Grading Every Running Shoe Brands for their 2025 Shoe Line-up
Below we are looking at all the major running shoe brands and the shoes they released in 2025 to see how they compare. See how releases like the Megablast from ASICS, SC Elite v5 from New Balance, the Bondi 9 from Hoka, the Evo SL from Adidas, the Vomero Plus from Nike, and many other shoes affected each brand’s grade.
After testing, racing, and logging 10,000+ miles across the year as a team, we stacked each brand’s full lineup to see who actually delivered and who missed the mark. Some brands brought elite race models and followed up with bangers in every category, while others struggled to find consistency beyond one standout model but every brand but every brand gave us enough data to spark some real debates about what matters most in a lineup.
ASICS: A++
No other brand brought the heat quite like ASICS this year. From their innovative pinnacle race shoes, like the Metaspeed Ray, Sky Tokyo, and Edge Tokyo, to their workmanlike daily trainers, such as the Novablast 5 and Megablast, there are no true misses in this lineup.
ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo
ASICS Megablast
On: D-
2025 was not On's year. The Cloudflow 5 was a solid dual foam uptempo training shoe, but the Cloudboom Max, Cloudsurfer 2, and Cloursurfer Max all received mixed to negative reviews. After seeing On's offerings for 2025 at The Running Event, however, we're optimistic they can turn things around in the New Year.
On Cloudflow 5
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New Balance: B-
While other brands pushed the envelope in 2025 to deliver new and exciting midsole technologies, New Balance stagnated, sticking with the same foams they used in 2024. The SC Elite v5 was a great update over the v4, but the Rebel v5, More v6, and 880v15 all feel stale compared to the new wave of more imaginative shoes coming from competitors.
New Balance SC Elite v5
Hoka: B-
Hoka's releases were hit or miss this year. While the Rocket X3 and Cielo X1 2.0 didn't quite capture the magic of their predecessors, the Mach X3 and Clifton 10 were solid, dependable updates. The Bondi 9, however, stood apart, earning one of our top 5 spots on our max cushion shoes of the year list.
Hoka Bondi 9
Adidas: A-
Adidas started the year strong with crowd-pleasing favorites like the Adios Pro 4 and Evo SL, but their momentum dwindled later in the year when shoes like the Prime X3 Strung and Takumi Sen 11 failed to catch on with enthusiasts. Despite having a few misses in their lineup, Adidas continues to be one of the most widely-adopted running brands.
Adidas Adios Pro 4
Adidas Evo SL
Saucony: B+
Saucony bounced back this year after a tough 2024, delivering excellent updates to the Endorphin Speed 5 and Hurricane series with the Hurricane 25, and introducing Incredirun, one of the bounciest race foams on the market. With lots of exciting offerings in the queue for the New Year, things are looking up for Saucony.
Saucony Endorphin Speed 5
Saucony Hurricane 25
Nike: A
Nike re-structured their entire product architecture this year to great results, breathing new life into their previously stagnant training lineup with exciting and innovative shoes like the Vomero Premium. on the racing side, the Streakfly 2 offered a groundbreaking track spike for the roads geometry, but the Vaporfly 4 failed to live up to the nameplate’s iconic status.
Nike Vomero Premium
Nike Streakfly 2
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Brooks: B+
Brooks’ most notable updates this year came in the Hyperion line. We named the Hyperion Max 3 as the best plated training shoe of the year, and the entry level Hyperion 3 was highly underrated. Outside of that, Brooks had a quietly steady year: nothing that truly blew us away, and some inconsistency in the more traditional part of the lineup, with models like the Glycerin 22 missing the mark.
Brooks Hyperion Max 3
Brooks Hyperion 3
Mizuno: A
Mizuno came to play in 2025, releasing two generations of top tier racers within the same calendar year, and dropping some of the best training shoes on the market in the Neo Vista 2, Neo Zen, and Wave Rebellion Flash 3. Don’t sleep on Mizuno in 2026.
Mizuno Neo Vista 2
Mizuno Wave Rebellion Flash 3
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Puma: A+
Puma might have dropped fewer shoes compared to brands like Adidas, Nike and ASICS, but nearly every release landed at the top of its category. Highlights include the fastest, most iconic race shoe of 2025 in the Fast-R 3, and two top 5 daily trainers of the year in the Magnify Nitro 3 and Velocity Nitro 4.
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
Puma Velocity Nitro 4
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