Ride the Clif
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2018
78 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance 890 v5
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 5/5
HOKA Clifton 3
Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.6 oz · 5mm drop
Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The HOKA Clifton 4 replaced it
How it ranks
The HOKA Clifton 3 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 37 runner reviews and 10 other rated shoes in the Clifton product line.
Exceptional
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.
Confidence
98/100
What runners say
“The sole is extremely thick without feeling bulky or clunky”
“Surprisingly durable with at least 550 miles and still good for shorter runs”
“The first week in these things is dreadful on your feet”
“Don't let the marshmallow-like midsole scare you—one can and will run fast in this shoe”
“Durability could have been better—exposed EVA got shredded quickly, about 200 miles before they stopped feeling good”
“A marvel—high levels of cushion in a package that is surprisingly fast”
“Can put 500+ miles on the shoe without it breaking down”
“At 80-110 mpw, over 1000 miles and still runs pretty comfortably”
“At 9 oz, handles tempos, long runs, and recovery runs with no problem trying to run fast”
“As light as racing flats yet provides just as much cushion as Adios boots minus the weight”
Prefer this shoe over another
54% 34/63
Where to buy
No offers available
Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.
Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.
Pros
- Reviewers get cushioned long-run miles from a 9.6 oz build.
- Many reviewers report 500 to 1000 miles before it breaks down.
- Four reviewers coming back from injury describe comfortable, easy training in it.
Cons
- Three reviewers want a wider toe box, though three others call it comfortable.
- Two reviewers find it spongy and hard to turn over faster than 5K pace.
- It lists at $130, and four reviewers call it expensive at full price.
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.
50
60
70
80
90
100
25
50
75
100
Better Shoes Rating
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the HOKA Clifton
Each dot is one version of the Clifton, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
Release year
-
2026 · 3 reviews
86 Good
70 Confidence
-
2025 · 11 reviews
95 Excellent
87 Confidence
-
2023 · 130 reviews
99 Exceptional
100 Confidence
-
2021 · 57 reviews
95 Excellent
97 Confidence
-
2020 · 8 reviews
81 Good
83 Confidence
-
2019 · 68 reviews
87 Good
97 Confidence
-
2018 · 48 reviews
88 Good
97 Confidence
-
2017 · 51 reviews
64 Below average
98 Confidence
-
Clifton 3 This shoe
2016 · 37 reviews
98 Exceptional
98 Confidence
-
2015 · 5 reviews
97 Exceptional
90 Confidence
-
2014 · 16 reviews
99 Exceptional
97 Confidence
Specs & fit
Sizing and ride details at a glance.
- Weight
- 9.6 oz
- Release
- 2016 Q3
- MSRP
- $130
- Drop Height
- 5mm
Runner reviews
Great shoe for racing and tempo runs
4/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2018
25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 4
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
700 and counting
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2018
50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 8
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 3/5
Reader review
4/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2018
25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 33
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 2/5
- Value
- 5/5
Reader review
4/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2018
70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 3/5
Alternatives
Other shoes worth considering.
More from HOKA
Compared to other shoes
See how this shoe compares to others like it.
HOKA Clifton 3 In Context
More on the HOKA Clifton
- HOKA Clifton 11
- HOKA Clifton 10
- HOKA Clifton 9
- HOKA Clifton 8
- HOKA Clifton 7
- HOKA Clifton 6
- HOKA Clifton 4 next version
- HOKA Clifton 2 previous version
Reviewers Also Ran In
- Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 33 3 runners
- Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34 2 runners
- HOKA Challenger ATR 3 2 runners