On Cloud

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.1 oz · 6mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The On Cloud 5 replaced it

How it ranks

The On Cloud trails most daily trainers in our data. Looks and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 14 runner reviews and 2 other rated shoes in the Cloud product line.

Bottom-tier

55/100

Overall

Bottom-tier 55

Appearance

Excellent 93

Comfort

Decent 79

Cushioning

Below average 61

Durability

Bottom-tier 57

Value

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

84/100

Moderate 84

What runners say

“On Clouds feel more natural on my foot than any other shoe I've ever worn”

4/5 Full review 42 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Pearl Izumi EM Road M3

“It was light enough for long distances, but offered enough cushion to help my aging legs absorb the miles”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Vomero 13

“They feel extremely light and have a very smooth ride”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon

“The outsole wore out quickly, the forefoot cushioning was lacking and felt uncomfortable”

3/5 Full review 35 mpw came from the Brooks Ghost 11

“They lose their bounciness faster than most other shoes”

4/5 Full review 42 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Pearl Izumi EM Road M3

“The only big problem is the quantity of stones I collect between the 'clouds'”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Free RN 5.0

“Any off-roading rips the "clouds" to bits”

4/5 Full review 140 mpw training for a marathon

“After walking around DC for the rest of our vacation in unbelievable comfort”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw

“Pebbles can lodge themselves between the "clouds" on the bottom of the shoe”

4/5 Full review 42 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Pearl Izumi EM Road M3

“Sometimes rocks get stuck wedged in between pods”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

22% 2/9

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Averaging 7.0 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is well under the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers on sale, and reviewers use it for speed work and long runs alike.
Reviewers rate comfort 4.6 out of 5, and one bought a pair as walking shoes before running in them.
Three reviewers describe a smooth ride with noticeable return off the ground.

Cons

Four reviewers report stones lodging between the sole pods, though one has never had the problem.
Reviewers rate durability 3.9 out of 5, and two say the outsole wears fast and the bounce fades.
Two reviewers find the forefoot cushioning thin, and one says off-road use tears the pods.

Cloud rates 55. This shoe has moderate certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the On Cloud

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

55 2014 55 2024 54 2024

Release year

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

Cloud 5

2024 · 4 reviews

54 Bottom-tier

57 Confidence
Cloud 2.0

2024 · 2 reviews

55 Bottom-tier

5 Confidence
Cloud This shoe

2014 · 14 reviews

55 Bottom-tier

84 Confidence

Reader Ratings

14 ratings

5/5 8

4/5 4

3/5 2

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 8.1 oz
Release: 2014
MSRP: $130
Drop Height: 6mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Not really a running shoe, but sold that way.

3/5

Overall

The OnCloud is pitched heavily by local running stores, but this particular model appears as likely to show up on the feet of non-runners. It is very lightweight, and fairly comfortable. But it's a bit stiff, and seems very loose. The laces that are on the shoe are a joke when it comes to running. The alternate, traditional laces are much better.

Anonymous runner · Feb 10, 2018

50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante

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

On Cloud

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Feb 10, 2018

20 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance 1400v4

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

Great Lightweight option

5/5

Overall

This is just the basic OnCloud shoe. It is very light for a trainer and comfortable. Along with a 6mm drop its great if you want to transition into more minimalist type shoes. You feel a good amount of return off the ground, which is nice. Finally, they're versatile. I've ran 40 second 300s in them and long runs (up to 32 miles) in them.

Anonymous runner · Feb 8, 2018

70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Vazee Verge

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

ON cloud

5/5

Overall

I was a bit skeptical about this shoe when I first got it. The design is very different and I was concerned about the tradeoff between lower weight and cushioning of the shoe. I used this for all my long runs in training for an Ironman and for the race itself. It was light enough for long distances, but offered enough cushion to help my aging legs absorb the miles

Anonymous runner · Feb 7, 2018

50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Vomero 13