Saucony Freedom ISO

Name: Saucony Freedom ISO
Brand: Saucony
Rating: 4.6 (53 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.1 oz · 4mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Saucony Freedom ISO 2 replaced it

How it ranks

The Saucony Freedom ISO is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Durability and looks are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 53 runner reviews and 1 other rated shoe in the Freedom ISO product line.

Good

Overall

Good 86

Durability

Excellent 95

Appearance

Very good 92

Comfort

Good 85

Cushioning

Good 82

Value

Bottom-tier 59

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.

Our ratings
Brand rating
External ratings

What runners say

“EVERUN technology is very efficient. It's rigid but also bouncy and feels good from mile 1 to mile 600+”

4/5 Full review 31 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Guide 9

“Nice combination of some comfort without being so cushioned that they don't feel like they can run fast”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

“Over 450 miles and you would have to look very closely to even be able to tell where it is worn”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

“Rare combination of responsiveness while still being cushioned”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Newton Kismet II

“Comfortable fit while feeling light and springy even as they approached that 500+ mile mark”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 9

“Close to 800km on them and the bottoms barely show any sign of wear”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

“Excellent blend of cushioning plus speed”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

“Sizing feels about 1/4 size too small while the heel feels too loose”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

“Soft ride but doesn't make you feel slow like soft shoes tend to”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 33

“Put over a thousand miles in them and they are still going well”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

“Firm sole, yet there is enough cushion to avoid joint pain from repetitive striking”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

“Ride got noticeably more firm and less cushioned after 150 miles”

4/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon

“Almost no structure in the heel and it felt unstable when cornering on faster paced runs”

4/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon

“Good for about 500 kms. After that they feel dull and lifeless”

4/5 Full review 28 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Free Motion

“Tread did well when it came to not slipping, but wore very quickly (only 150 miles)”

3/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride 10

“Upper wasn't very durable so I tore holes in the sides and toe box much earlier than in other shoes”

4/5 Full review 75 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride 9

“Taking tight turns can be a pain, as the upper seems a bit sloppy during lateral movements”

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

“Tongue doesn't have much cushion, and I have had it rub my skin a little raw”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

“Toe cap is starting to break which is sad considering that wear on the soles and rest of shoe are non existent”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for middle distance came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

“TPU foam can be lumpy underfoot initially”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

“The 4mm drop is perfect for those who don't want a totally minimal (zero) shoe”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 1

“Removing the insole and running directly on the TPU midsole”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon

“Does press a little the toes but more like a sock would”

4/5 Full review 85 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

“Low drop running shoes with neutral cushioning”

4/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

Prefer this shoe over another

53% 28/53

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Reviewers report outsoles holding up past 500 miles with little wear.
Reviewers use it for easy runs, tempo work and marathons.
Many describe cushioning that stays springy while keeping road feel.

Cons

It lists at $160, fourteen reviewers call it expensive, and value is the lowest-rated dimension at 3.9 out of 5.
Uppers often tear or look ragged before the sole wears.
Eleven of forty-two reviewers with a fit answer say it runs small, and seven find the upper loose enough to feel unstable cornering.

Freedom ISO rates 86. This shoe has very high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Saucony Freedom ISO

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

86 2017 82 2018

Release year

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

Freedom ISO 2

2018 · 18 reviews

82 Good

94 Confidence
Freedom ISO This shoe

2017 · 53 reviews

86 Good

99 Confidence

Runner Ratings

53 ratings

5/5 31

4/5 21

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 9.1 oz · Women's 9.0 oz
Release: 2017 Q2
MSRP: $160
Drop: 4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

FAST

5/5

Overall

This shoe feels very fast and light and comfortable, I love to do track workouts in them. The aesthetics of the shoe cannot be beat and I would give it a 15/10 if I could. Lots of compliments. Too soon to say about durability but very comfortable. The price is a little steep ($160) but I would say it is worth it for the amazing shoe.

Anonymous runner · Feb 2, 2018

50 mpw training for middle distance came from the Brooks Launch 4

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

Not worth it

4/5

Overall

This shoe was very nicely weighted and had lots of cushion, but it ran a half size small and the upper wasn't very durable so I tore holes in the sides and toe box much earlier than in other shoes. The color selection was pretty ugly as well.

Anonymous runner · Jan 31, 2018

75 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride 9

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 2/5
Value: 2/5

Saucony Freedom ISO - Endless Summer

5/5

Overall

This is my second pair of Freedoms since their debut in February 2017 and I've been impressed with what Saucony has been able to due with their first full length TPU foam. The shoe is an excellent blend of cushioning plus speed, and with a 4mm drop is the perfect shoe for a competitive marathon or tempo paced efforts. It's a bit heavier than the Kinvara, which I prefer for 5k-10k races or true speedwork, but the extra cushioning lets me use this on my LR training runs as well, going up to 22 miles with no problem. Pros: See above. Plus I'm a big fan of the ISO fit uppers that Saucony has been gradually bringing in on all their models. I also feel like this shoe is more durable than your average shoe, especially for one I would characterize as a racing shoe. The crystallized rubber bottom held up really well and the TPU foam still felt like it had some pop left in it, even after I surpassed 600 miles (I typically only get about 400). Cons: TPU foam is a bit difficult to work with and I feel like it can be lumpy underfoot initially. After about 20 miles or so, the lumps were uniformly flattened out and I can no longer feel any issues. Also, I would recommend trying on the shoe personally because while the ISO fit upper is great and very adaptive, the sizing feels about 1/4 size too small while the heel feels too loose in both pairs that I've owned. Finally, $160 is more expensive than I'd like to see this shoe at; I feel like $150 would be more inline, IMO.

Anonymous runner · Jan 22, 2018

50 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

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

5/5

Overall

I am now on my 5th pair of the Freedom and I can confidently say that it is the best trainer I have ever owned. It is quite expensive but Iv'e been getting 600-675 miles out of each pair, making them a solid value

Anonymous runner · Jan 14, 2018

65 mpw training for a marathon

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

Saucony Freedom Iso

5/5

Overall

Fast, Springy, but protective. PU midsole is as advertised - feel at mile 300 was pretty close to feel at mile 1. Did not notice a breakdown until close to 500 miles, when foot aches started creeping in. A little unstable due to the minimal upper (think they had to save some weight, as the midsole is pretty dense), but because of the 4mm drop platform, i didn't have too many problems.

Anonymous runner · Jan 8, 2018

80 mpw 695 miles in this shoe training for a marathon