Nike Zoom Fly 3

Name: Nike Zoom Fly 3
Brand: Nike
Rating: 4.2 (21 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.9 oz · 8mm drop · 36/28mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Nike Zoom Fly 4 replaced it

How it ranks

The Nike Zoom Fly 3 trails most daily trainers in our data. Looks and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Comfort scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 22 runner reviews and 5 other rated shoes in the Zoom Fly product line.

Below average

67/100

Overall

Below average 67

Appearance

Excellent 95

Cushioning

Good 89

Durability

Decent 77

Value

Bottom-tier 54

Comfort

Bottom-tier 52

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 will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

90/100

High 90

What runners say

“Traction in wet is awful—lose 10-20 seconds a mile slipping.”

4/5 Full review 5 mpw training for 5K and 10K

“Upper is awful—impossible to lace right; too tight causes pressure or too loose causes sliding.”

3/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon

“Achilles tendon feels the best it has in years.”

5/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a marathon

“Super tight forefoot after a mile—burning sensation like mile 20 of a marathon.”

2/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the adidas adizero Boston 6

“Shines for faster long runs—copious cushioning keeps legs fresh with springy pop.”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36

“Optimal shock absorption plus significant energy return.”

5/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a marathon

“The React cushioning is responsive and reliable and stays comfortable on long runs.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Glycerin 17

“Withstands almost 500 miles—you definitely get your money's worth.”

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

“Unique springy ride with a nice pop in every step.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for middle distance

“Upper fit is tricky—either too loose or too tight, hard to get the lacing right.”

5/5 Full review 12 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

54% 14/26

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers praise a springy, well-cushioned ride for tempo runs and faster long runs, and rate cushioning 4.6 out of 5.
Several reviewers report 300 to 800 miles from a pair.
Three reviewers use it to train for racing in the Nike Vaporfly.

Cons

Several reviewers struggle to get the lacing and forefoot fit right, finding it either tight across the top of the foot or loose at the heel.
Several reviewers find it heavy and bottom-heavy for fast sessions.
Two reviewers report poor grip in the wet, one of them losing 10 to 20 seconds a mile to slipping, and one on light snow and ice.

Zoom Fly 3 rates 67. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Nike Zoom Fly

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

64 2016 86 2017 67 2019 64 2021 92 2022 81 2024

Release year

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

Zoom Fly 6

2024 · 27 reviews

81 Good

87 Confidence
Zoom Fly 5

2022 · 33 reviews

92 Very good

92 Confidence
Zoom Fly 4

2021 · 9 reviews

64 Below average

76 Confidence
Zoom Fly 3 This shoe

2019 · 22 reviews

67 Below average

90 Confidence
Zoom Fly

2017 · 90 reviews

86 Good

98 Confidence
Zoom Fly 2 (2016)

2016 · 2 reviews

64 Below average

47 Confidence

Reader Ratings

22 ratings

5/5 10

4/5 9

3/5 1

2/5 2

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 8.9 oz
Release: 2019 Q2
MSRP: $160
Stack Height: 36mm heel - 28mm toe
Drop Height: 8mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Gave Nike Another Shot

2/5

Overall

I heard good things about this shoe as an affordable cousin of the Vapor Fly. I haven't wore Nike for years, but the innovation drew me back and I chose the Zoom Fly 3. The stock fit started off very comfortable but just over a mile into a six miler, the shoe was super tight around my forefoot. My foot felt like I was 20 miles into a marathon on a hot day, they were burning. On the next run, I loosened the laces on the toe box and the forefoot felt better, but then my sock kept bunching up. I'll try one more go tomorrow, but not impressed this far. Pros: feels fast and responsive

Anonymous runner · Sep 27, 2019

50 mpw training for a marathon came from the adidas adizero Boston 6

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

Improves on a decent shoe

4/5

Overall

The various versions of the Zoom Fly have been marketed by Nike as a race day shoe with the implication of it being a cheaper Vaporfly due to the fact that is mostly shares the same design (and carbon fiber plate) but with more durable (and significantly heavier) React cushioning instead of ZoomX. I like the Zoom Fly a lot but Vaporfly it is not. I think it is better placed in the “lightweight trainer” category. I’ve used multiple versions of the Zoom Fly during marathon training. The React cushioning is responsive and reliable and stays comfortable on long runs. It does well enough at faster speeds for fartleks or tempo runs but would choose something else for true speed work/track workouts. The upper has always been a winner on the Zoom Flys. The flyknit was ver comfortable and stretchy in the right places. This has been replaced with the Vaporweave material on this version. While it doesn’t have the initial comfort and sock-like feel of the flyknit, it is still comfortable and doesn’t create hotspots. Most importantly it is hydrophobic so doesn’t hold water in and repels most water in wet conditions (a big improvement over the flyknit). The React cushioning is mostly the same. They did place rubber in better locations on heel compared with previous versions where I found the outer heel rubber would wear down quite quickly. I would still manage about 300 miles on the Zoom Fly Flyknits. I am at about 150 miles on the Zoom Fly 3s and it shows much better wear in the heel so far. The rubber on the forefoot also has deeper grooves and better grip especially in wet conditions. The Zoom Fly 3 is a fairly light weight “do it all” sort of training shoe for me. I do like using it for training and then racing in the Vaporfly. The carbon plate does make a nicer rocker-like toe off that takes pressure off the toes and ankle. The only negative is the weight. The React cushioning does it job very well but does make the shoe feel a little bottom heavy. I don’t mind this for most training but I think it is what prevents it from being a race day shoe. Also the stack height is quite high and so can feel unstable. This may also be a problem for those that struggle with neutral shoes as it is very neutral (if that’s a thing?) as there is no lateral supports. I’ve put 750+ miles on various Zoom Flys and it remains one of my most used shoes.

MidAtlantic · Sep 10, 2019

35 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Glycerin 17

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Aug 12, 2019

25 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Closest the Zoom Fly Series is to the Vaporfly

4/5

Overall

I've worn all prior versions of the Zoom Fly and the ZF3 are the best yet. I loved the Flyknit upper on the prior model and wasn't sure how the new upper would compare but the new Vaporweave provides a great lockdown. The midsole has more react than the prior version and you can tell it's more comfortable. I've read that the weight has increased but I couldn't tell this on foot. I really enjoy the ZF3 on days when I want to pick up the pace and the shoe does a great job keeping you landing on your forefoot. I took these out of the box and got in a quick run and they felt great. The only downside is I sometimes get hot spots on my forefoot when I'm running longer at faster paces. I'm an extreme forefoot striker so this could be the issue but I don't get this issue in the Vaporfly so it must have something to do with the React. I had the same issue with the prior model but really enjoy these shoes so I'm willing to put up with it.

Anonymous runner · Jul 26, 2019

40 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Zoom Pegasus 35 Turbo

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

The go to

5/5

Overall

I wanted to give these a ten. I've gone 800 miles in my last pair. My one wish for them is for the upper! My fit are usually pretty snug in the toebox, but I have holes forming on top of the my pair now.

Anonymous runner · Jul 14, 2019

70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Structure 22