Minimalist Shoes reviews from Reddit

Summary

We analyzed 293 Reddit reviews across 22 subreddits and 82 posts to rank the best Minimalist Shoes brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/BarefootRunning, r/cars, r/Ultralight, r/minimalism, r/RunningShoeGeeks. Top-rated brands include Xero (4.4/5), Merrell (4.3/5), Altra (3.9/5).

Stats

Reviews293

Subreddits22

Posts82

Brands59

Products53

Top communities

r/BarefootRunning162 r/cars38 r/Ultralight22 r/minimalism10 r/RunningShoeGeeks9

293 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

Xero

4.4

(51)

"I love my xero shoes for driving."

"I daily drive a manual Hyundai Elantra with those very same Xero shoes."

"Xero shoes. Comfortable and good for wide feet."

"I wear Xeros while driving, and just generally all the time."

"I like the xeros for driving!"

"Are great for that."

"Xero shoes have a section walking which has a video at the end."

"Xeros are quite long and have good ankle stability, try em"

"I walk on xero hfs and softstars all the time. Its a nice change of pace!"

"I personally love minimalist shoes and haven't looked back since switching \~4 years back. I run trails almost exclusively, and do so in Mesa Trails by Xero Shoes. They're just simply amazing."

Merrell

4.3

(24)

"Merrell makes the Vapor Glove and Trail Glove. Both are zero drop minimalist shoes that work well for me in the car."

"Great everyday shoe with a really light fit."

"I've heard they are ultralight."

"Merrells are always good."

"Merrell Boys' Bare Access Sneaker, Blue, 2.5 Medium US Little Kid."

"Very lightweight and comfortable."

"I wear a size 50 and run on sidewalks/streets a lot in my Merrell Trail Glove 4's have held up really well."

"It's a barefoot shoe for people who don't like things between their toes."

"Merrell Mocs"

"I’ve been running in barefoot style shoes (older versions of the Merrell trail glove) since 2020."

Altra

3.9

(22)

"Altra Lone Peak shoes (the trail runners in particular) meet all of your criteria: wide toe box, zero drop, not much cushion in the soles."

"I love my Altras. They are zero drop wide toe box."

"Altras or xero shoes are my go to."

"I run in Altra’s and wear Vivos for work."

"I would take a look at the Escalantes. They have the wider toe box, have less cushioning and are zero drop."

"Lone peaks for the shoes. They come in a mid as well. Stack height is a bit more than true minimalist but 40 days is long."

"They are just so incredibly comfortable."

"I walk in Altra Lone Peaks. They are zero drop although not minimalist."

"Its great cause they haven't updated it since 2018."

Vivobarefoot

4.4

(19)

"Any thin and breathable shoe is going to be where its at. how about vivobarefoot? i like mine and ive been driving a stick daily for over 10 years."

"I do most of my running in "regular" shoes (Saucony, Nike, Hoka) but my main walking around shoes are Vivobarefoot."

"I’ve been wearing vivobarefoots for 5-6 years and started my running journey last year in Altra Torin 5s."

"Vivobarefoot and Tolos Barefoot are my go to !"

"Vivobarefoot has great options"

"Excellent quality, barefoot and minimalist shoes."

"I wear vivo barefoot over two years and they are super comfy."

"Super minimal, super stylish, super spendy: vivobarefoot"

"I like Vivobarefoot or Lem's over Xero."

"Vivobarefoot is another one"

Vivo

4.4

(13)

"I love my Vivo shoes. It's basically all I wear when away from home."

"He wears bedrock sandals or vivos to hike."

"He wears the vivos to work, and he works in a factory."

"I love my Vivos so much!"

"Vivo, bobux, snooshoos"

"For my money the Vivo Stealth 2 is the best all-around shoe."

"I have worn vivos as casual 'going to the shops' shoes for 2 years."

"I'm partial to the Vivo Addis. They're very comfortable and look good on my feet."

"I do daily vivo addis also though and quite like them."

"My experience with Vivo Primus barefoot shoes for tennis."

New Balance

4.2

(13)

"First trails I ever ran I was wearing the nb minimus like you! Excellent shoe, highly versatile"

"I can't more highly recommend the New Balance Minimus."

"[NB Minimus] EDIT: 3 years on mine as well. 4-5 days week in the gym and even ran a Spartan Beast in them."

"I first wore new balance mt110s, which were perfect but they stopped selling them."

"If you live in the USA, you can check the New Balance Minimus series."

"My partner wears New Balance Minimus, but will bring a pair of TX4 mids if we're doing a heavy XC trip."

"I love the minimus. I’ve had two pairs."

"New Balance Minimus - 250"

"I've played in NB Minimus without major issues."

Vibram

4.5

(12)

"The KSO-evo and V-run are also very light."

"Several vibram models are extremely light."

"All around 140 grams in EU43."

"I've been running in Vibram's and Merrell minimalist shoes for about ten years now."

"Not what you want to hear about but VFF are about the best gym shoe you can get."

"I'm a huge fan of the Vibram KSO EVO and Vivobarefoot Primal for the gym."

"I used to play racquetball at the peak of my shoe minimalism. I had the Vibram Five-Fingers."

"Vibrams (multiple models) - about 100 miles"

"I’m around 1500km on my vibram runs."

