Shoes & Apparel

Best Walking Shoes of 2026

Updated October 23, 2026

Walking shoes are a compromise you can feel: cushioning adds weight, lightness thins the sole, and a durable outsole often runs stiff. What you actually want is a pair you forget about around mile two — no hot spot at the heel, no ache under the arch, nothing to think about. I've cycled through plenty of cheap pairs over the years, and the ones that lasted were never the softest on day one; they were the ones that still fit the same after a few hundred miles.

Over the past six months, my team and I logged miles in 12 pairs on sidewalks, grocery-store tile, and a treadmill when the weather turned. The differences showed up after a week, not an hour: whether the arch support held, whether the upper kept its shape, whether a shoe squeaked on polished floors. Fit matters more than any spec sheet, so shop at the end of the day when your feet are at their largest — and don't buy anything you're planning to break in. The pairs below earned their spots.

#1

Skechers Go Walk Max Effort

Top Pick
Skechers Go Walk Max Effort

Hot-weather errands

Our Score 9.2/10
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Worth Noting

  • Foam and outsole wear before the upper does
  • Too airy for cold or wet weather
Model
Go Walk Max Effort
Shoe Type
Walking
Department
Men's
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Pick these up and the first surprise is how little there is to them. The Go Walk Max Effort feels lighter than anything else in this group, and the mesh upper moves air well enough that a hot afternoon on pavement doesn't turn into a sauna. If you work somewhere warm, or you walk for exercise in summer, that isn't a small thing.

On smooth ground it's lovely — soft, springy, easy to forget you're wearing. The moment the ground stops being flat, the picture changes. The sole edges are rounded and the midsole is soft, so on grass, gravel or a rutted path the shoe rolls under your foot instead of planting. Flat pavement and indoor floors, and you'll never notice; anything rougher and you'll feel it in your ankle.

As the least expensive shoe here, it earns its place as a second pair, a hot-weather shoe, or the one by the door for errands and sidewalk dog walks. What it isn't is a shoe for high arches: there's very little under the midfoot, and that's the trade you make for the weight and the price.

Bottom line: Buy the Go Walk Max Effort for hot-weather errands and long shifts on flat floors; its light, soft ride is a joy until the ground gets rough.

#2

New Balance 577 V1

New Balance 577 V1

All-day walking

Our Score 8.6/10
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Worth Noting

  • Firmer underfoot than the plush picks here
  • Squeaking can develop with wear
Closure
Lace-up
Shoe Type
Walking
Department
Men's
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Arch support is why this one is our top pick. Stand up in the 577 V1 and there's a firm shelf under the midfoot rather than foam that gives way, and it holds that shape through a full day instead of flattening by mid-afternoon. Plenty of walking shoes are soft; far fewer stay supportive past the first mile.

The upper is the second reason. It reads as a plain, tidy shoe rather than a gym sneaker, so it works with trousers and a jacket as easily as with jeans, and the ride underneath is quiet and controlled — no bounce, no squish, just a foot that stays where you put it. We wore these for errands, commutes and a full day on our feet, and they never became the thing we wanted to take off.

Sizing is the one thing to get right. These run small and narrow, so order a half size up unless you already know your New Balance size, then wear them indoors for a week before committing to a long walk. That isn't so much a flaw as a step in buying them — get it right and this is the safest pair here to order sight unseen.

Bottom line: For daily pavement miles with real arch support and a tidy look, the 577 V1 is the pair we point most walkers to first.

#3

NORTIV 8 Walking Shoe

NORTIV 8 Walking Shoe

Wide toe boxes

Our Score 8.6/10
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Worth Noting

  • Blisters and toe rub on the first long walk
Style
Tennis sneaker
Shoe Type
Road running
Department
Women's
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This is the least expensive shoe in the roundup, and it lands near the top of the group on cushioning. The NORTIV 8 is soft in the way the Reebok is soft, with a roomy toe box, a true-to-size fit and virtually no break-in — you put them on and walk out the door.

Comfortable to walk in, less pleasant to put on. The opening is snug, and even with the laces loosened the shoe takes a real tug to get past your heel. You notice it every morning rather than once, and if you have a high instep, test that before anything else.

For steady pavement miles and a full shift on your feet, though, it's a lot of shoe for the money, and the colors are genuinely fun. What it isn't is a firm, supportive walker: the arch is gentle and the midsole is soft, so if you want the held feeling of the New Balance or the Ryka, this one won't give it to you.

Bottom line: A soft, roomy walker at the low end of this group's prices — worth it if you want cushioning and a wide toe box more than firm support.

#4

Reebok Walk Ultra 7 DMX Max

Reebok Walk Ultra 7 DMX Max

Cushioning on concrete

Our Score 8.4/10
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Worth Noting

  • Insole can slide out when you kick them off
  • Can wear through within a year of daily use
Shoe Type
Walking
Cushioning
DMX Max
Department
Men's
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If the New Balance is the sensible choice, this is the comfortable one. The Walk Ultra 7 puts noticeably more foam between you and the pavement — we felt it in the heel first — and on a long stretch of concrete that softness does more for your mood than a stiffer shoe does.

The trade is noise. These are the squeakiest shoes in this group: on carpet nobody would know, but on a polished hallway floor the sound arrives before you do. If your walking is outdoors, or your office is carpeted, it barely matters. If you work somewhere quiet with hard floors, it will matter every day.

