The Finest Working Insoles of 2024

How We Tested the Best Running Insoles

Our Expert Testers

Our lead tester, Will Porter, is a lifelong runner. His high school 400 m races and endless laps around the soccer pitch led him to pursue endurance running in his 30s. He’s been a regular running insole evangelist for well over a decade, having been fit for a pair at a running shop in his late teens and never turning back. 

He has run various races in the past few years, ranging from trail half marathons in Joshua Tree to the 2023 Boston Marathon and a 50k in 2024. He doesn’t discriminate when it comes to running surfaces, venturing from pavement to singletrack during test runs, making sure he experiences each insole in multiple places. In the past six months he’s ran in the foothills of Boise, on the streets of Los Angeles, and in the red dirt surrounding Sedona, Arizona. Each location provides a different perspective on the insoles, an essential part of testing. 

Our Testing Process

In order to get the most comprehensive results and detailed insights, the GearJunkie team tested a wide variety of insoles across multiple surfaces and distances. 

When considering what type of insoles specifically work for him, he’s after firm arch support first and foremost but is happy to accept some extra cushion when it presents itself. He has a past littered with knee problems, so finding a pair that adequately supports his arches and supination is paramount. Testing moldable cork insoles and foam-only insoles, for example, was a new experience, but he’ll do anything to immediately ditch the insoles that come standard in his running shoes.

What Are Insoles For?

You’ve made it this far, but you still may be wondering: why exactly would I need a pair of insoles? Don’t my shoes come with them? All running shoes do, indeed, come with insoles. However, 95% of the time, these insoles are thin, cheap, floppy pieces of foam that don’t really do much aside from providing a touch point between the foot and the midsole. 

While a running shoe can be advertised as “plush” or “responsive,” it can’t adapt to the wide spectrum of foot shapes. That’s where insoles come into play. They take a shoe that is made for the masses and turn it into a shoe that actually fits the individual. 

Comfort

As we mentioned before, most factory insoles are barely-there strips of foam that aren’t even glued down. (It’s almost like brands know that most runners will want to add their own insoles.) To really get the most from the comfort features that are baked into the actual design and construction of your shoes, you’ll want to add your own insoles. They’ll be made with more substantial foam, usually have targeted cushioning and will provide long-lasting comfort over hundreds of miles, something factory insoles could never do. 

Support and Stability

Is your foot as flat as a piece of plywood? No. High arches, low arches, over- or under-pronation; factory insoles simply aren’t made to support the needs of the individual. To optimize your stride and support any natural anomalies within your running gait, you need a pair of insoles that actually address your foot’s shape and features.

Insoles come in various sizes, shapes, and stiffnesses, and are backed by scientific research into pedal function. Dialing in the correct insole leads to a more comfortable shoe, more speed and more endurance. 

Injury Prevention

Not only will you be faster and feel more refreshed when using the right insole, but you’ll also be less prone to injury. They’re not a panacea for all running ailments, but by adding comfort and adding structural support, they can reduce the risk of plantar fasciitis, back pain, knee pain, heel pain, and a multitude of other common injuries that often plague runners. 

Buyer’s Guide: What to Look For in a Pair of Running Insoles

Arch Support

When you’re looking to buy the pair of insoles that will suit you best, knowing what type of arch profile you have is a great place to start. Most insoles are tailored to a runner’s specific arch height, providing support and helping correct over- or under-pronation. Our favorite pair of insoles for running, the Superfeet Run Support, for example, come in low, medium, and high arch sizes. 

Running with properly shaped insoles will help stabilize your feet and reduce the risk of strain on your back, knees, ankles, and feet. Along with pain management and injury prevention, supportive insoles will simply be more comfortable, allowing you to run further and faster. 

Firm Feedback vs. Supple Cushion

After testing various insoles, we’ve concluded that most fall into one of two categories: Firm and responsive or soft and supple. If you love a shoe with maximal cushioning and a huge stack height, like the Hoka Bondi, you may not see much of a difference with a plush, foamy insole. Conversely, a rigid insole with lots of energy return could fall flat if paired with a carbon-plated super shoe. 

To get the most from an insole, we recommend choosing an insole that will complement a shoe’s best qualities, rather than double down on what it’s already good at. We think of our insoles as the yin to our running shoes’ yang, but we won’t stop you if that extra 3 mm of foam will make your cloud-like trainers even more cushy. 

Moldability

The foam portion of just about any insole will eventually break in and mold to the shape of your foot. However, some insoles are designed to be molded to your feet right away via heat molding, similar to a pair of ski boots. This can result in an extremely well-fitting insole with almost no effort or break-in period required, a boon for those who want to feel instant comfort straight out of the box.

Not all insoles are made to be heat-molded, though, so make sure you double-check before popping them in the oven — the last thing you want to do is fill your home with the smell of burnt foam. 

Insole Size and Thickness

One thing we learned during our testing period was that the volume of a particular insole can vary greatly from brand to brand. Every pair we tested was designed to be universal, but if you’re loyal to a particular shoe brand, you may realize that your preferred insoles aren’t as compatible with your go-to kicks as others.

We recommend putting them to the test around the house before logging any hard miles to make sure they’ll properly settle into your shoe’s footbed. There’s nothing worse than getting out the door and realizing that your fresh insoles fit your foot but don’t actually fit in your shoes.

Price & Value

Running insoles come in a wide variety, from simple Dr. Scholls insoles you can find at your local Target or Walmart to fully-custom orthopedic insoles made with a mold of your foot. The insoles we recommend for almost everyone, though, fall in the mid-tier range, with prices between $40-$60. Our recommendations are all readily available, are designed for athletes, and don’t require much effort in the way of molding. 

Budget

Here’s where you’ll find cheap insoles like the ones from Dr. Scholls that’ll only set you back $17 or so. These will provide a bit of extra comfort and support when compared to your shoes’ factory insoles but won’t blow you away. They generally don’t come in a wide range of sizes and may require a bit of manipulation to fit into your running shoes. They’re also not going to last as long as more well-built options that come in the higher tiers. 

Mid-Tier

The mid-tier range ($20-$70) is the sweet spot for running insoles for us. Most people don’t need a fully custom insole but do need something with some oomph to really make a difference. This is where you’ll start to get a wide range of sizes, specific arch heights, and long-lasting comfort that stands up to hundreds of miles on your feet. This tier has something for everyone, whether you’re a track athlete, put in hard miles on the road, or need support and protection for all-day running adventures. 

Premium

Premium prices start around $80 and go up from there, depending on just how custom you get. We saw custom insoles that will run you anything from $100 to $250, with the main differences being construction, materials, and longevity. As we said before, most people probably don’t need to spend this much, but if you are constantly getting injured, have an uncommon foot shape, or want the absolute best of the best, this is where you should be looking. 

Frequently Asked Questions