Type a shoe name, like Pegasus, Clifton or Kayano.

Brooks Levitate

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 11.3 oz · 8mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Levitate 2 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Levitate trails most daily trainers in our data. Durability and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 20 runner reviews and 3 other rated shoes in the Levitate product line.

Brooks Levitate

of 5

Bottom-tier

59/100
Overall
59
Durability
94
Cushioning
91
Comfort
79
Appearance
73
Value
50
Confidence

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

92/100

92

What runners say

“Cushioning lasts and feels good throughout; over 350 miles with barely any wear”
5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Vomero 12
“Top-notch comfort, no itching or rubbing, foot slips in like a glove”
5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO
“Cushioned enough for easy runs; phenomenal response when pounding pavement”
4/5 Full review training for a half marathon came from the adidas Supernova
“Heavier shoe (11 oz) but doesn't feel heavy when running”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 2
“Don't have to exert as much energy to hit target times”
5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO
“Got over 700k miles—a lot of mileage”
4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 18
“Runs small—wore 11 vs. 11.5 in Nike”
5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Vomero 12
“Much more durable than Ghosts, which kept ripping”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 10
“Had to go up a half size vs. Ghosts”
4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 9
“Responsive—the more you pick up pace, the more responsive it is”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 2

Prefer this shoe over another

42% 10/24

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.


Pros

  • Cushioning averages 4.6 out of 5 across the eighteen reviewers who rated it, and durability 4.5 across all twenty.
  • Several reviewers describe a springy ride with noticeable energy return that rewards picking up the pace.
  • Three reviewers report the cushioning still feeling good past 350 to 400 miles.

Cons

  • Averaging 10.5 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is heavier than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers on sale, and many reviewers call it heavy, several of them finding it awkward for speed work or very long runs.
  • Three reviewers find the outsole slippery on wet surfaces.
  • Value averages 3.8 out of 5, the lowest of its dimensions, and several reviewers call it pricey at $150.

Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale

Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.

Confidence
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

Levitate rates 59. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Brooks Levitate

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

Rating

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.
  • Levitate 6

    2022 · 5 reviews

    82 Good

    40 Confidence

  • Levitate 3

    2019 · 1 review

    81 Good

    32 Confidence

  • Levitate 2

    2018 · 23 reviews

    96 Excellent

    93 Confidence

  • Levitate This shoe

    2017 · 20 reviews

    59 Bottom-tier

    92 Confidence

Reader Ratings

20 ratings
5/5 8
4/5 10
3/5 2
2/5 0
1/5 0

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
11.3 oz
Release
2017 Q3
MSRP
$150
Drop Height
8mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 11–15 of 20 written reviews

Much Bounce for the Ounce

4/5

Overall

A responsive shoe that parallels the Launch but with more substance.

Anonymous runner · Feb 7, 2018

20 mpw came from the Brooks Ghost 9

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

Heavy, responsive trainer

5/5

Overall

The Brooks Levitate is a heavier shoe around 11 ounces. However, it is very comfortable and does not feel heavy when runing in them. The shoe is responsive, meaning the more you pick up the pace the more responsive it is. If like a responsive well built shoe and don't mind a little more weight it is a very good shoe.

Ali121375 · Feb 6, 2018

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 2

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

Opinion Change

4/5

Overall

When I first got these shoes, I thought they were extremely heavy for their purpose. I rarely ran in them for a while, but man am I glad I changed my mind. These are becoming my everyday trainer, replacing Saucony Guide 9's. I love the Levitate and it works for me even though I heavily over-pronate

FriendlyLobo · Feb 6, 2018

50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Guide 9

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

Levitate review

3/5

Overall

This shoe is very responsive, my main complaint is that it is too heavy. It is nice for easy runs but would be difficulty to do speedwork in this shoe.

Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2018

75 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 33

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

Good shoe for everyday running

4/5

Overall

A little heavy for me but cushioning is amazing

Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2018

50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike LunarTempo 2

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

Alternatives

Other shoes worth considering.

More from Brooks

Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Best durability
Lightest / Newest / Best overall
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
11.3 oz M
8.5 oz M Lightest
Stack
40/35mm
Drop
8mm
5mm
Release
2017 Q3
2022 Q4
2023 Q1 Newest
MSRP
$150
$150
$145 Lower MSRP
Best price
$149.99
Ratings
Overall
Bottom-tier (59)
Good (82)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Decent (79)
Good (82)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Very good (91)
Very good (90)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Excellent (94) Best durability
Excellent (93)
Very good (92)
Appearance
Decent (73)
Below average (64)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Bottom-tier (50)
Bottom-tier (54)
Good (88) Best value
Specific shoe

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