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

Vaporfly 4%

5/5

Overall

Feels spongey and kind of clunky but firms up at pace. Easy to wear, I had no hot spots and discomfort - could just jump into a fresh pair for a race. At first you can feel the carbon fibre plates and it’s an odd sensation, but then that fades into the background. Race performances in these are always much better than any other shoe I wear.

Anonymous runner · Jul 26, 2018

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO

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

4% real deal

5/5

Overall

This shoe made me feel like I was running on a cloudy soft spring. Gives me a lot of pop on uphills. Set a marathon PR though I was in top form. Could be placebo. At any rate, this is a great shoe!

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2018

80 mpw training for a marathon

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

Nike Zoom Vaporfly

4/5

Overall

Very easy to run in makes road feel like a trampoline. Not ideal for 5k racing , maybe just use flats instead but for high mileage dudes , i reccomend and even for reps in training sessions.

lactate burns · Jun 11, 2018

40 mpw training for middle distance came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 33

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

Slowed me down in a 10K

1/5

Overall

In my Nike Lunaracers I ran a 5K in 19:13. This predicts around 39:00 for a 10K. Two weeks after the 5K I ran the Bolder Boulder 10K. I've run the Bolder Boulder 15 times, always faster than 39:00. I found a pair of the Vaporflys on eBay, used once in a 15K race, for $280. This was a week before the Bolder Boulder so I didn't have time to train or try them in a 5K. I ran the Bolder Boulder in 40:00.27. My heart rate was good and I felt good but the shoes just felt slow. They're a full ounce heavier than my Lunaracers. They're the stiffest shoes I've ever seen. I'm a forefoot striker, the shoes feel different at jogging pace heel striking (bouncy castle) vs. race pace forefoot striking (they lose their bounce). My guess is that these shoes don't work for forefoot strikers because that big bouncy heel is no longer doing anything.

MasterFlatus · Jun 5, 2018

6 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike LunaRacer 4

Comfort: 3/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 1/5

AMAZING AND MAGICAL SHOE

5/5

Overall

This shoe... is a breakthrough in the running game. It is so fast you are scared that you are slowing them down. The farther you go the better you feel from the moment you lace them up. You become unstoppable in this shoe, wanna break three in the marathon? heres your breakthrough shoe. The carbon fiber insole propels, no, launches you forward at mach speeds and keeps you going. These shoes look amazing feel amazing, and perform amazing but... is 1/4 grand... ouch. The price leads to great experience in them but the longevity of the shoe is quite low. You can only do key speed workouts and races in these shoes any more than that and you are wasting your money. Is it worth it? Yes. Vaporfly 4% is a milestone in the running game and Nike is just starting its second takeover of the running game.

Dmitri_morse · Apr 12, 2018

30 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Top Rankings

By Category

Best Deals

Explore

Start Here

Analyses

Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%

Exceptional