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 91

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

Running in the Clouds

4/5

Overall

I am a high school cross country runner and I've been wearing Hoka's since the start of my high school career. The Hoka Clifton 4's we're my first pair, and the Clifton 5's are my newest being the 5th. The first thing I have to say about them, is that I truly believe the anti has been upped since the Clifton 4's and the comfort is great. Of course with Hoka's you have a thick sole supplying that feeling of being on clouds 24/7. With the Clifton 5's exclusively, they include of small holes on each side that let small patches of air pass through and the feeling from it is exhilarating. They offer tons of support for long and short distance running. During long distance running of 12+ miles they keep your feet feeling fresh. During maybe 800 meter sprints however they will give you a good amount of return whilst still keeping comfortable. I got the neon green varient and it looks amazing especially whilst wearing matching running gear which is very easily found. The neon green also allows for easy sight for runs at night. I haven't expired these shoes quite yet but from past experience with Hoka's, they tend to last about 3-5 months max with my mileage within that range being about 300-650. However, when I say last, I mean that after that expiration date they contain holes, tears, and peeling outer sole. Overall the shoes are extremely comfortable, supportive, attractive, and durable.

justlouden · Nov 4, 2018

60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Arahi v1

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

Clifton 5 review

3/5

Overall

I bought a pair of Clifton 5 shoes this summer, my first ever pair of Hoka One Ones. I adapted to the "rocker" feel to the cushy sole almost immediately but one aspect was so irritating to my foot that I had to return them. There is a small bead of plastic that runs around the entire, outer circumference of the shoe and I felt it constantly, especially in the inner and outer part of my mid foot as well as the area of the big toe. If I would put on more than 4 miles, I would have blistered. I brought the shoes back and the shoe store ordered in a wide pair (I do not ave wide feet). I put those on and even when I first started to toe off, the fabric above the toe box folded and pressed down like a guillotine on the top of my foot so I brought those back. I then tried the Clifton 4 shoe because I really wanted to get a pair but felt they were too narrow and felt the plastic bead again.

Anonymous runner · Oct 1, 2018

20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

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

Great support!

5/5

Overall

Need the wide toe box for my bunions and love e support!

Anonymous runner · Sep 30, 2018

30 mpw

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

Great for old guys!

5/5

Overall

Knee problems over the years have me loving my Hokas-- love it's extra wide toe box for my bunions

Anonymous runner · Sep 30, 2018

25 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Dougruns26 · Sep 24, 2018

30 mpw

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

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Analyses

HOKA Clifton 5

Good