7 Best Cushioned Walking Shoes in 2025

How we test cushioned walking shoes

Rounding up the finest cushioned kicks requires an unbiased set of steps. Our approach involves the following:

• Buying all walking shoes with our own money to keep our reviews objective.
• Wear-testing these shoes for extended periods of time to test their strengths and weaknesses.
• Measuring and assessing over 30 parameters of each walking shoe, from stack height and midsole softness to lateral stability and breathability. And, of course, we cut each shoe in half to get the most precise measurements.

What is a cushioned walking shoe?

Walking is a relatively low-impact activity. But do enough of it, and the accumulation of those small impact forces begins to take its toll.

Highly cushioned walking shoes are ideal for dedicated walkers or folks with active jobs. These shoes feature above-average cushioning and often have additional shock absorption technologies to keep your joints and feet feeling good.

All walking shoes are cushioned to some degree unless they belong to the barefoot shoe category. But in our lab, we look for at least 30 mm of heel stack to tag the shoe as cushioned.

However, most major athletic brands like HOKA, Brooks, New Balance, ASICS, Nike, and Adidas are taking their shoe cushioning to another level by releasing models with stacks heights of 35-40 mm and even beyond 40 mm!

Cushioned vs. comfortable

Cushioning is often used synonymously to describe the comfort of walking shoes, but the two are not necessarily the same. It is possible to have cloud-like, maximally cushioned walking shoes that simply don’t work with your feet.

It could be ill-fitting (causing hot spots, rubbing, and blisters), lacking arch support (too wobbly and unstable), or too warm. While good cushioning is essential, is not the only factor that makes a shoe comfortable.

Cushioned vs. padded

A shoe can be padded or not regardless of its underfoot cushioning. Padding implies the amount of foam packed into the shoe’s tongue, heel collar, insole, and interiors overall.

But most of the time, a cushioned walking shoe will also be padded because that’s what makes it more comfortable overall. And that’s the whole point of cushioned walking shoes.

Cushioned vs. soft

Most of the time, a thick-foamed walking shoe is going to feel soft and compressible too.

But depending on the cushioning foam they use, some shoes will be ultra-plush while others will be more balanced or even firm!

Stack height in walking shoes: how much cushioning do you need?

Stack height refers to the thickness of a shoe's sole including the insole, the foam midsole, and the rubber outsole.

In our lab, we cut each shoe in half and use a digital caliper to measure its stack height following the rules set by World Athletics. The forefoot stack is measured at 12% of the shoe’s length while the heel stack is measured at 75%.

Having tested hundreds of shoes, we found that the average heel stack of walking shoes (and running shoes that can be used for walking) hovers around 33.5 mm. This is, in fact a few millimeters thicker than what it used to be a decade ago (25-30 mm on average).

The increase occurred due to the rise of max-cushioned shoes with a stack height of 35 mm or more. These days, you can even find extremely thick-foamed shoes with a heel stack as high as 45 mm!

So how much stack height do you need? Even though it’s a matter of personal preference, there are a few general recommendations on choosing one over the other.

Who will benefit from less stack?

• People with gait abnormalities or instability while walking should choose more grounded shoes to lower the risk of ankle rolling and foot twisting.
• Folks with severe overpronation (excessive inward rolling of the foot) who need more stability. Learn more in our guide on walking shoes for overpronation.
• Walkers who simply prefer a better ground feel.

Who will benefit from more stack?

• People who spend long hours walking and standing on concrete (or any other hard surface).
• Heavier persons will appreciate the added shock absorption. But make sure that the foam is not overly plush and compressible. Also, check that the shoe’s heel is wide enough to keep you stable. To learn more, see our guide on the best walking shoes for heavy people.
• People with heel pain (like plantar fasciitis or heel spurs) should go for a higher heel stack to minimize impact on this area.
• People with ball of foot pain (like metatarsalgia or Morton’s neuroma) should choose walking shoes with a higher forefoot stack.
• Senior folks with fat pad atrophy (when the natural foot padding wears out with age) are better off with a more cushioned and padded shoe as well.

Here is an overview of the most cushioned walking shoes in our lab:

Cushioning softness and foam types in walking shoes

The type of midsole foam and its characteristics play an even bigger role in cushioning than the stack height of any given midsole. Think of platform sneakers which have very thick yet firm soles.

Traditionally, brands have been relying on EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) and PU (polyurethane) to make midsole foams. But footwear technologies have evolved rapidly in the past few years bringing a ton of proprietary foam blends to the market.

These new foams are significantly lighter, softer, and more responsive thanks to innovations like supercritical fluid foaming, which injects nitrogen gas into foams to improve impact absorption without adding weight. Initially introduced in running shoes, these advancements quickly transitioned to walking shoes thus leveling up all-day comfort and impact protection.

Difference in foam softness

In our lab, we use a Shore A durometer to measure the foam softness of each walking shoe - the lower the HA reading, the softer the foam:

• Soft: less than 20 HA
• Balanced: 20-30 HA
• Firm: 30 HA or more

Soft cushioning

If you live for that marshmallowy-plush and cloud-like underfoot experience, go for a soft-foamed walking shoe.

Example of soft cushioning (14.5 HA)

This category includes shoes with the most acclaimed cushioning technologies like the Nike ZoomX, Adidas Boost, New Balance Fresh Foam X, Brooks DNA Loft/Tuned, and ASICS FF Blast/Blast+, among others. In addition to being very soft and compressible, they also have excellent energy return which adds a touch of bounce to your step. On the downside, these shoes can be more expensive too.

