adidas Ultra Boost Original

Name: adidas Ultra Boost Original
Brand: adidas

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The adidas Ultra Boost replaced it

How it ranks

The adidas Ultra Boost Original’s rating is an early estimate. We’ve collected 4 runner reviews so far, with brand history also informing the score.

Decent

Overall

Decent 77

Cushioning

Very good 92

Durability

Very good 91

Comfort

Very good 90

Appearance

Good 89

Value

Decent 70

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 is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

75 Moderate

Moderate 75

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Brand rating
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“Heel sits low and there's a near constant fear that it could slip off at any time”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante

“Still running in it (300M in) and happy with how it's held up”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante

“Cut out heel counter is very comfortable”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the adidas Energy Boost 2

“Soft underfoot, well-cushioned, good looking”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante

“The ultra has good return”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the adidas Energy Boost 2

“Was surprised how good it felt”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante

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 Oct 22.

Pros

Reviewers praise the soft upper and the cut-out heel counter for comfort.
Reviewers describe soft cushioning with good energy return.

Cons

Value draws the lowest ratings of any dimension, at 3.5 out of 5.
One reviewer was hesitant to run in it at all because of how soft it felt.

Ultra Boost Original rates 77. This shoe has moderate confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the adidas Ultraboost

Each dot is one version of the Ultraboost, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

77 2015 98 2018 88 2019 86 2019 82 2021 89 2022 93 2023 86 2025

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Ultraboost 5

2025 · 1 review

86 Good

63 Confidence
Ultraboost 1.0

2023 · 0 reviews

93 Excellent

35 Confidence
UltraBOOST 22

2022 · 7 reviews

89 Good

81 Confidence
UltraBOOST 21

2021 · 4 reviews

82 Good

82 Confidence
Ultraboost 20

2019 · 8 reviews

86 Good

88 Confidence
Ultraboost 19

2019 · 14 reviews

88 Good

86 Confidence
Ultra Boost 2018 - 4.0

2018 · 15 reviews

98 Exceptional

93 Confidence
Ultra Boost Original This shoe

2015 · 4 reviews

77 Decent

75 Confidence

Runner Ratings

4 ratings

5/5 3

4/5 1

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Release: 2015

Runner reviews

Write a review

5/5

Overall

Great shoe. Love most of the boost shoes. The ultra has good return and the cut out heel counter is very comfortable. The upper is also very comfortable. The new version, with the continental rubber on the outsole, should last longer than this model.

th3bt · May 4, 2016

45 mpw came from the adidas Energy Boost 2

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

5/5

Overall

Excellent everyday shoe that is easy to run in

Choisty · Dec 7, 2015

65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas adizero Tempo 6

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

4/5

Overall

Very comfortable on your foot (soft underfoot, well-cushioned, good looking) and walking around. Was hesitant to run in it though because of how soft it felt (it did not inspire confidence). Took it for a few short easy runs and was surprised how good it felt. Starting running a bit longer (10+ miles) as well as in workouts. Still running in it (300M in) and happy with how it's held up. Only issue is that the heel sits low and there's a near constant fear that it could slip off at any time (even though it won't).

dansway07 · Dec 2, 2015

60 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante