Type a shoe name, like Pegasus, Clifton or Kayano.

HOKA Clifton 8

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.9 oz · 5mm drop · 37/32mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The HOKA Clifton 9 replaced it

How it ranks

The HOKA Clifton 8 is one of the strongest 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 57 runner reviews and 10 other rated shoes in the Clifton product line.

HOKA Clifton 8

of 5

Excellent

95/100
Overall
95
Cushioning
98
Comfort
97
Value
88
Durability
82
Appearance
80
Confidence

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

97

What runners say

“After about 100km, what was once plush began to feel like running on gummy bears—squishy and sluggish.”
3/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Odyssey React 2
“All-around trainer that lets you do everything from tempos to 15+ mile long runs without beating up knees, back, or legs.”
4/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a marathon
“After I lace them up and hit the road, I forget they're even on my feet.”
5/5 Full review 5 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Clifton 5
“Worn for 4 years and really have held up nicely.”
5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for 5K and 10K
“Feels so much springier and responsive without being a super shoe.”
5/5 Full review 100 mpw training for a marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 25
“No drastic drop off when they hit high miles.”
4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Brooks Ghost 12
“I was able to run without knee pain.”
5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for 5K and 10K
“300 miles in with no real tread wear or deterioration to note.”
5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon
“The extra cushioning allowed me to get back into running.”
5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Clifton 7
“The energy return died.”
3/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Odyssey React 2

Prefer this shoe over another

42% 20/48

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.


Pros

  • Reviewers praise the soft cushioning for easy days and long runs.
  • It weighs 8.9 oz on a 37mm heel stack, light for a maximalist trainer.
  • Reviewers use it for everything from easy miles to tempos.

Cons

  • Reviewers rate durability 4.1 out of 5, its lowest dimension, and three say the outsole wears faster than other trainers.
  • Two reviewers find it hard to pick up the pace, one saying the cushioning goes flat after about 100km.
  • Two reviewers call the forefoot narrow, and one cannot find it in extra-wide.

Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale

Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.

Confidence
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

Clifton 8 rates 95. 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

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 This shoe

    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

    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

57 ratings
5/5 32
4/5 22
3/5 3
2/5 0
1/5 0

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
8.9 oz
Release
2021 Q2
MSRP
$140
Stack Height
37mm heel - 32mm toe
Drop Height
5mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 26–30 of 30 written reviews

Perfect shoe for training AND racing

5/5

Overall

Lightweight, cushioned, snappy, and durable. It's my go-to shoe!

JPD · Jun 7, 2023

25 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Clifton 7

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jun 6, 2023

30 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Great and cheap (now) shoe

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jun 5, 2023

80 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 7

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

Maximal padding and top notch durability

5/5

Overall

300 miles in with current pair of Clifton 8s and no real tread wear or deterioration to note. Previous pair of Clifton 3s lasted ~900 miles and were retired with no wear to the upper but no tread remaining

Anonymous runner · May 31, 2023

20 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Great Shoe but Narrow Forefoot

4/5

Overall

I love the Clifton 8 for its cushioning. In general it is a great shoe for training. However, I do think Hoka made the forefoot a bit narrower. I appreciate that they dropped the price by 20% too.

Anonymous runner · Jan 16, 2023

came from the HOKA Clifton 7

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

Alternatives

Other shoes worth considering.

More from HOKA

Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Best value
Newest
Lightest / Lowest price / Best overall
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
8.9 oz M
8.5 oz M Lightest
Stack
37/32mm
40/35mm
Drop
5mm
5mm
Release
2021 Q2
2026 Newest
2023 Q1
MSRP
$140
$155
$145
Best price
$154
$149.99 Lowest price
Ratings
Overall
Excellent (95)
Good (86)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Exceptional (97)
Exceptional (97)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Exceptional (98)
Exceptional (99)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Good (82)
Decent (78)
Very good (92) Best durability
Appearance
Decent (80)
Below average (67)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Good (88) Best value
Decent (76)
Good (88)
Specific shoe

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