HOKA Clifton 5

Name: HOKA Clifton 5
Brand: HOKA
Rating: 4.5 (48 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.4 oz · 5mm drop · 30/25mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The HOKA Clifton 6 replaced it

How it ranks

The HOKA Clifton 5 ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. Most runners who came to it from another shoe preferred it. The rating rests on 48 runner reviews and 10 other rated shoes in the Clifton product line.

Good

88/100

Overall

Good 88

Cushioning

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Exceptional 97

Durability

Very good 92

Value

Good 82

Appearance

Decent 72

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

97/100

Very high 97

What runners say

“The wide version is a godsend—most comfortable and versatile mileage shoes; no more blisters.”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride ISO 2

“A small bead of plastic runs around the shoe and I felt it constantly in the midfoot and big toe area.”

3/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

“Forgiving cushioning helped overcome IT band syndrome and retrain gait.”

5/5 Full review 7 mpw training for a half marathon

“The fabric above the toe box folds and presses down like a guillotine on the top of the foot.”

3/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

“Toebox awfully narrow, causing blisters on both sides of the ball of the foot.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Inspire 14

“Pinky toe squeezed and blistered badly—requires toe socks on runs over 1 hour.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Pureflow 5

“Injuries practically nonexistent in four years of 50+ mpw training.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 33

“Super wide—rubs arches and leaves blisters on narrow feet.”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35

“The upper is light and breathable, and the midsole has a much softer ride than the 4s.”

5/5 Full review 85 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 4

“Plush but responsive, with breathable and snug (but not too snug) upper.”

5/5 Full review 75 mpw training for a marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

44% 34/77

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers describe soft, forgiving cushioning that suits long, easy mileage.
Many runners find it light for the amount of cushioning.
It rates well above the Clifton 4 it replaced, which scores 64 on fifty-one reviews.

Cons

Several reviewers report the thin outsole rubber wearing through quickly.
Toe box fit divides reviewers, with blisters a common complaint.
Appearance is its lowest-rated dimension, and reviewers call the look meh or clownish.

Clifton 5 rates 88. 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 This shoe

2018 · 48 reviews

88 Good

97 Confidence
Clifton 4

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

48 ratings

5/5 26

4/5 20

3/5 2

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.4 oz
Release: 2018 Q2
MSRP: $130
Stack Height: 30mm heel - 25mm toe
Drop Height: 5mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Love my Cliftons

4/5

Overall

The only thing keeping this from an even better rating is durability. I go through them pretty fast. They sure are comfortable! Like running on clouds with decent response.

Anonymous runner · Jul 4, 2019

42 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Levitate 2 LE

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

Super-cush

5/5

Overall

True to it's namesake, the Clifton 5 is a super-cushioned lightweight running shoe. I've been in the Clifton since the 2, and this might be my favorite yet. Only issue I have, along with all the other models, is the quick outsole wear on the exposed foam. Other than that, I usually can expect close to 500 miles per pair

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

60 mpw came from the HOKA Clifton 4

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

Great Shoe, Very Durable

5/5

Overall

I've been wearing Cliftons since the release of the Clifton 3, and this is by far and away my favorite model of the Clifton. The Clifton has always been an extremely durable shoe, and this one is no exception. Typically, the only thing that leads me to retiring a pair is that the tread will be gone after 1,000 miles+, and it can become slippery on some wet surfaces. Besides that issue, I could probably take these for a full 2,000, which more than justifies the moderate price. The shoes remain plush, but responsive, with the upper being breathable and snug (but not too snug). I can wear these for workouts on the roads without any problems at all. They're not as responsive in the midsole as some of the Profly models (i.e. Mach), but you can definitely go fast in these. Overall, I am a huge fan of the Clifton and look forward to seeing what adjustments have been made in the 6!

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

75 mpw training for a marathon

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

Comfy but Wide

4/5

Overall

I love how cushioned this shoe is; it's perfect for easy run days. It feels like running on clouds and makes my joints feel great. However, I have a pretty narrow foot, and it is super wide. It ends up rubbing my arches and leaving lots of blisters. I still wear it though, because it's worth it for my joints.

slowrunnerok · Jul 3, 2019

25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35

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

Great shoe for me!

5/5

Overall

A retired competitive marathon runner, I needed cushioning for walking. My knees were chronically sore. Adidas had been my shoe (many models) for many years. I'm enjoying the Hoka experience.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

20 mpw came from the adidas Supernova Glide