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

Very surprised

5/5

Overall

Hoka received a lot of crap when first coming out about the stack height, but this shoe felt amazing throughout the entire duration. Super light, nice roll off the toe, and plenty of cushioning. Very versatile shoe - from tempo runs to long runs. I recommend this shoe for anybody.

Anonymous runner · Feb 16, 2018

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas Energy Boost 2

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

Best Shoe for Hallux Rigidus

4/5

Overall

I have arthritis in my right big toe MTP joint. I am 44 year old male but a bad fracture in my mid 20's accelerated the arthritic changes. I still run around 60 miles per week but anything faster than my tempo pace (5:20 mile pace) causes flare ups and set backs. My orthopedist and podiatrist both recommended HOKA ONE ONE brand a couple years ago because their unique meta rocker function limits stress on my big toe joint. I tried all HOKA's and the Clifton's felt the best for me as far as finding the balance between being too over cushioned and bulky vs too minimal. Great combination of being lightweight and cushioned...the main drawback for me is the tread on the bottom breaks down fast (the cushioning hods up...just the tread on the bottom)

Anonymous runner · Feb 14, 2018

60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 9

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

Helped me get rid of plantar fasciitis

5/5

Overall

I have been running in the various iterations of Nike Pegasus for 20+ years. I am a big/tall runner 6'3" 190 pounds with large (size 15) flat feet. Over the past two years, I have suffered from extremely bad plantar fasciitis in my left foot. Walking in the morning has been intolerable and I have had to limit my training because of it. This season I finally tried something new -- the Clifton 4. After just 6 weeks, my plantar fasciitis is almost gone, my training mileage is way up, and I have found a new shoe. Won't be changing from this one to anything else any time soon.

Anonymous runner · Feb 13, 2018

40 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34

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

I can now run without foot pain!

5/5

Overall

I had the earlier model and loved the cushioning but the toe box seemed narrow. That has been corrected in this model. I no longer experience the foot pain I once had with several other brands!

Anonymous runner · Feb 10, 2018

35 mpw