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

HOKA Rocket X

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 7.5 oz · 7mm drop · 30/25mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The HOKA Rocket X 2 replaced it

How it ranks

The HOKA Rocket X ranks below most daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 4 runner reviews and 2 other rated shoes in the Rocket X product line. Another 8 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

HOKA Rocket X

of 2

Decent

72/100
Overall
72
Cushioning
81
Durability
78
Comfort
74
Appearance
71
Value
70
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

40/100

40

Prefer this shoe over another

50% 2/4

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.


Pros

  • One reviewer reports consistently faster interval times for the same effort than in unplated shoes.
  • 7.5 oz with a carbon plate, on a 30mm heel stack and a 7mm drop.

Cons

  • One reviewer finds it a notch below the Vaporfly Next% in cushioning, and another says a heel striking friend felt none of the propulsion.
  • The Rocket X 2 after it scores 97 on eighteen reviews against its 73.
  • Overall ratings average 3.8 out of 5 across four reviewers, below every sub-rating it draws.

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

Rocket X rates 72. This shoe has low certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the HOKA Rocket X

Each dot is one version of the Rocket X, 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.
  • Rocket X 3

    2025 · 2 reviews

    89 Good

    44 Confidence

  • Rocket X 2

    2023 · 18 reviews

    97 Exceptional

    89 Confidence

  • Rocket X This shoe

    2020 · 4 reviews

    72 Decent

    40 Confidence

Reader Ratings

4 ratings
5/5 0
4/5 3
3/5 1
2/5 0
1/5 0

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
7.5 oz
Release
2020 Q4
Stack Height
30mm heel - 25mm toe
Drop Height
7mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 1–2 of 2 written reviews

Fast shoe for forefoot strikers

4/5

Overall

This is the first carbon-plated shoe I’ve run in, so I can’t compare it to others, but these definitely gave me a boost in speed. The first few times I ran in these shoes, I was surprised at the end of each interval when I checked the time. For the same effort level, my times in these shoes are consistently faster than in non-carbon plated shoes. These were my best road-racing shoes until the rocket x2 came out. Now they are my speed-work shoes.

As a forefoot striker, these shoes feel like they really work well with my stride at faster paces. However, a friend who is a heel striker  did not feel the same propulsion in these shoes.  The rocket X is also “normal” looking and feeling when walking around, so I can’t compare wear them around after retiring them from running.

I found that my strides per minute decreased for the same paces when I started using these shoes for all my fast-paced runs. Anecdotally, this has been true for other people. Perhaps this is true of all carbon plated shoes? Now I only use these shoes for mile pace or faster intervals, which has let me maintain a higher strides per minute while getting in workouts at faster paces.

Anonymous runner · Nov 15, 2024

15 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Altra Escalante Racer

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

A decent carbon plate shoe, but not the best

4/5

Overall

This shoe lacks the cushion of the Vaporfly Next %, but the fit is good. The toe box is wide enough, which is a problem for me in many shoes. I'd rate it as very good, but a notch below the Vaporfly Next% in cushioning. Performance is similar... too close to call. I can't rate durability because I'm a low mileage track runner. 

Grady Cash · Jul 30, 2023

3 mpw training for middle distance came from the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

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

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Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Lightest
Newest
Lowest price / Best overall / Best comfort
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Racing
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
7.5 oz M Lightest
8.5 oz M
Stack
30/25mm
40/35mm
Drop
7mm
7mm
5mm
Release
2020 Q4
2025 Q3 Newest
2023 Q1
MSRP
$250
$145
Best price
$249.99
$149.99 Lowest price
Ratings
Overall
Decent (72)
Good (89)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Decent (74)
Good (87)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Good (81)
Very good (91)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Decent (78)
Decent (78)
Very good (92) Best durability
Appearance
Decent (71)
Below average (69)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Decent (70)
Below average (70)
Good (88) Best value
Specific shoe

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