The Hoka Clifton has long been the brand's best-selling shoe and one of the most recognisable daily trainers in running, so any update arrives with a built-in audience and plenty of scrutiny. The Clifton 11, due in July, sticks closely to a winning formula, refining the fit and feel of last year's model while leaving the fundamentals of the platform untouched. The result is a shoe that feels a little smoother and a little more relaxed than the 10, without redrawing what the Clifton is.
On paper the two shoes are near twins. The Clifton 11 keeps the same 42mm stack height, the same 8mm drop and, crucially, the same compression-moulded EVA underfoot that has carried the line for years. Hoka's newer supercritical foams, which appear in its faster and pricier models, are nowhere to be found here. The Active Foot Frame geometry that cradles the foot also carries over, so the basic ride character is familiar from the first stride.
What has changed sits mostly above the midsole. A new engineered mesh upper and a softer sockliner are the headline updates, and reviewers report that the softer sockliner takes a touch of firmness off the initial contact while the revised upper feels cleaner and more secure. The weight ticks up only marginally over the Clifton 10, a difference small enough that most runners will not notice it, and several testers say the shoe actually feels lighter and more effortless through the gait cycle.
That impression of a smoother, more relaxed ride is the strongest argument for the update. The Clifton 11 reads as a polished, dependable cushioned trainer for easy miles and time on feet, and it remains as comfortable a walking shoe as it is a jogging one. For runners who valued the Clifton's plush, unfussy character, the eleventh edition delivers exactly that with a slightly nicer fit.
The open question is whether playing it safe is enough in 2026. With rivals pushing supercritical and nitrogen-infused foams into mid-priced trainers, Hoka's decision to keep the Clifton on traditional EVA has prompted some reviewers to ask whether the shoe still offers the energetic ride many runners now expect at this price. The Clifton 11 is a confident refinement rather than a reinvention, and whether that is reassuring or underwhelming will depend on what a runner wants from a flagship daily trainer.