5 Best Running Shoe Brands in April 2026 - Supwell Power Rankings
With all the new running shoe releases in 2026, we wanted to give you an updated Supwell Power Rankings top 5 list of the best running shoe brands so far this year. See where Nike, Adidas, ASICS, and Puma fell on our list and where the hot new Chinese brand, Li-Ning, landed for its first appearance.
Welcome to the next edition of Supwell’s Running shoe brand Power Rankings. We launched this series as a way to keep a running list of the best shoes on the market updated each month. Here are our 5 best running shoe brands right now in April 2026. *Editor’s note: Our criteria for this list is enjoyment, mileage accumulation on the Supwell team, adoption in the hobby jogger community, US market availability and price/value. Our last list was the 5 Best Running Shoe Brands in December 2025 and included ASICS in first place, Puma in second, Nike in third, Mizuno in fourth, and Adidas in fifth place.
#1 ASICS
A well-rounded and diverse lineup has kept ASICS in the #1 slot since we started our brand Power Rankings. With the release of the highly-acclaimed Superblast 3, a stellar update to one of the only ASICS shoes that was a miss for us, their position at the top of the game has only been further cemented. The Megablast is still holding strong as a running enthusiast favorite and their line-up of race day shoes with the Metaspeed Edge Tokyo, Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, and Metaspeed Ray is top-tier.
ASICS Superblast 3
#2 Puma
At this point, we’re not sure if Puma is capable of making a bad performance running shoe anymore; they’ve zeroed in how to craft excellent midsoles, and have consistently delivered hit after hit. From the pinnacle Fast-R 3 and the more accessible Deviate Nitro Elite 4 race shoe to the entry-level Velocity Nitro 4, their lineup is packed with bangers.
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
#3 Li-Ning
You might not like it, but Li-Ning has established themselves as a top-tier performance running brand. In recent months, many Western brands have been no match for their innovative Super Boom capsule tech and incredible attention to detail design-wise. The innovations that Chinese brands are bringing to the table can no longer be overlooked in 2026. They hit the Western market with an insanely fun super trainer in the Red Hare 9 Ultra, a bouncy race shoe in the Feidian 6 Elite, a crazy illegal racer in the Feidian 6 Ultra and a solid daily trainer in the Chaoying Pro.
Li-Ning Red Hare 9 Ultra
.png)
#4 Adidas
An excellent upper update in the Evo SL EXO and the launch of the Hyperboost Edge have pushed Adidas up to the #4 spot in our rankings. We’re still not fully sold on their race-day lineup, but we’re hopeful the upcoming Adios Pro 5 can close the gap.
Adidas Hyperboost Edge
#5 Nike
Nike still has two top max cushion shoes in the Vomero Plus and Vomero Premium, but their race shoes desperately need an update. It’s comical at this point whenever they release a new Alphafly 3 colorway for $305 instead of dropping info about the Alphafly 4. That aside, Nike is still a top 5 brand in terms of performance.
Nike Vomero Plus
Supwell App
For great deals on gently used or brand new running shoes, sign up for the Supwell app. You can also download it directly from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You'll get DAILY motivation, the most supportive hobby jogger community, best buy, sell and trade shoe marketplace and exclusive Hobby Jogger gear discounts, including access to the Running Warehouse code that will get you 20% off of clearance shoes.
Join the buy, sell, trade marketplace.
Find your next running shoe
Answer a few questions to find the best shoe based on your preferences and goals
