HOKA Clifton 5

Name: HOKA Clifton 5
Brand: HOKA
Rating: 4.5 (48 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.5 oz · 30/25mm stack · 5mm drop

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. The rating is based on 48 runner reviews and 10 other rated shoes in the Clifton product line.

Good

Overall

Good 80

Cushioning

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Excellent 93

Durability

Good 86

Value

Decent 78

Appearance

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

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 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

“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

“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

“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

“Light for the amount of cushion it provides.”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas Ultra Boost ST Parley

“Phenomenal cushioning allows more miles with legs feeling better.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for middle distance came from the Saucony Liberty ISO 2

“Very durable—300 miles with shape intact, no deterioration.”

5/5 Full review 15 mpw

“After 3-5 months they contain holes, tears, and peeling outer sole.”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Arahi v1

“The slight curve in the sole makes the stride feel smoother.”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas Ultra Boost ST Parley

“Super light for the amount of cushioning.”

5/5 Full review 7 mpw training for a half marathon

“More than 4 miles causes blistering.”

3/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

“After about 200 miles, shoes feel a bit dead.”

4/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Levitate

“If 5mm wider, would buy a dozen pairs.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Inspire 14

“Full size up helps but makes foot loose inside the shoe.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Pureflow 5

“Super-cushioned lightweight running shoe.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw came from the HOKA Clifton 4

“The cushioning is extremely soft and takes some time to get used to.”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas Ultra Boost ST Parley

“First runs feel odd due to unusual HOKA midsole design.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas adizero Boston 7

“Look slow and squishy.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance 1080 v4

“Better than 4, not as good as 3.”

4/5 Full review 33 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 6

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 Oct 23.

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 80. 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 This shoe

2018 · 48 reviews

80 Good

99 Confidence
Clifton 4

2017 · 51 reviews

65 Below average

99 Confidence
Clifton 3

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

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: 8.5 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 9.4 oz · Women's 7.6 oz
Release: 2018 Q2
MSRP: $130
Stack: 30/25mm
Drop: 5mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Great for logging miles, but not afraid to go fast.

4/5

Overall

The Clifton 5 has been my go to shoe for a while now. Even with other options in the rotation, the Clifton gets the most use. It’s feels great for just about everything, recovery runs, long runs, and even interval work when the legs are feeling tired. The outsole is nothing special but I’ve even used it quite a bit on the trails with decent results. I just with it was a bit narrower through the mid foot and toe box. I’ve got a super (suuuper) narrow foot, so I’m used to this, but a 10 was too short and a 10.5 is too wide, so I’m really syncing down the laces. Overall though, a great all around training shoe that shines on the longer days. It can be picked up pretty cheap on clearance now that the Clifton 6 is out, too.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

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

One the road in clown shoes

4/5

Overall

I avoided the Hoka shoes for a log time because they just looked slow & squishy. But I bought a pair of their trail shoes first, then the Clifton for the road. They don't last a long time but they are a comfortable shoe.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

50 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance 1080 v4

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

Great daily trainer for those who can run a lot on one pair

3/5

Overall

Have had many pairs of Cliftons they are awesome except for the model that has the upper rip I know many people who had that problem but they still worked when the upper ripped. rubber wears fast with not a lot of rubber. But still got 1000 miles out of one pair. Mostly got around 600 miles out all my pairs.

ncoz · Jul 2, 2019

80 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Felt Weird At First, Now I Love Them To Death

5/5

Overall

My first couple of times trying out the Cliftons felt quite odd as I was not used to the typical HOKA midsole design. Nevertheless, I kept running in them, and even before my first week in them was finished, they felt wonderfully normal. Would strongly recommend this show to anyone who is looking for a lot of slower mileage. I won't win any 400s in this shoe, but it will keep me healthy in my first collegiate build-up, a time when a lot of runners get injured.

Anonymous runner · Jul 2, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas adizero Boston 7

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

Great shoe, but inconsistent sizing in the toe box

4/5

Overall

Great great shoe for running miles and not beating me up. The look is meh, but they're not too ugly. But the sizing has been inconsistent for me. On my 3rd pair, my pinky toe gets squeezed and blistered so badly I had to start wearing toe socks on any run longer than 1 hour. Still, I would buy them again and hope for the best, because the pros outweigh the cons. On my most recent pair, I bought a full size up and that seems to help a little, although now my foot is a bit loose inside the shoe.

Anonymous runner · Jul 2, 2019

45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Pureflow 5