Type a shoe name, like Pegasus, Clifton or Kayano.

Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

Racing · Neutral · Road · 6.9 oz · 8mm drop · 38/30mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Nike Vaporfly 3 replaced it

How it ranks

The Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 is one of the strongest racing shoes in our data. Looks and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 49 runner reviews and 4 other rated shoes in the Vaporfly product line.

Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

of 5

Exceptional

99/100
Overall
99
Appearance
99
Cushioning
98
Comfort
86
Value
75
Durability
50
Confidence

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

99/100

99

What runners say

“The pop and bounce and ease of going race pace is unrivalled.”
5/5 Full review 5 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Rincon 2
“Terrible durability, expensive, hard to put on, bad stability.”
5/5 Full review training for 5K and 10K
“Kept its speed for 50 miles before it went downhill; not recommended past 150–200 miles.”
4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Rincon 3
“The outsole of the shoe near the heel wore out really quick and the sides started to split.”
5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS EvoRide 2
“What trumps all its myriad flaws is pure speed.”
5/5 Full review training for 5K and 10K
“This is the fastest shoe I have ever run in hands down.”
4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Rincon 3
“The back heel constantly causes friction on the Achilles and cuts through it.”
4/5 Full review 10 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Nike ZoomX Streakfly
“For threshold days I barely had to push to hit the required paces and for speed days I was able to run fast easily.”
5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS EvoRide 2
“If you tend to heel strike or race at 5min/km pace or slower, you probably shouldn't buy these.”
5/5 Full review training for a half marathon
“Only truly last 200–300 miles but you can push it.”
3/5 Full review training for a half marathon came from the Nike ZoomX Dragonfly Spikes

Prefer this shoe over another

67% 16/24

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.


Pros

  • Reviewers consistently call it their fastest shoe for races and speed workouts.
  • At 6.9 oz on a 38mm heel stack.
  • Three runners say their legs feel fresh after marathons and long efforts.

Cons

  • Durability is its lowest-rated dimension at 3.3 out of 5, and reviewers report outsole wear and lost bounce within a few months, one after ten sessions.
  • Reviewers report the heel rubbing, sore calves and an arch that feels high.
  • It lists at $250, and reviewers call that too much for how long it lasts.

Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale

Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.

Confidence
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 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

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 This shoe

    2021 · 49 reviews

    99 Exceptional

    99 Confidence

  • ZoomX Vaporfly Next%

    2019 · 27 reviews

    100 Exceptional

    100 Confidence

  • Zoom Vaporfly 4%

    2017 · 73 reviews

    99 Exceptional

    100 Confidence

Reader Ratings

49 ratings
5/5 35
4/5 13
3/5 1
2/5 0
1/5 0

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
6.9 oz
Release
2021 Q2
MSRP
$250
Stack Height
38mm heel - 30mm toe
Drop Height
8mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 16–20 of 23 written reviews

Fastest shoe it’s true

5/5

Overall

I just used these for 3 marathons, but not for training (other than a short run to try it out before the first).   I went out too fast in my last one and I think the cushion provided by the VF kept my legs fresh and helped me finish strong.

Jim · Aug 2, 2023

training for a marathon came from the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2

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

Solid Shoe, Super Fast

5/5

Overall

Great shoe if you are looking for speed

Anonymous runner · Aug 2, 2023

training for 5K and 10K

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

A great racer, might not be good for slow beginner runners

5/5

Overall

This is a great road racing shoe that will help you set new PRs. However,  if you tend to heal strike, or if you're going to be racing in this in 5min/km pace or slower, you probably shouldn't buy these.

Anonymous runner · Jul 29, 2023

training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jun 17, 2023

5 mpw training for middle distance

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jun 16, 2023

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

More from Nike

Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
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Best overall / Best cushioning / Best appearance
Lightest / Newest / Lowest price
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Shoe properties
Type
Racing
Racing
Racing
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
6.9 oz M
4.9 oz M Lightest
7.7 oz M
Stack
38/30mm
36/30mm
Drop
8mm
6mm
8mm
Release
2021 Q2
2025 Newest
2024 Q1
MSRP
$250
$260
$295
Best price
$109.99 Lowest price
$142.82
Ratings
Overall
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Exceptional (98)
Exceptional (99)
Comfort
Good (86)
Good (89)
Excellent (95) Best comfort
Cushioning
Exceptional (98) Best cushioning
Exceptional (98)
Exceptional (97)
Durability
Bottom-tier (50)
Bottom-tier (51)
Below average (64) Best durability
Appearance
Exceptional (99) Best appearance
Exceptional (98)
Excellent (96)
Value
Decent (75)
Below average (67)
Good (84) Best value
Specific shoe

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