Nike Vaporfly 3

Name: Nike Vaporfly 3
Brand: Nike
Rating: 4.6 (30 reviews)

Racing · Neutral · Road · 7.1 oz · 8mm drop · 38/30mm stack

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

How it ranks

The Nike Vaporfly 3 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 89 runner reviews and 4 other rated shoes in the Vaporfly product line.

Exceptional

99/100

Overall

Exceptional 99

Appearance

Exceptional 99

Cushioning

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Exceptional 98

Value

Decent 70

Durability

Bottom-tier 54

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

“The etching in the sole to create that aerodynamic 3D-printed topographical look makes for just that many more edges to get rubbed off in a race.”

5/5 Full review 26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

“Carbon fiber plate and foam are great and give back a lot of force—feels like a trampoline.”

5/5 Full review training for 5K and 10K came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 40

“The moment I did a stride in the VF 3's I knew they were categorically better than the VF 2s.”

5/5 Full review 26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

“Have helped me hit new marathon PRs with much less leg fatigue later in the race.”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

“Runs 1/2 size small.”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for 5K and 10K

“After 35 miles of work the bottom of these shoes are more worn than I would have expected.”

5/5 Full review 26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

“At this stage, it's a light shoe, but it's unstable and has low energy return.”

5/5 Full review 9 mpw training for 5K and 10K

“The only issue with it is the lack of durability when comparing to the price.”

4/5 Full review training for a half marathon came from the adidas Takumi Sen 8

“The VF 3's have the stability and cushion to make for an ideal half to full marathon racing shoe.”

5/5 Full review 26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

“The Vaporfly has a lot of energy return and is incredibly light.”

5/5 Full review 9 mpw training for 5K and 10K

Prefer this shoe over another

61% 14/23

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

At 7.1 oz in the men's build and 5.8 oz in the women's, on a 38mm heel stack.
Reviewers report race PRs, strong energy return and quicker recovery afterwards.
Four reviewers who have run earlier Vaporflys call this one an improvement.

Cons

Durability is its lowest-rated dimension at 3.5 out of 5 against a $250 list price, and reviewers report the foam and thin outsole wearing out fast, one of them by 200 miles.
Reviewers keep it for races and key workouts rather than easy or long runs.
Three reviewers report it feeling unstable, particularly at slower paces.

Vaporfly 3 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 This shoe

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%

2017 · 73 reviews

99 Exceptional

100 Confidence

Reader Ratings

89 ratings

5/5 71

4/5 14

3/5 3

2/5 1

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 7.1 oz
Release: 2023 Q2
MSRP: $250
Stack Height: 38mm heel - 30mm toe
Drop Height: 8mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Real fast racing shoes

4/5

Overall

Fast shoes. Really bad stability and no ways to run slow part on it.

Stan · Jul 2, 2023

10 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Fast and pricy

5/5

Overall

This is my race shoe. It is light and fast, while still being comfy.

Anonymous runner · Jun 16, 2023

10 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT%

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jun 8, 2023

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

The best racing shoe I've ever run in, but expensive and a little fragile

5/5

Overall

I have worn the VF 3s for two workouts (one road, one track) and one race (Boston Marathon). I wore the VF 2s for the previous 5 races I did including the Chicago Marathon and countless workouts - and the moment I did a stride in the VF 3's I knew they were categorically better than the VF 2s. I thought the VF 2s were great, and they are still good, but the VF 3's have the stability and cushion to make for an ideal half to full marathon racing shoe. You could easily add in the 10 mile distance to that mix as well.

I still think the VF 2s may be best for 5k races on down due to their aggressive responsiveness and for track workouts, but the VF 3's are a smooth, still sporty-responsive ride. The 3's are just cushioned enough that they don't feel optimal for track work, so I stick to the 2's for track workouts. But for long road racing the VF 3's are your #1 choice.

7/10 for durability as the etching in the sole to create that aerodynamic 3D-printed topographical look makes for just that many more edges to get rubbed off in a race. I have a lot of stray strands and scrapes on it after the marathon. Same goes with the bottom of the shoe. I haven't put big miles on it yet, but after 35 miles of work the bottom of these shoes are more worn than I would have expected. My VF 2's lasted about 450 miles before I tossed them, but I'm thinking the VF 3's may not last as long.

7/10 for value/price as it being a $250-$275 shoe while the only somewhat less versatile VF 2 is on discount at ~$125 probably makes the VF 2 a more sensible buy for non-elite runners on a budget.

whid · Jun 5, 2023

26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

I enjoy the comfort of the shoe and the faster pace I run with them on. I well. My recovery is faster when I wear them

Joel Pasternack · Jun 1, 2023

15 mpw training for 5K and 10K

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

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Nike Vaporfly 3

Exceptional