It’s no secret that I’m a runner who prefers a max-cushioned running shoe — I’m about as far from being a barefoot runner as possible, and if I can even slightly feel the sidewalk underfoot, I’m out.
With that in mind, I was excited about trying the Nike Vomero 18 — the first of a new Vomero line to launch in 2025. This shoe replaces the Nike Vomero 17 and sees Nike overhaul the Vomero line, which will be the brand’s max cushioned option and is likely to feature a standard, plus, and premium option for runners.
Until now, my favorite Nike running shoe has been the Nike Invincible 3, so would the Vomero 18 be enough to quell my distress at my go-to shoe being discontinued? To find out more, I laced up this plush shoe and went for a run.
To test the shoe, I put it through its paces over several different sessions. I looked at how comfortable it was underfoot, and how reactive it was when running at different speeds. From here, I considered how it compared to some of the best Nike running shoes and best running shoes on the market. Read on to find out more.
Nike Vomero 18 review: Price and availability
The Nike Vomero 18 launched in February 2025, in both men’s and women’s sizes. As mentioned, it replaces the Nike Vomero 17, which launched in 2023, and is slightly cheaper than its predecessor, costing $150/ £134.99.
I tested the shoe in a white colorway, which wouldn’t be my go-to, especially in Spring. At launch, the shoe comes in five different colors in the men’s sizes and is available in a US 6-18. In the women’s, the shoe comes in four different colors and is available in sizes US 5-12.
The shoe is available now from Nike and third-party retailers.
Nike Vomero 18 review: Design and fit
When testing this shoe, I wore my usual size — a UK 5/ US 7.5 and found I had enough room in the toe box.
It is worth noting that Nike shoes come up slightly bigger than other brands — for most brands a UK 5 is a UK 7. That said, the shoes didn’t feel overly big. At the time of writing, the shoe is only available in one width, but I’d say there’s enough room to accommodate runners with wider feet here.
Upper
Like most max-cushioned running shoes, the Vomero 18 isn’t a lightweight. In fact, it’s one of the heavier shoes on the market, weighing in at 11.4 ounces in a men’s size US 10 and 9.2 ounces in a women’s US 8. That said, the shoe doesn’t feel particularly heavy underfoot, and I’d say a lot of this weight is probably down to the thick, plush upper.
Compared to the lighter yarns we’ve seen from Nike in its racing shoes like the Nike Alphafly 3, the upper on the Vomero is really plush. Whether it would be too warm during hot, summer long runs remains to be seen, but I appreciated this thickness on colder morning spring runs. I felt like my foot was swaddled nicely in the shoe.
The aim of the game with the Vomero 18 is clearly comfort. Nike has added a thick, plush tongue and there’s a decent amount of padding around the collar of the shoe.
That said, I found the padding on top of the tongue made it slightly more difficult to really get a good lockdown, as it was harder to pull the laces tight against the top of my foot. I have high arches, however, and once I’d tightened the shoe, I didn’t notice much heel slip on the run.
Midsole
The midsole of this shoe has Nike’s ZoomX midsole foam, surrounded by ReactX foam for comfort and protection. Nike’s ZoomX foam is designed to be responsive and bouncy — it’s the same as that used in some of Nike’s racing shoes, including the Alphafly 3 and the Vaporfly 3.
Both of these speedier shoes have carbon fiber plates, and without the plate, instead of propelling the foot forward, the bouncy, responsive foam reduces the impact of each step for a more comfortable run.
The ReactX foam is the same as that used in the now-discontinued Nike Infinity Run 4 and the Nike Pegasus 41. It’s firmer, and more protective than the ZoomX foam. I was never really a fan of the Infinity Run 4, which I found a little sluggish underfoot, but the shoe was hugely popular, and I think fans of it will like the Vomero 18.
The blend of midsole foams means you’re not getting an overly bouncy ride — this isn’t a racing shoe. It’s comfortable, soft, and responsive, but there’s also stability there so you don’t feel like you’re running on a marshmallow.
The rocked geometry makes this shoe comfortable for long, easy runs, and I was able to pick up the pace during faster intervals. Underfoot, the Vomero 18 doesn’t feel as heavy as it is, although I’d still say this is best suited for long and easy runs.
Outsole
One of my main gripes with my beloved Invincible 3 line was the lack of grip — I lost count of how many times I slipped on a wet sidewalk wearing them. The Vomero 18 packs a decent amount of grip and I didn’t have any issues when testing. While it’s best suited to the roads, I’d say there’s enough grip for the Vomero 18 to cope with light trails.
Nike Vomero 18 review: Performance
While I’ve never run in the Vomero line before, I really enjoyed testing the Nike Vomero 18, and I can see it becoming my go-to easy running shoe (that is, until the Vomero Premium arrives).
I don’t mind a heavier shoe — I’m a stompy runner who prefers max cushioning, but I can see that for faster, lighter runners, the weight of this shoe might put you off. It does run lighter than it weighs in, but it’s still heavy.
I found the shoe extremely comfortable on my easy runs. On one of my five-mile testing runs I set out to run an 8:45 minute/mile and found that I was hitting an 8:35 minute/mile without really trying.
The mix of the rocker geometry and the ZoomX midsole foam made it easy to run faster without feeling like I was pushing myself. On another testing run, I was tired after a bad night with my 13-month-old son, and found the shoe was soft and comfortable on achy legs.
The only thing that really bothered me when testing was the tongue. While I’m a fan of a plush tongue to prevent hot spots on long runs, the padding just feels like it’s in the wrong place. There’s almost a bunion of padding towards the top of the tongue which prevented me from getting a good lockdown in the shoe. That said, this isn’t enough to put me off using it on my easy runs.
Should you buy the Nike Vomero 18?
If you’re a fan of a plush, comfortable running shoe, the Nike Vomero 18 is a good pick. For a max cushioned shoe, it’s pretty affordable, and the mix of the ZoomX and ReactX midsole foam is exciting underfoot. It’s a lively running shoe, that isn’t too bouncy to be taxing on tired legs on easy runs.
If you’re looking for something more stable, for around the same price you can get the Nike Pegasus 41, or the New Balance 1080v13. That said, I prefer the feel of the Vomero 18 to either of these shoes.
Alternatively, if you want more bounce, now would probably be a good time to snap up the Nike Invincible 3, as Nike has discontinued the line, so it’s likely to be on sale. This shoe is also pretty similar to the Brooks Glycerin Max, although the Brooks model is more expensive.
This shoe has made me excited about what’s next for the Vomero line. This is a max-cushioned running shoe that ticks all of the boxes for me, and I’ll be reaching for it on my easy and long runs from now on.