And if you’re wondering what ultimate plushness feels like, here is the overview of the softest walking shoes we ever tested:

Balanced cushioning

If you enjoy all things in moderation, a shoe with balanced cushioning will treat you to a moderately soft experience.

Example of balanced cushioning (26.6 HA)

This is the largest category of walking shoes which includes numerous options from dozens of brands in different price ranges. It’s a perfect middle ground.

Firm cushioning

Very few cushioned shoes are actually firm but you can find stability walking shoes with pretty dense midsoles. These shoes are designed to provide additional support for flat feet, overpronation, diabetes, and other conditions that call for increased stability.

Example of firm cushioning (30.1 HA)

Low temperatures can affect cushioning softness

Have you ever noticed your shoes getting firmer on a chilly day? That’s not just your imagination.

Having kept each tested shoe in the freezer for 20 minutes, our durometer measurements confirmed that cushioning foams get 27% firmer on average! But the range actually goes from only 2% (the change is hardly noticeable) to 80% (the shoe basically turned into a brick).

So if you are choosing a shoe for colder climates, you might as well consider its post-freezer softness measurement. Here is an overview of midsole softness changes in the most popular walking shoes in our database:

Arch support in cushioned walking shoes

While the shoe’s cushioning is critical for shock absorption, it is not the only feature that helps to lessen the impact forces on your feet and legs. Another important component is arch support.

Your foot arch is meant to distribute pressure evenly during the walking gait cycle. But if it happens to be low (or flat), it results in a biomechanic malfunction. This is when you experience overpronation (excessive inward rolling of the foot) or even pain in the feet, knees, and lower back.

In this case, an overly thick and plush cushioning can only make things worse and you need a shoe with additional supportive components to feel comfortable.

Example of a supportive walking shoe.

Choosing the right walking shoe for your foot condition involves more considerations than cushioning alone. See our guides on the best walking shoes for flat feet and overpronation as well as plantar fasciitis to learn more.

Here is a brief overview of the best-rated walking shoes for various foot conditions:

Rocker-bottom cushioned walking shoes

Sole geometry is another major contributing factor to the shoe’s overall ride and feel. And there is a good reason why rockered shoes have gained so much love and popularity recently.

Resembling a rocking chair motion, a curved sole encourages a smoother and more effortless rolling of the foot from the heel to the toes.

On another note, cushioned shoes with a high forefoot stack are notably less flexible. A rockered sole shape (or toe spring) helps to compensate for the lack of forefoot bend.

Even though the rocker-bottom shoe design was originally patented in the early 1990s, it wasn’t until 2020 that it became so widespread. First popularized by HOKA, you can now get rockered shoes from nearly every athletic brand.

In fact, you can choose from a great variety of toe rocker shapes and angles. Some are very mild while others have more extreme curves.

Both research and anecdotal evidence show that rocker-bottom shoes are particularly beneficial for:

• Achilles tendinopathy (due to reduced load on the Achilles tendon)
• Toe or forefoot pain, like Morton’s neuroma (thanks to reduced toe bending)
• Plantar fasciitis (but as part of a broader treatment plan including taping and orthoses)

But please keep in mind that a rockered shoe is not a cure-all either. Actually, it is less than ideal for:

• Gait abnormalities and walking instability
• Knee-related problems (i.e. runner’s knee, jumper’s knee, meniscus tears, etc.) because rockered shoes shift pressure away from the foot and up to the knee joint.
• Obese people with heel pain and/or foot arch flattening (due to increased overload at heel and midfoot regions)

Another problem with the regular use of rockered shoes is the potential risk of weakening foot muscles in the long term.

See our comprehensive research for more information on rockered shoes.

Shoe weight: are more cushioned shoes heavier?

In the past, a thicker shoe would almost always imply added weight. That’s because brands used very similar foams (EVA and PU) and bulky cushioning technologies for added impact protection.

But the tables have turned since then.

You can find walking shoes with a heel stack of 37 mm that weigh as little as 8.5 oz (242g)! Conversely, there are shoes with a heel stack of only 26.5 mm that tip the scale at 11.0 oz (315g).

It’s the quality of materials and design choices that define a modern walking shoe’s weight. Not so much the amount of foam.

Here is an overview of max-cushioned yet lightweight walking shoes:

Cushioning durability: 3 signs you need a new walking shoe

Most people keep wearing their shoes well past the “expiration date.” Even with holes in the upper and completely worn-out rubber outsoles. But did you know that the shoe’s cushioning properties often die sooner than those visible signs of wear appear?

Here are three indications that your walking shoe has lost its cushioning and is no longer damping the impact as effectively:

• You have logged 500+ miles (800+ km) in this pair. Various studies show that this is a critical mark when shoes significantly (if not entirely) lose their initial shock absobing capacity.
• Your shoe feels dead and pancake flat underfoot. You can clearly feel the difference if you try a newer shoe in the store.
• You develop new areas of discomfort, rubbing, or even pain in your feet and legs.

If you have a budget for it, consider buying two pairs of walking shoes (one should be newer and less used) so that you can feel the difference between the two and replace the older one when necessary.

Having a shoe rotation not only allows your shoes to rest and restore their cushioning (yep, they need that too!) but also helps to prevent and alleviate plantar fasciitis.