HOKA Clifton 4

Name: HOKA Clifton 4
Brand: HOKA
Rating: 4.4 (51 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.6 oz · 5mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The HOKA Clifton 5 replaced it

How it ranks

The HOKA Clifton 4 trails most 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 51 runner reviews and 10 other rated shoes in the Clifton product line.

Below average

64/100

Overall

Below average 64

Cushioning

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Excellent 94

Durability

Decent 78

Value

Below average 64

Appearance

Below average 63

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

98/100

Very high 98

What runners say

“Every time I run for more than 1:20, I get a blister on top of second toe”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon

“Amazing feel, super light, nice roll off toe, plenty of cushioning”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas Energy Boost 2

“After 6 weeks, plantar fasciitis almost gone, training mileage way up”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34

“The height of toe box was shallow, rubbed blister on top of two toes”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 4

“Stretch the mileage out to 700–800 miles without feeling much besides quads a little more sore”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Bondi 5

“Sustained major upper calf injury after five runs”

3/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 10

“Extremely cushioned, stable, and quick to run in”

4/5 Full review 12 mpw came from the Under Armour Threadborne Shift

“Achilles pain went away within two weeks”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

“Added bulk and rocker design make stride feel awkward at pace”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 4

“Cushioning helped prevent shin splints during long runs”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw came from the Brooks Glycerin 15

Prefer this shoe over another

40% 29/73

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Five reviewers call it light for the amount of cushioning it carries.
Four reviewers say their legs feel fresher after long runs.
Ten reviewers with foot, achilles or big-toe joint problems say it works for them.

Cons

Seven reviewers find the toe box narrow, and five get blisters on the toes or the arch.
Nine reviewers report the outsole or upper wearing out early, several of them by 200 to 300 miles.
Five reviewers find it awkward or flat at faster paces.

Clifton 4 rates 64. This shoe has very high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

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.

Rating

40 60 80 100

99 2014 97 2015 98 2016 64 2017 88 2018 87 2019 81 2020 95 2021 99 2023 95 2025 86 2026

Release year

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

Clifton 11

2026 · 3 reviews

86 Good

70 Confidence
Clifton 10

2025 · 11 reviews

95 Excellent

87 Confidence
Clifton 9

2023 · 130 reviews

99 Exceptional

100 Confidence
Clifton 8

2021 · 57 reviews

95 Excellent

97 Confidence
Clifton 7

2020 · 8 reviews

81 Good

83 Confidence
Clifton 6

2019 · 68 reviews

87 Good

97 Confidence
Clifton 5

2018 · 48 reviews

88 Good

97 Confidence
Clifton 4 This shoe

2017 · 51 reviews

64 Below average

98 Confidence
Clifton 3

2016 · 37 reviews

98 Exceptional

98 Confidence
Clifton 2

2015 · 5 reviews

97 Exceptional

90 Confidence
Clifton 1

2014 · 16 reviews

99 Exceptional

97 Confidence

Reader Ratings

51 ratings

5/5 23

4/5 27

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.6 oz
Release: 2017 Q3
MSRP: $130
Drop Height: 5mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Comfortable and definitely cushioned, but not great for faster running

4/5

Overall

The Clifton 4 is a very comfortable shoe to put on. The upper is snug and the cushioning is definitely noticeable, though not overly soft so it does give some good response. I found that the height of the toe box was a little shallow, so I rubbed a blister on top of two of my toes (something that I've never had an issue with before). The outsole also seemed to wear out a bit faster than I'm used to with other shoes. Overall, I found the Clifton 4 to be a great shoe for recovery/maintenance runs, providing sufficient cushioning and response to allow my stride to feel normal and my legs to recover. Anytime I went to inject a little pace into my run, though, the added bulk of the cushioning and the rocker design in the outsole just made my stride feel awkward.

Anonymous runner · Jul 12, 2018

70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 4

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

Best Shoes I've Ever Tried

5/5

Overall

I switched the Hoka a few years ago after chronic injuries throughout my high school and college running careers. Since then, I've fallen hard for the brand- and it's Clifton shoe specifically. I love love love the way it provides a stellar balance of stability and lightness. The only drawback is that Cliftons are rather expensive and don't typically last me beyond 250 miles. Still: It's an investment I'm willing to make!

Anonymous runner · Jul 4, 2018

50 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Hoka review

5/5

Overall

Shoe is great for daily trading. Good for long runs and tempos and just general mileage. Not so good for intervals. The shoe feels like a cloud when switching from less cushioned shoes.

Jogathon · Mar 12, 2018

35 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

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

Hoka Clifton 4

5/5

Overall

I love these shoes. They feel great and my legs feel great after a long run. My only complaint is that I don't find them super durable. I feel like they start losing their spring around 300 miles. The Clifton 4's are a bit more narrow than the 3's, but I have narrow feet so I like the fit better.

Anonymous runner · Feb 24, 2018

45 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

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

Nice cushioning but causes blisters

4/5

Overall

The cushioning is great but the insoles are giving me blisters in the arch. The arch seems high and the edge of the insole rubs a blister about one inch long in the middle of my arch. I've replaced the insoles with a pair of Nikes which is helping some what. I've never had blisters from running shoes before so maybe the Cliftons aren't a good fit.

Anonymous runner · Feb 17, 2018

30 mpw came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34