"I'm at about 1300km in running on some vibram fivefingers trail v2.0."

Hykes

5.0

(8)

"Sooooo comfy."

"Hykes are my favorite, I wear Hykes Escapes."

"Hykes Pinnacle, best shoes I have owned."

"I am wearing Hykes Pinnacle and my husband wants the Hykes Navigator barefoot shoes."

"I am wearing Hykes Pinnacle and love them, I use them everything, I also run 5k every weekend and use them in our local trials."

"Best shoes I have ever owned."

"I love them, I use them for everything."

"Hykes Element or Pinnacle barefoot, they also donate a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair you purchase."

Puma

4.1

(9)

"You should look up puma liberate nitro"

"Puma Active Gaming Footwear EVOKNIT Esports Sneakers."

"Pumas all day."

"Puma makes some 'driving' shoes."

"I've always liked Pumas for driving."

"I’ve always been a fan of the puma speedcats."

"Puma makes great driving shoes."

"I liked my Pilotis and my Puma Speedcats."

"Puma Sparco?"

#10

Whitin

4.4

(8)

"I got these shoes called 'Whitin' on amazon and they are super comfortable."

"Amazing feel."

"The best of them all."

"Honestly whitins are maybe some of the better product for the price."

"I really like them and can feel my feet kind of changing and adapting."

"Maybe try Whitin barefoot shoes in Wide fitting on Amazon also."

"I am pretty pleased with mine so far."

"For cheapo ones check out the Chinese Whitin ones on Amazon."

#11

Wildling

4.4

(7)

"Maybe have a look at Wildling shoes?"

"Wildling, Splay, Vivobarefoot and Softstar have great options."

"Wildling make small wintery shoes and are great value for money IMO."

"I enjoy riding fixed gear with Wildling Atmo shoes."

"Wildlings not sloshy at all."

"Have helped up great so far."

"They do really good winter weather shoes."

#12

LEMS

4.3

(7)

"I'm partial to LEMS myself, zero drop but still just a little bit of cushion."

"My oldest friend is now a physio and wears Lems. I just got some minimal shoes for walking and they feel great."

"I've used Lems and Xero shoes for soccer, tennis, basketball."

"Some (not all) Lems are fairly wide and worth a try."

"Lems were the first that came to mind for me for this question. They're not the most durable shoes by any means, but 6 months of daily wear should be just fine."

"I wear my Lem's to work where I'm on my feet all day."

"I do a lot of walking in my lems 9 to 5."

#13

Lems

4.2

(6)

"They're the only ones that are truly comfortable."

"For black, Lems 9to5, birchbury, vivobarefoot ra III or Addis Oxford."

"I really like them. The sole seems to be longer-lasting than other barefoot shoes."

"I wear them daily with business casual."

"I have lems primal 2's for the gym."

"If all black is acceptable, try the Lems Primal 2!"

#14

Xero Shoes

4.0

(5)

"They're extremely breathable and durable, coming with a 5,000 mile warranty."

"Xero has many hiking models."

"Not a dress show but looks like a good BOH kitchen shoe."

"Consider xero shoes with their 5000 mile warranty."

"I have several pairs of Xero shoes and at least for me they don’t work that well for driving."

#15

Vibram FiveFingers

4.5

(4)

"Second the VFFs"

"Vibram 5 fingers are your best option though e"

"Vibram Five Fingers give the closest feel to barefoot running. I love to run on my Xero Speed force too but durability is not impressive."

"Have you actually tried VFF? Ya, they look weird, but if they work for you, who cares?"

#16

Softstar

4.0

(4)

"Softstar is the only minimalist shoe that I have seen that I think might work."

"Generally touted as the enormously wide barefoot shoe."

"Softstar Shoes have some really cute femme options with customizable colourways."

"Check out softstars."

#17

Altra Lone Peaks

3.8

4.3

(3)

"Inov-8 makes a zero drop shoe that I really like, and Altra just released one, as well."

"Try inov8, I find they are more narrow and they are good quality."

"I also use Innov8 F-lite 235's. They got an 8mm heel drop which helps you squat."

#24

Hykes Pinnacle

5.0

(2)

"I have the Hykes Pinnacle and love them, best shoes I've ever owned."

"I have the Hykes Pinnacle and love them, best shoes I have owned."

#25

Vans Old Skool

4.5

(2)

"I've always liked vans old schools or barefoot for driving."

"Old skool regular insole vans, no comfy or pop cush insoles so you get better pedal feel."

#26

SOM

4.5

(2)

"SOM are my shoe of choice."

"I am a huge fan of SOM shoes."

#27

4.0

(2)

"I switched out of those giant clunky Nikes and into minimalist shoes. Still completely terrible at basketball, but haven't hurt my ankles since the switch."

"Not an issue with minimalist shoes."

#40

3.0

(1)

"Sophomore Shoes look cool but they run a full size small, maybe even 1.5 sizes small."

#59

Zemgear

3.0

(1)

"You can find zemgear down to about $30 if you're patient."

Discover your audience

GummySearch is an audience research toolkit for 130,000 unique communities on Reddit.

If you are looking for startup problems to solve, want to validate your idea or find your customers online, GummySearch is for you.

Tell me more

Get started