20 Best Running Shoes For Under $100 (Review) In 2020

The GEL Venture 5 from Asics provides space, comfort and support in a lightweight affordable package that’s built to last. To our way of thinking that pretty much defines value. The shoe also provides the kind of lateral support you don’t expect in a running shoe. So it wouldn’t be a stretch to wear it playing tennis. The design is fairly pedestrian but performance is anything but. At this price, it’s one of the great steals in athletic footwear. If you are a new to running, be sure to check out our guide to the best running shoes for beginners.

The Performance Women’s Duramo 6 from adidas provides outstanding structural support from heel to toe. The company’s “Adiprene” cushioning is welcoming, forgiving and flexible. The upper is a combination of breathable fabric and faux leather that hugs your foot firmly without pinching. There’s a shock absorbing EVA midsole, good to excellent arch support and plenty of cushion in the heel. It’s also available in a range of color schemes that are sure to please.

The Skechers Men’s Go Run Ride 7 is very light and airy, very handsome and comfy, very well made and quite durable. This is the 7th edition of the shoe and in this iteration they have completely remade the midsole, correcting some inadequacies from earlier versions. The new foam layout is far more accommodating and does a much better job preventing repetitive impacts from taking a toll. And although some may bemoan the relative lack of color choices we found the available colors tastefully subdued. To avoid pain while running, pick your favorite pair of running shoes for shin splints from our list.

The Under Armour Men’s MicroG Assert is sleek and slick and bouncy and supportive. It’s also comfortable, breathable and durable, with its various leather accents. It features a full-length EVA sockliner that helps mold the shoe to your foot and a moderately grippy rubber sole. It also provides a breathable woven upper that’s light and keeps your feet cool and a reinforced heel cup that stabilizes your motion through impact. If we have a quibble it’s the design of the outsole. Which makes it look like you’re running on marshmallows.

Merrell is best known for their climbing boots and shoes but they hit the nail on the head with their Vapor Glove 2 Running Shoe. Designed specifically for trail running you’d do well to stay off the pavement with them. But if you can find some reasonably level bike or hiking trails you’ll soon discover why they’ve garnered so much attention lately. They’re light, breathable and well cushioned. And they have plenty of room in the toe box to compensate for that time later in your run when your feet are puffing up a bit. One of the best cheap pairs of trail running shoes for women on the market.

New Balance Men’s Cruz V2 is another minimalist running shoe that provides surprising support and high-end cushioning. The upper is super light and breathable. The rubber sole is responsive and durable. The nubuck leather accents provide lock-down stability and the monochromatic color scheme is manly as all get-out. Total weight of the pair is around a pound and a half. Which means they’re not going to become anchors in the late stages of your run. Part high-performance slipper part athletic shoe they’re a breath of fresh air.

Saucony provides wearers of their Kineta Relay Running Shoe with a custom fit by way of their Form2U Memory Foam. It molds itself to the shape of each foot and then retains that imprint. So each time you slip on the Kineta your foot finds a perfect contour waiting for it. The foam also provides ample cushioning against shocks. When you couple that with the highly breathable upper and the light weight of the shoe you get hard to beat comfort at any price. Thankfully you get it here for well under $100. If your feet are a little wider than average, you will definitely find a pair that suits you in our guide to the best running shoes for wide feet.

While the visuals of the Men’s Fast Flexweave left us wanting we found the shoe to be immensely likable from a comfort and performance perspective. It’s relatively light, well built, and the figure 8 “Flexweave” on the upper produces a fabric that’s stretchy and breathable. It’s sort of like having Spandex shoes if you can imagine such a thing. As we said we were not impressed with the look of the shoe, regardless of which subtle color combination was in play. But taste is subjective.

This is another of the best cheap running shoes that impressed us greatly from a performance perspective but left us wanting something more in the style department. It’s very comfortable and follows your foot through the entire running motion without argument. You can almost feel it guiding your step as you go and that’s a strange and wonderful thing. The Flywire tech has more than a little to do with that, as do the flex grooves, the cushioned midsole and the physical aspect of the layout. Nike Free 5.0+ Running Shoe is also one of the lightest on our list. For more light footwear, check out our guide to the best zero drop running shoes.

The Launch 5 features a clean, uncluttered design that lifts many of its visual cues from Nike. The ample cushioning through the midsole envelopes your feet in a well of comfort and effectively dissipates shock so your ankles and knees don’t suffer. The overall action is smooth and stable and the Air Mesh venting in the upper allows heat and moisture to escape to keep you cool and dry. The figure 8 pattern on the sole isn’t ideal for running but it’s not going to hold you back either.

