Hoka has extended its Clifton family with the launch of the Clifton Pro, a new performance daily trainer built around a supercritical EVA midsole the brand is calling ProGlide+. Released earlier this month, the shoe sits above the standard Clifton 11 in the range and marks the first Pro-badged addition to what has long been Hoka's most recognisable everyday model, aimed at runners who want more energy return without moving into a fully carbon-plated racer.
The headline change is the midsole compound itself. Supercritical foams have become the default upgrade path across the industry over the past few years, prized for combining a lighter feel with greater rebound than traditional EVA, and Hoka's application of the technology to the Clifton platform is designed to answer a long-standing criticism of the line: that it can feel capable but one-dimensional across a range of paces. The Clifton Pro pairs the new foam with a more aggressive MetaRocker geometry and a breathable engineered upper, changes reviewers have credited with giving the shoe a noticeably livelier ride than its stablemates.
That upgrade comes at a cost. The Clifton Pro is priced at $165 in the United States and £150 in the United Kingdom, a $10/£10 premium over the standard Clifton 11, positioning it closer to the growing tier of premium daily trainers that brands across the industry have introduced as a stepping stone between everyday shoes and full racing plates. Early reviews have generally welcomed the shift, describing the shoe as a genuine step up in responsiveness while retaining the comfort and stability that have made the Clifton name a fixture of run-club start lines for more than a decade.
The launch also reflects a broader strategy shift at Hoka, which has increasingly used the Pro designation to signal a more performance-oriented take on its established silhouettes rather than reserving new technology solely for its carbon racing shoes. By bringing supercritical foam to a shoe built primarily for easy and long runs, the brand is betting that everyday trainers, not just race-day options, are where runners are most willing to pay for incremental performance gains.
For runners weighing up the Clifton Pro against the standard Clifton 11 or rival premium trainers, the decision is likely to come down to how much value they place on the extra responsiveness relative to the added cost. Early verdicts suggest the shoe earns its place as a genuine option for faster training days rather than a simple rebrand, but whether it displaces the standard Clifton as the line's default choice will depend on how the shoe holds up over higher weekly mileage.