Best Stability Running Shoes 2023

The best stability running shoes combine comfort and support for a reliable ride.

Most major brands make stability running shoes, and they get better each year. The technology they use is different, but they all have the same purpose: create a more stable feeling for runners.

These are the best stability running shoes on the market today:

• New Balance Fresh Foam 860v13
• Brooks Adrenaline GTS 23
• HOKA Arahi 6
• ASICS GEL-Kayano 30
• Saucony Guide 16
• On Cloudrunner
• Mizuno Wave Horizon 6
• Diadora Mythos Blueshield Vigore 2
• Topo Athletics Ultrafly 4

[This article is part of the Fleet Feet Buyer's Guide for The Best Running Shoes 2023. Find all the best running shoes from the top brands for all situations.]

The New Balance Fresh Foam X 860v13 is one of the best stability running shoes for people who have flexible ankles or overpronate. It has been a fan-favorite of runners, walkers and comfort seekers for more than a decade thanks to its dependable cushioning, support and fit.

Getting a boost from New Balance’s high-performance Fresh Foam X, the cushioning is softer and more comfortable than ever for a smooth and stable ride. Plus, the 860’s medial post, new midsole geometry and more supportive upper mitigates the effects of overpronation and are durable enough to last the lifetime of a running shoe.

Read more in our New Balance Fresh Foam X 860 v 13 review.

With another year under its laces, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 23 remains one of the best stability running shoes on the road today.

Brooks creates stability with its unique GuideRail® technology. Rather than using a traditional medial post, the holistic support system uses bumper-like rails to shift the focus to your knees and keep excess motion in check as you run.

The midsole foam is lightweight and cushioned, giving you smooth transitions, so you can go the extra mile. The upper gives you structure and support, but it is lightweight and breathable to make every run comfortable.

The HOKA Arahi 6 is a smooth-riding stability running shoe thanks to HOKA’s J-Frame technology.

HOKA developed the J-Frame as a lightweight way to add stability to its shoes. Like the name suggests, the J-Frame is a firmer hook of foam formed roughly into the shape of a J. Using foam instead of a piece of plastic keeps the weight of the shoe down and maintains flexibility, so it still feels fast.

The J-Frame works similarly to a medial post: The firmer piece of foam wraps from the heel of the Arahi 6 all the way up the medial side of the shoe, and it compresses less than the surrounding foam to create a more durable surface. Over time, the burlier J-Frame holds its shape to ensure you’re running on a stable platform.

This shoe lives up to the HOKA reputation of being packed full of cushion and has the active rocker shape to get you through the gait cycle smoothly and quickly. Fleet Feet reviewers loved how lightweight, smooth and stable they felt while running in the Arahi 6. Read more in our HOKA Arahi 6 review.

Over three decades long, the ASICS GEL-Kayano 30 maintains its status as one of the best stability running shoes.

Based on biomechanical research, ASICS came out with a brand new 4D Guidance System™ for stability, which combines the wider base of the shoe with a more beveled heel and medial foam unit. The result helps to support your stride by adapting to pronation changes throughout your gait cycle for a smooth and stable ride.

ASICS combined their environmentally-friendly FF Blast™ Plus Eco foam with new rearfoot PureGel cushioning to give you ridiculously soft landings and propulsive take-offs. Plus, designers added 4 mm of stack height to the midsole to make your run even more comfortable.

Our testers loved how comfortable and accommodating the newest Kayano is in our ASICS GEL-Kayano 30 review. This makes it ideal for long runs, recovery days or for slipping on at your standing desk.

The Saucony Guide 16 turns up the stability with its lightweight HOLLOW-FIT guidance frame, and it packs enough cushion to carry you through even your longest runs.

This shoe sports Saucony’s PWRRUN foam that is cushioned enough to rack up the miles, but lightweight and springy enough that you can pick up the pace. Saucony’s HOLLOW-FIT guidance frame works well with their contoured footbed, so you sit into the shoe as it cradles the foot and helps to guide your stride and makes transitions smooth.

Runners in our Saucony Guide 16 review loved this sensation, saying it provided smooth guidance without feeling restrictive or clunky.

Lightweight and stable, the On Cloudrunner makes you feel like you are running on clouds.

Enjoy the stability and energetic take-offs you’ll get on your runs and walks thanks to a wide plate of thermoplastic polymer embedded into the midsole, called a Speedboard®. The wide base combines with the cradle-like geometry of the shoe to help those who overpronate or have flexible arches feel more comfortable.

