Arahi 3

“Very roomy toe box, great cushioning, and grips the road well”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a marathon came from the Altra Superior 4.0

“The inserts on the sides (Stabilpods) cut into your legs like razors”

2/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Arahi 3

“Zero drop has really helped me improve my foot striking”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a marathon came from the Altra Superior 4.0

“Wide toe box and zero drop are perfect for good form and comfort”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 5

“Love the toe room”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 870 v5

Prefer this shoe over another

33% 1/3

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers praise the cushioning, and rate it 4.8 out of 5.
Reviewers like the roomy toe box and the zero drop platform.

Cons

Durability is its lowest-rated dimension at 3.5 out of 5, and one reviewer finds the soft sole wearing out quicker than most.
One reviewer finds the knit upper stretches out by a size and a half, holds water, and that the Stabilpods on the sides cut into their legs.
The Paradigm 4.0 before it scores 78 on four reviews.

Paradigm 4.5 rates 67. This shoe has low certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Altra Paradigm

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

78 2017 77 2017 78 2018 71 2021 65 2023 60 2025 73 2016 67 2019

Release year

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

Paradigm 4.5 This shoe

2019 · 4 reviews

67 Below average

43 Confidence
Paradigm 1.5

2016 · 1 review

73 Decent

18 Confidence
Paradigm 8

2025 · 1 review

60 Bottom-tier

39 Confidence
Paradigm 7

2023 · 6 reviews

65 Below average

63 Confidence
Paradigm 6

2021 · 2 reviews

71 Decent

29 Confidence
Paradigm 4.0

2018 · 4 reviews

78 Decent

33 Confidence
Paradigm 3.0

2017 · 3 reviews

77 Decent

44 Confidence
Paradigm 2.0

2017 · 1 review

78 Decent

17 Confidence

Reader Ratings

4 ratings

5/5 2

4/5 1

3/5 0

2/5 1

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 10.5 oz
Release: 2019 Q2
MSRP: $150

Runner reviews

Write a review

Altra paradigm 4.5

5/5

Overall

This was my 1st altra’s and I feel in love with them. The wide toe box and zero drop are perfect for good form and comfort.

Anonymous runner · Jan 5, 2020

40 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 5

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Perfect shoe for older or joint sensitive folks

4/5

Overall

I have been running in this shoe for about 200 miles, mostly road running, in training for a marathon. I am a big guy 6'2' inches and 245#'s this shoe has a very roomy toe box, great cushioning, and grips the road well. I run about half of my miles on dirt roads, and it grips well there too. This shoe had a zero drop, and has really helped me improve my foot striking. The only drawback i have seen is that the sole seems soft and seems to be wearing out quicker than most.

Anonymous runner · Jul 29, 2019

25 mpw training for a marathon came from the Altra Superior 4.0

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

Nice cushioning, but...

2/5

Overall

This shoe feels good in the store but goes quickly downhill with use... Cushioning - great, nice feel, lasts through usage Fit - good at first but knit upper stretches a lot, you'll add an entire size and a half with use Upper - knit is bad !!! ok at first, it quickly stretches out, additionally, it holds a lot of fluid so if you step in water or sweat a lot, it stays in the shoe...effectively doubling its weight...woof ! It makes the end of a run tough ;-) Sole - ok but the inserts on the sides (Stabilpods) cut into your legs like razors... I think I'll file them down Overall, would not reco this shoes... Altra still needs to do some work to make it better. Gold or Garbage rating : Garbage

Anonymous runner · Jul 17, 2019

60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Arahi 3