Saucony Freedom 5

Name: Saucony Freedom 5
Brand: Saucony

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 7.9 oz · 28/24mm stack · 4mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock.

How it ranks

The Saucony Freedom 5’s rating is an early estimate. We’ve collected 5 runner reviews so far, with product line history and external ratings also informing the score.

Good

Overall

Good 80

Durability

Good 81

Value

Good 80

Comfort

Decent 78

Appearance

Decent 78

Cushioning

Decent 73

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

73 Moderate

Moderate 73

External retailer ratings

We break apart ratings from mass-market retailers and specialty running shops since they serve different audiences.

The middle of the bar marks the typical shoe at each type of retailer. The dot shows where this shoe ranks in comparison.

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

“Fairly soft, but firm enough to feel like you have control”

5/5 Full review 57 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 10

“After breaking in, the ground-feeling was refreshing”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS Novablast 4

“A little too unstable to motor around sharp turns”

5/5 Full review 57 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 10

“It felt too stiff and too low to the ground”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS Novablast 4

Prefer this shoe over another

80% 4/5

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

One reviewer, on a fortieth pair, says the cushioning outlasts the outsole rubber.
Light at 8 oz with a 4mm drop, and one reviewer picks up the pace on faster reps in it.
Reviewers rate comfort and value highly.

Cons

Cushioning is its lowest-rated dimension, and one reviewer finds it stiff and low to the ground until it breaks in.
One reviewer finds it unstable through sharp turns and not suited to trails.

Freedom 5 rates 80. This shoe has moderate confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Saucony Freedom

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

88 2020 82 2021 80 2022

Release year

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

Freedom 5 This shoe

2022 · 5 reviews

80 Good

73 Confidence
Freedom 4

2021 · 2 reviews

82 Good

72 Confidence
Freedom 3

2020 · 2 reviews

88 Good

60 Confidence

Runner Ratings

5 ratings

5/5 3

4/5 2

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 7.9 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 8.4 oz · Women's 7.3 oz
Release: 2022 Q2
Stack: 28/24mm
Drop: 4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Great value low stack shoe for workouts

4/5

Overall

When I first ran in this shoe, it felt too stiff to me and too low to the ground, but after I broke it in and adjusted to the 4 mm drop, the ground-feeling was refreshing for me. Although there isn’t a lot of cushion, it still feels like a smooth ride and lets you pick up the paces on the faster reps.

Saucony no longer sells freedoms, but you can pick them up on Amazon for 50-70$ depending on your size!

Anonymous runner · Oct 30, 2024

40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS Novablast 4

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 2/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Successor to pre-pandemic zante fresh foam

5/5

Overall

I was very comfortable in the old NB Zante Fresh foam until NB changed design about 5 years ago. Glad to have found the Saucony.

Ted Greenberg · Aug 9, 2023

25 mpw training for a half marathon

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

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jul 16, 2023

30 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 23

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

40th Pair as good as the first

5/5

Overall

The cushioning in the Freedom lasts forever. I wear out the rubber on the bottom before I need to replace them. Fairly soft, but firm enough to feel like you have control. Not the greatest shoe for trails. It is a little too unstable to motor around sharp turns.

OldRWRunner · Jun 8, 2023

57 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 10