The fit needs attention too. They run narrow and short, with the lacing pulling tight low across the instep, so size up and give a new pair a full day before you trust them with a long walk. The upper looks like an ordinary shoe rather than a running shoe, which is more than most cushioning-first designs manage.

Bottom line: For long days on hard floors, the Walk Ultra 7 gives you the plushest ride here — just don't wear it anywhere a squeak would echo.

#5

Ryka Devotion X

Ryka Devotion X

High arches

Our Score 8.4/10
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Worth Noting

  • Sole separation can start within months
Model
Devotion X
Shoe Type
Walking
Department
Women's
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High arches plus a bunion is a miserable combination to shop for, and the Devotion X is the one pair here that handles both. There's a firm shelf under the midfoot that doesn't collapse under a day's walking, and the forefoot is roomy enough that toes have somewhere to sit.

It's also the best-looking shoe in this group, with a neat shape and a color range that doesn't read as gym wear. Cushioning sits between the men's picks: less foam under the heel than the Reebok, more structure than the Skechers, and a ride that stays controlled rather than springy. We kept coming back to this pair for errands, which is the simplest endorsement we can give a shoe.

Fit is worth getting right. The forefoot is genuinely roomy, so a narrow foot will want the laces pulled snug while a wide one gets the room without sizing up — if you've been buying men's shoes because nothing women's is wide enough across the toes, start here.

Bottom line: For women with high arches or bunions who want a firm, stable walker and a roomy toe box, the Devotion X is the pair we put first.

How We Tested Walking Shoes: Six Months, 12 Pairs, a Lot of Hard Tile

We began with a shortlist of about 40 styles, pulled from brands we've worn for years, reader favorites, and models that kept surfacing in reviews. We filtered by price, available sizes and widths, stated weight, and cushioning type, and dropped anything with a heel counter reviewers consistently called stiff or a fit they described as narrow.

Each of the 12 pairs went to at least two testers and got worn on commutes, dog walks, grocery runs on hard tile, and a few long weekend outings, always rotated against a control pair the tester already owned. We noted where fit pinched — toe box width, heel slip, whether the arch supported the foot or just pressed into it — then checked again at four weeks, because a shoe that fits on day one can shift once the upper relaxes.

Across those six months we weighed every pair on a kitchen scale to compare against the listed number, and noted how heavy each felt over the final mile of a long walk. For durability, we tracked tread wear at the heel and ball, watched for midsole creasing, and inspected the stitching along the flex point after 50 miles. Squeak testing was less scientific: polished lobby floor, tiled grocery aisle, hardwood hallway at home.

Appearance is a judgment call, so we didn't force consensus — testers rated each pair on whether they'd wear it to dinner or only to the dog park, and we re-photographed them after a month rather than out of the box. Value came down to miles per dollar: what each pair cost against how many miles it logged before the cushioning felt flat.

How to Choose Walking Shoes

Sort the fit before anything else

Sizing is the least consistent thing about this category: the New Balance and the Reebok run small and narrow, the NORTIV 8 is true to size with a roomy toe box, and the Ryka runs generous across the forefoot. Shop your usual size, then adjust. Try shoes on late in the day when feet are at their largest, leave a thumb's width beyond your longest toe, and wear a new pair indoors for a week so the return option stays open.

One trap worth naming: a roomy toe box and an easy entry are not the same thing. A shoe can have acres of room across the toes and still need a hard tug to pull on, so check how it goes on, not just how it feels once it's there.

Support beats softness on long walks

Plush foam is easy to sell in the first ten steps and hard to live with at hour six. A soft midsole spreads pressure but does nothing to hold an arch, and paired with a rounded sole edge it rolls underfoot the moment the ground stops being flat. Press a thumb into the footbed where your arch sits; if there's nothing firm underneath, you're buying a slipper.

High arches usually do best with a firm midfoot, which is where the Ryka and the New Balance earn their places here. Flat feet often prefer the softer end of the range, and a gentle arch is fine as long as the heel stays stable.

Buy for the ground you actually walk on

Most walking happens on one of three surfaces: pavement, an indoor floor, or a park path. Pavement rewards cushioning and a smooth outsole; gravel and grass reward grip and a sole that plants, which is exactly where the softest shoes here struggle. Think about your real week rather than a hypothetical hike.

If eight of ten walks are a paved loop from your door, buy for comfort and looks. If the dog drags you across a field every morning, buy for stability and accept a firmer ride.

Expect the foam to give out first

The failures worth knowing about happen under the foot rather than on top of it: midsoles pack down, insoles wear through at the ball, and soles separate at the toe. Uppers usually outlast all of it. If you walk daily, rotating two pairs gives each midsole a day to recover and stretches the time before either feels flat.

Retire a pair when the tread is smooth or you can feel the pavement through the forefoot. A worn sole is a slip risk as much as a comfort problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict

Our recommendation is the New Balance 577 V1. Nothing else here holds an arch as steadily through a long day while still looking like something you can wear to work, and that combination is what most people searching for a walking shoe actually need. Order a half size up and wear them indoors for the first week.

If your walks happen in heat or money is tight, the Skechers Go Walk Max Effort is lighter and cheaper — buy it for flat ground and accept the soft sole. For long shifts on concrete, the Reebok's cushioning is worth putting up with the squeak and the narrow fit.