Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%

Name: Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%
Brand: Nike
Rating: 4.7 (71 reviews)

Racing · Neutral · Road · 6.9 oz · 10mm drop · 39/29mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% replaced it

How it ranks

The Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4% is one of the strongest racing shoes in our data. Looks and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 73 runner reviews and 4 other rated shoes in the Vaporfly product line.

Exceptional

99/100

Overall

Exceptional 99

Cushioning

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Exceptional 99

Appearance

Exceptional 99

Value

Bottom-tier 59

Durability

Bottom-tier 50

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

100/100

Very high 100

What runners say

“These shoes are fast, and it was hard to dial the goal pace in because they want to go so fast.”

5/5 Full review 75 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

“On my first run in the shoes I immediately noticed some extra pop, more so than anything I had run in before.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1500 v4

“The combination of the carbon plate with ZoomX midsole cushioning provides just the right amount of feedback and forward propulsion.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1500 v4

“Normally the quads feel like rocks by that point, especially going uphill. But they felt much better in the 4% .”

5/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike LunarTempo 2

“These do what they are advertised to do, help you really roll/pop off your toes with the plate. It was a stressor that my achilles, ankles, and calves just couldn't handle, leaving me extremely sore.”

1/5 Full review training for a marathon

“This is the single best shoe i have ever run in, there is a genuine difference in comfort, road feel and speed.”

5/5 Full review 100 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike LunaRacer 4

“The cushion technology has my legs feeling great far into long runs and better than ever after runs.”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Havok XC2 Flat

“The first mile was downhill, and I could feel a lot of cushioning and springiness for each step.”

5/5 Full review 75 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

“They aren't too durable; after about 5 miles of wear, I can already see how the soles are grinding out on the street.”

5/5 Full review 3 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Zoom Fly SP (Special Project)

“The cushioning can be comparable to a Hoka One One but quite honestly this is more plush.”

4/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Zoom Pegasus 35 Turbo

Prefer this shoe over another

51% 34/67

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers repeatedly report legs feeling fresher after races and long runs in it.
At 6.9 oz on a 39mm heel stack, and reviewers call it incredibly cushioned for the weight.
Reviewers report race PRs at distances from the 10k to the marathon.

Cons

Durability is its lowest-rated dimension at 3.3 out of 5, and reviewers report the outsole wearing and the sole peeling, one after about 200 miles.
Value rates 3.7 out of 5 against a $250 list price, and reviewers who like the shoe still call it too expensive.
Reviewers say it feels unstable at slower paces, and eleven of seventy-three find it runs small.

Zoom Vaporfly 4% rates 99. This shoe has very high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Nike Vaporfly

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

99 2017 100 2019 99 2021 99 2023 98 2025

Release year

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

Vaporfly 4

2025 · 3 reviews

98 Exceptional

91 Confidence
Vaporfly 3

2023 · 89 reviews

99 Exceptional

100 Confidence
ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

2021 · 49 reviews

99 Exceptional

99 Confidence
ZoomX Vaporfly Next%

2019 · 27 reviews

100 Exceptional

100 Confidence
Zoom Vaporfly 4% This shoe

2017 · 73 reviews

99 Exceptional

100 Confidence

Reader Ratings

73 ratings

5/5 55

4/5 16

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 2

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 6.9 oz
Release: 2017 Q3
MSRP: $250
Stack Height: 39mm heel - 29mm toe
Drop Height: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

A Gamechanger

5/5

Overall

Used this for a road mile primarily for the cushioning and was happy to see it worked really well. Love this shoe for those long tempos and such. Not the best for the track because the shoe has a sort of sweet-spot where it doesn't feel good going sub-60 for a 400 but does feel good running between 70 and 90 seconds. As a primarily track runner I don't get to race in it often but have considered it for the 3200m as I have seen some of my competitors sporting them and running fast in them. Still partial to spikes as I like to really feel like I can get up on my toes. an unusual take on the 4% but I think if you think you will run fast in it you will.

gopre26 · Jun 20, 2019

40 mpw training for middle distance

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

Flyknits Vaporfly 4%

5/5

Overall

Best racing shoe on the planet for 15k and up.

Anonymous runner · May 1, 2019

85 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Vaporfly 4% Flyknit

4/5

Overall

Overall, the shoe has a lot of positives, but only one slight negative. Comfort is phenomenal; right when you put this shoe on as it fits snugly to your foot. Slightly tight at first but it loosens up just enough for each foot to fit nearly perfect in the shoe. The cushioning can be comparable to a Hoka One One but quite honestly this is more plush. The carbon plate does not come into question when thinking of cushioning because it is not noticeable in terms of cushioning. In terms of performance, it is very noticeable. The durability is the only weak point as the white foam that is exposed on the outsole of the shoe wears down faster than the reinforced black blown rubber sections of the outsole. The upper of the shoe does not change throughout any use in durability. The appearance is AWESOME. Looks flashy, sporty, and makes you feel fast just by looking at them. Very modern, minimalistic upper and sleek midsole/outsole. Value is top tier when not paying attention to the price which is high - $250 per pair. If you can afford them, go for it. If not, that’s ok too. You have to pay for top of the line ingenuity.

beansbeansbeans · Apr 23, 2019

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

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

Vaporfly 4% hobby jogger returns

5/5

Overall

These Vaporflys have afterburners. They are fast. They are so responsive that this hobby jogger could barely control his legs. There is so much cushioning and was so running so fast I could jphardly feel the ground. They did run a bit small. I wish that they came in a size 14. I probably would not use them for a marathon due to the size issue. Don’t know if I would pay $250 for them. I like the Hoka EVO Carbon Rockets for their price point.

CaptainTuttle262 · Feb 12, 2019

60 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Mach 2

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

Im flying!

5/5

Overall

I found this shoe to deliver on its promise; to be 4% faster than the rest. What i found really positive is that its quite wide in the forefoot which is a big plus for me as i have quite wide feet. This is opposed to the Zoom Fly which i found a bit narrow and uncomfortable. Its also super comfortable and a really bouncy feel which makes you feel fast as well. Not sure about the durability yet as i have not used it enough (trying to use it only for "special occasions").

Anonymous runner · Jan 29, 2019

60 mpw training for a half marathon

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

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Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%

Exceptional