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 79

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

Clifton 4 Comfortable, but needs longevity upgrade

5/5

Overall

Superb fit overall on the Clifton. Smooth ride, balanced weight as so many shoes are heel heavy. Outsole durability and upper seemed less than ideal vs the Clifton 2's. I missed a generation buying closeouts. Still, I highly recommend, especially for those large smooth runners like me. At 245-255 lbs, I crush the cushioning of many shoes inside 200-250 miles, but got close to 450 out of all my Cliftons.

Anonymous runner · Feb 8, 2018

20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 2

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

The latest Clifton

5/5

Overall

A bit expensive and need some shoe goo on the outer heel every 50-100 miles based on my stride/heel strike, but great improvement over Clifton 1, 2, and 3. Great long run shoe.

Anonymous runner · Feb 7, 2018

28 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

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

good solid shoe

4/5

Overall

i've found these shows to be a good underpronators shoe. i am an age group athlete, older (55) logging about 60-70 a week year round. they work well for long runs on the macadam from a cushioning point of view. i.ve found that my legs are less "beat" after a 20 miler @ MP + 30 (or 7:15). they fit my foot well, i have a 13 regular width foot and mid foot strike. i have about 18 years of running, averaging around 50 miles a week for the 18 years. I've been injury free for a couple of years, which coincide with my switch to Hoka's, from Brooks.

sfnative · Feb 7, 2018

70 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Glycerin 14

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Feb 7, 2018

75 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Bondi 5

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

Hoka Clifton IV

4/5

Overall

I was initially turned off from Hoka due to their maximalist cushion look - Hoka shoes have become increasingly popular over the past years because their versatility in training and racing. I felt this shoe helped protect joints, bones and muscles while avoiding injuries. The amount of cushioning helped prevent shin splints during those long runs. The shoe allows for a smooth efficient ride, and I felt lower strain on my calves and achilles.

Anonymous runner · Feb 7, 2018

30 mpw came from the Brooks Glycerin 15