The On Cloudrunner can be used for a little bit of everything, making it one of the best stability shoes. In our On Cloudrunner review, one tester noted “it is soft and stable enough for longer runs, but light and responsive enough to get some tempo work in.”

The Mizuno Wave Horizon 6 is a soft and highly stable shoe that establishes a floating feeling with a kick of energy return.

The Horizon 6 features Mizuno’s Foam Wave that creates stability by using different wave shapes on each side of the shoe to give you the stability that helps overpronators. Mizuno updated many aspects of the Horizon to make it more stable than ever—they widened the base of the shoe and wrapped the rubber outsole up the medial side into the Foam Wave.

A new Enerzy Core foam is softer and bouncier than the previous version to give you that floating sensation. The stretch woven upper is comfortable and accommodates a variety of foot shapes. The Mizuno Wave Horizon is a cushioned and stable shoe, perfect whether you are walking the dog or out on a long run.

Read more in our Mizuno Horizon 6 review.

The Diadora Mythos Blushield Vigore 2 provides both luxurious cushion and support every step of the way.

Diadora makes some of the most comfortable shoes on the market, and their stability is hard to beat. Their Blushield technology optimizes the stability of your shoes based on your foot shape and gait pattern to minimize asymmetrical foot placement for a more balanced run. This means support for overpronators and flat arches.

Diadora uses a unique TRX System to provide stability in the Vigore. This simulates the presence of a medial post without increasing weight or making the sole firmer and provides excessive pronation control throughout the entire gait cycle. Plus, the upper is made of two-toned air mesh nylon that has TPU overlays to add security and stability.

Soft, supportive and stylish, you will love running and walking in the Italian-designed Diadora Mythos Blushield Vigore 2.

With a roomy toe box, bouncy cushion and medial post, Topo Athletics Ultrafly 4 is a great stability shoe for running, walking or just being on your feet all day.

The Ultrafly 4 provides guidance with its external TPU heel counter combined with the traditional EVA medial posting. Perfect for those who overpronate or need a bit of stability when their feet become tired.

Ultrafly 4 has Topo’s signature fit with an anatomically wide toe box and secure midfoot feel. There is a dual-density midsole that gives you a soft, snappy ride, so you can run for miles.

Stability Running Shoes Terms

To understand how stability running shoes works, it’s important to know a few basic shoe terms.

• Medial side. The medial side of a shoe is the inside edge. Starting at your big toe, trace a line back to your heel, and that’s the medial side.
• Lateral side. Opposite the medial side, the lateral side is the outside of your foot. Starting at your small toe, trace the outside of your foot back to your heel, and that’s the lateral side.
• Medial post. The firmer piece of foam or rigid plastic insert that improves durability on the medial side of the shoe.
• Overpronation. Pronation is the natural inward roll of your foot when you transition through the gait cycle. Overpronation happens when your foot spends too much time on the instep as you transition from heel to toe.

How Stability Running Shoes Work

For a long time, the running industry marketed stability running shoes as a way to correct overpronation. Most typical stability shoes used a medial post—a firmer piece of foam or plastic under the arch—to create the stable feeling.

But times have changed.

While some modern stability running shoes still use a medial post, others now employ different technologies to create the stable ride you’re after. Even the way we think about stability shoes is different now: Rather than trying to correct overpronation, running shoes built for stability create a stable platform over the life of the shoe.

Runners who overpronate spend more time on the instep of their shoe, also called the medial side. As their feet roll naturally inward, they compress the foam more under the instep and less on the outside (also called the lateral side).

The uneven compression leads to uneven shoes over time. If you set a pair of old running shoes on a table in front of you and look at them from behind, you would eventually see the shoes sloping inward toward each other.

Stability running shoes work to prevent that from happening. Firmer foams or plastic inserts compress less than their softer counterparts, so adding them to the spot that wears out the fastest can help the shoe wear evenly and last longer.

How We Picked the Best Stability Running Shoes

We used data from our fit id® outfitting process, interviews with designers and real-life wear testing to determine the best stability running shoes for most runs and the most runners.

You can shop with confidence at Fleet Feet: We offer free shipping on all orders over $99, and you have 60 days to return any gear if you don’t like the way it looks, fits or feels. Plus, with our price-match guarantee, you can make sure you never pay too much for a new pair of running shoes.