HOKA Clifton 3

Name: HOKA Clifton 3
Brand: HOKA
Rating: 4.5 (37 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.1 oz · 5mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The HOKA Clifton 4 replaced it

How it ranks

The HOKA Clifton 3 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 is based on 37 runner reviews and 10 other rated shoes in the Clifton product line.

Very good

Overall

Very good 92

Cushioning

Exceptional 98

Comfort

Good 88

Durability

Good 86

Value

Good 81

Appearance

Bottom-tier 53

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

99 Very high

Very high 99

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.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“The sole is extremely thick without feeling bulky or clunky”

4/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16

“The first week in these things is dreadful on your feet”

4/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16

“Surprisingly durable with at least 550 miles and still good for shorter runs”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon

“Don't let the marshmallow-like midsole scare you—one can and will run fast in this shoe”

5/5 Full review 78 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance 890 v5

“Durability could have been better—exposed EVA got shredded quickly, about 200 miles before they stopped feeling good”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the HOKA Challenger ATR 2

“A marvel—high levels of cushion in a package that is surprisingly fast”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Zealot ISO 2

“Can put 500+ miles on the shoe without it breaking down”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18

“At 80-110 mpw, over 1000 miles and still runs pretty comfortably”

5/5 Full review 90 mpw came from the Altra One 2.5

“At 9 oz, handles tempos, long runs, and recovery runs with no problem trying to run fast”

4/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

“As light as racing flats yet provides just as much cushion as Adios boots minus the weight”

5/5 Full review 78 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance 890 v5

“Blown away with how comfortable it was—feet have never hurt after running in them”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Salomon Sense Pro

“Held up incredibly well after a short break-in period—retired at 838 miles”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Triumph ISO 2

“Unless your foot is exceedingly narrow, you're going to have rubbing on the outside of your foot”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Zealot ISO 2

“At 5k pace and under, may feel a bit spongey compared to racing flats”

5/5 Full review 85 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34

“As someone with flat feet, I wish they had a little bit more structure underfoot”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GT-1000 6

“The rubber outsole wears out a little bit quick in some spots”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon

“The Clifton has gotten heavier with each iteration”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 2

“Only wish would be a wider toe box”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the HOKA Challenger ATR 3

“They are super ugly”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 8

“Toe box could be bigger”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 8

“Just a little unresponsive”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34

Prefer this shoe over another

54% 34/63

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Reviewers get cushioned long-run miles from a 9.6 oz build.
Many reviewers report 500 to 1000 miles before it breaks down.
Four reviewers coming back from injury describe comfortable, easy training in it.

Cons

Three reviewers want a wider toe box, though three others call it comfortable.
Two reviewers find it spongy and hard to turn over faster than 5K pace.
It lists at $130, and four reviewers call it expensive at full price.

Clifton 3 rates 92. This shoe has very high confidence. 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

96 2014 85 2015 92 2016 65 2017 80 2018 79 2019 81 2020 90 2021 98 2023 93 2025 89 2026

Release year

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

Clifton 11

2026 · 4 reviews

89 Good

80 Confidence
Clifton 10

2025 · 11 reviews

93 Excellent

86 Confidence
Clifton 9

2023 · 130 reviews

98 Exceptional

100 Confidence
Clifton 8

2021 · 57 reviews

90 Very good

98 Confidence
Clifton 7

2020 · 8 reviews

81 Good

89 Confidence
Clifton 6

2019 · 68 reviews

79 Decent

99 Confidence
Clifton 5

2018 · 48 reviews

80 Good

99 Confidence
Clifton 4

2017 · 51 reviews

65 Below average

99 Confidence
Clifton 3 This shoe

2016 · 37 reviews

92 Very good

99 Confidence
Clifton 2

2015 · 5 reviews

85 Good

89 Confidence
Clifton 1

2014 · 16 reviews

96 Excellent

95 Confidence

Runner Ratings

37 ratings

5/5 19

4/5 17

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.1 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 9.6 oz · Women's 8.6 oz
Release: 2016 Q3
MSRP: $130
Drop: 5mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Fantastic Shoe All Around

5/5

Overall

I haven't worn that many pairs of shoes, but in my opinion, the Clifton 3 and the Asics GT-1000 (could be a nostalgia thing, I did my first marathon in the GT) have been my two favorites. The Clifton 3 has a very smooth feel when you get used to it. While there is a lot of support, the zero drop still leaves you feeling with a fairly natural stride (obviously not as good as a flat, but still quite good). The shoes are surprisingly durable. I have at least 550 miles on them and I still use them for shorter runs (

hershey890 · Feb 1, 2018

40 mpw training for a marathon

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

Hoka One One Clifton 3 Review

4/5

Overall

Was a little worried about trying out this shoe with so much cushioning. I was worried that it would require too much effort to run faster but that just isn't the case. Weighing in at around 9 oz. I've run everything from longer tempos, long runs, and recovery runs in them with no problem trying to run fast. The cushioning is great and can definitely be felt on downhills. At first look the sole looks like it won't hold up that great, but it is the complete opposite. Overall it is has become one of my favorite shoes. They may be a little pricey but if you can find them on sale, they're a shoe I would recommend 100%

MakeTrackGreatAgain · Jan 31, 2018

65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

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

The game changer

5/5

Overall

I am training for sprints, and for a guy like me who has undisplined foot strike and heel strike and little bit over weight and is a hobby jogger. The Clifton 3 takes all the injuries away when I just want to do a 30 minutes recover run. Not only does it provides maximum cushion, but it stay around 9oz for my size 10. In comparison Nike Pegasus shows less cushion yet is an oz heavier. This is the best shoes for hobby joggers period.

Anonymous runner · Jan 20, 2018

5 mpw training for sprints

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

Stands up to anything

5/5

Overall

I bought these to help me as I put on more mileage about 80-110 mpw and they have gotten over 1000 miles and I can still run in them pretty comfortably today

Anonymous runner · Jan 11, 2018

90 mpw came from the Altra One 2.5

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

Comfy and light

4/5

Overall

The Hoka Clifton was the first Hoka shoe I tried after a long stretch with the Asics GT-2000. I ran a half marathon in 2015 that trashed my lower calfs, and I needed a change in footwear because it wasn't getting better with the GT2Ks. I really like the Hokas for being lightweight and encouraging more of a midfoot strike than the previous shoes I was in. I do the majority of my training on gravel carriage roads. As someone with flat feet, I wish they had a little bit more structure underfoot. Gotta try the Hoka Arahis. They could be a good middle ground. Either way, I'd recommend these shoes. Oh yeah, here's my background: I was a serious runner in college who quit for about 7 years after graduating. I rediscovered my love of running about 6 years ago, and I've been running in a capacity that's one step up from recreational since then.

Anonymous runner · Jan 10, 2018

35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GT-1000 6