The Women’s Ride 7 Running Shoe from Saucony is as comfortable as it is colorful. It’s also well-built and features a sock liner that seems to massage your foot as you run. The upper is fashioned from breathable fabric with lots of venting for heat and moisture. And the heel cup is well cushioned and ergonomically shaped to minimize impacts. This is an ideal all-around trainer and you’ll find it a worthy companion on even the longest runs. Find more great running footwear by checking out our guide to the best running shoes for flat feet.

If you’re a guy who appreciates being given choices the 27 color options provided by the Men’s Zoom Winflo from Nike are going to whisper sweet nothings to you. But that’s not the only aspect of this affordable running shoe you’re going to like. It also provides a firm, comfortable fit with a full-length woven upper that’s both breathable and stretchy. The shoe has Nike’s signature clean lines which converge and dissipate toward the toe and don’t interfere with your enjoyment of the more than 2 dozen available colors.

The 680v3 from New Balance is light and airy and holds your foot firmly through your stride. It’s ideal for longer runs, tennis and general training sessions indoors or out. The New Balance Abzorb system soaks up impacts and dissipates the force throughout the shoe to make for a very comfortable stride regardless of surface. The shoe is very flexible and doesn’t fight back. It’s also notable for needing very little time to break in. Add it all up and you have one of the best cheap running shoes that perform like an expensive shoe. And if you by any chance suffer from underpronation, be sure to check out our guide to the best running shoes for underpronation.

Champion delivers a value winner with their Margaret Runner. It features a skid-resistant outsole, extra room in the toe box and memory foam throughout the midsole that welcomes your foot like an old friend. This is an attractive shoe with a timeless profile that’s going to appeal to a lot of women who want to be able to wear their athletic footwear out for casual get-togethers. If there’s a downside (and at this price there often is) it’s that the outsole has a bulky appearance that seems unwarranted by performance considerations.

If you think ankle support is for the birds you’ll probably love the Under Armour Men’s Speedform. The shoe has a low, minimalist profile that suggests motion and incorporates ample Air Mesh venting to keep your feet cool and dry. All the structural elements of the shoe ride low toward the sole and the effect is rather like a running sandal. But the design is not a gimmick. The synthetic rubber sole has impressive propulsive capabilities that seem to push you along as you run. A nice trick and a welcome effect that helps you reach the zone that much quicker.

Those who put a premium on performance are going to appreciate the lightweight responsiveness of the Asics Gel-Kenun Men’s Running Shoe. Those who want an athletic shoe they can also wear out for casual get-togethers and such are going to be less impressed. That’s all we’ll say about that. The shoe provides impressive lateral support, promotes a nice smooth gait and breathes like it’s going out of style. The gel cushioning lives up to its promise to absorb whatever shocks comes its way, while the molded heel cup keeps everything properly aligned.

If there’s one thing we learned during our journey through the best cheap running shoes it’s that design is where it seems most companies wind up cutting costs. Because, while there are only a couple of real design clunkers on our list, many are simply unremarkable or fall back on well-worn design cues. Such is the case of the UA MicroG Assert 6. While it has an appropriately overwrought 2019 title the look of the shoe is a bit sigh-inducing. On the other hand, you’re likely going to love what it brings to the table in terms of comfort and performance. So the value in running shoes means accepting the not so great with the good. If you need extra comfort, check out our reviews of the best insoles.

The Questar from adidas feels every bit as light and spunky as it looks. It envelopes your foot the minute you slide it in and works with it, enabling every motion. This is a multipurpose athletic shoe that can double as casual footwear. You’ll likely find yourself wearing it just as often to movies and on nights out with friends as you will running or training. It’s wonderfully breathable, provides a surprising amount of lateral stability and is stable from the word go.

Those who like their footwear to walk on the wild side are going to love the Aleader Women’s Running Shoes. To call them “colorful” would be an understatement. But they’re more than just a wearable color wheel. They also offer top-notch support via the EVA midsole, have a slip resistant outsole and feature a ton of lateral buttressing that encourages confidence whatever your activity. To call the sole design “unique” would be selling it short. But it’s not an impediment to performance. Overall the shoe looks like a gimmick but performs like a high-quality athletic shoe. Go figure.

Just when you think shoe design can’t get much more bizarre than the Aleader we just reviewed along comes the last item on our list of best running shoes for under $100: the Reebok Men’s Zigpulse. If they gave out a prize for “most unusual looking shoe ever made” this puppy would win going away. But beyond the otherworldly unusual-ness of the sole design there’s plenty to like here. Including a shock absorbing heel cup and lots of lateral support via the faux leather buttressing. If you like your running shoes to be conversation starters the Zigpulse won’t let you down.