When purchasing new shoes online, it's crucial to understand the differences between Nike vs HOKA sizing to avoid receiving a pair that is either too small or too big for your needs.
To avoid this, we've put together a comprehensive guide comparing the sizing of these two exceptional sportswear brands' best sneakers. With this guide, you can confidently upgrade your footwear without any concerns about sizing issues.
As both brands manufacture some of the best running shoes on the market, this may happen more often than you think. According to HOKA, the average pair of running trainers lasts between 250 to 500 miles, at which point you may need to look for a replacement pair.
Fortunately, once you know the differences in sizing, then buying new shoes from either Nike or HOKA becomes easier. So, stay tuned to our guide as we talk you through everything you need to know to ensure a secure fit.
How should their shoes fit?
Before we start comparing their size charts, we feel it is essential to understand how your shoes should fit first. According to Nike, your shoes should fit comfortably, allowing your toes enough room to wiggle and stretch to avoid any irritation.
Moreover, if you're walking and your shoes start to slip off, or your ankle is constantly rubbing against the collar, it's a sign that they don't fit properly. Therefore, you may need to go half a size up or down to find the right fit.
To counter this, Clarks suggests leaving a gap of roughly the size of one finger between your longest toe and the front of the shoe. This will ensure that the sneaker curves around the ball of your foot for a more comfortable ride.
Figuring out the right width is a little trickier as it's rare a sneaker brand will provide a size chart on this. However, there is a way to tell if you're shoes fit correctly on either side.
According to Clarks again, you need to ensure the widest part of your foot (the ball area and metatarsal bones) fits within the widest part of your shoe, with enough room spare to stop your foot from being compressed inwards.
So, that's how your shoes should fit. Make sure you bear these pointers in mind when comparing Nike vs HOKA sizing below...
Nike vs HOKA size charts
With knowing how your shoes should fit covered, let's now take a closer look at the size charts and compare Nike vs HOKA sizing.
As you can see from the image below, Nike shoes are a touch smaller than HOKA shoes, despite claiming to be the same size. In fact, it would seem the difference is as large as half an inch in some cases, according to the chart comparison.
For example, a US Men's 9/Women's 10 from Nike is 0.3 inches smaller than a comparable US size from HOKA. This means Nike shoes will have a slightly tighter fit, or a HOKA pair of shoes will be slightly larger than expected, depending on what you're used to.
As touched on earlier, establishing how wide the shoes will be isn't as straightforward. Nike does provide some indication of when you need a wide-fitting shoe (a men's US 10 with a foot as wide as 4.2 inches is considered a wide fit), however, we couldn't find this kind of information for HOKA shoes.
Nike's guide to width should come in handy though for any shoes you're purchasing. You can use its recommendations as a general rule of thumb for when you should invest in narrower or wide-fitting shoes
You can explore Nike and HOKA's size guides in more detail here, plus we'd recommend checking out our guide to measuring your shoe size if you're unsure where to start.
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Which shoes fit wide feet?
Knowing when to look out for wide-fitting shoes is one thing, but what options do you have from Nike and HOKA if you fall into this category? Well, Nike has its own collection of Extra Wide shoes, although the choice is somewhat limited.
However, Nike has you covered if you're looking for running shoes specifically. For instance, you can buy extra wide variations of the Revolution 7, or the Flex Experience Run 12, both of which are made from lightweight mesh and come with super absorbent foam in the midsoles.
HOKA also has a selection of Wide Fit shoes for you to explore, which includes both men's and women's trainers. HOKA's collection is slightly larger than Nike's at the time of writing, and includes the likes of the popular Gaviota 5s.
- Read More: Best sneakers for women
Which shoes run narrow?
What if you're looking for the opposite? Well, in our experience, performance-based sports shoes tend to be some of the tightest-fitting shoes around, which includes both Nike and HOKA trainers.
As touched on earlier, Nike shoes are a little smaller than HOKA, so may run slightly narrower anyway by default. However, Nike also gives insight into which models, in particular, fit narrower than most.
Nike mentions its Flyknit range can feel tighter to wear at times due to the knitted mesh conforming to your foot for a closer, more streamlined fit. Additionally, Nike's Free shoes may feel tighter than other models due to the internal webbing. However, this webbing is intended to spread the pressure around your midfoot to give a more secure and comfortable lock-in.
HOKA doesn't give the same kind of analysis on which of its shoes run narrow. However, as the majority of HOKA footwear is designed for performance and sport, running and hiking especially, a huge portion of its trainers are made from mesh. As a result, you may find them relatively tight-fitting for the same reason as Nike's Flyknit range.
If you're uncertain about which size to select, we'd recommend you try on a pair of Nike and/or HOKA shoes in a physical store to determine which size will be the most comfortable for your everyday use or exercise routine. However, if you're unable to visit a store, our guide may provide some helpful insight into selecting the right shoe size for you.
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And that's it! Hopefully, this guide will help you avoid any shoe-size mishaps when it comes to Nike and HOKA in the future.
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