Best Shoes for Orthotics and Insoles - 2026 Guide
Gregory Gerla
CEO, Stride SolesAre you looking for shoes to wear with your orthotics? Here are the top picks our team in Germany recommends to their own patients:
We have no affiliate deals with any of the brands above or mentioned in this list, and none of them are paying us to be on it either. Just honest recommendations from people who genuinely care about you.
Important Qualities
The best orthotics in the world can’t do their jobs if the shoes they’re in are working against them. Here’s what to look out for when you’re shoe shopping.
A Wide Toe Box:
When you walk, your toes need room in order to allow them to spread naturally. Shoes that have narrow toe boxes prevent this from happening, which can lead to blisters, callouses, misaligned toes and more.
When shopping for shoes, you should look for shoes with enough room in the toe box to wiggle all 5 of your toes freely without them touching the sides. Ensure your shoes are comfortable to stand and walk in from the beginning.
See the x-ray below - the image on the left is of a foot in a shoe with a more traditional, narrow toe box and the image on the right is of a foot in a shoe with the kind of wide toe box that we're looking for:
Zero or Minimal Heel Drop:
Shoes with elevated heels, even subtle ones, shift the weight of your body forwards onto the balls of your feet. They also shorten your Achilles Tendon over time and tilt your pelvis in ways that can cause pain in your knees, hips, and in your lower back.
You should aim to wear shoes that have a heel-to-toe drop of 8mm or less. Zero drop is ideal for most people.
The diagram below explains the difference between a traditional shoe with a higher heel drop and the zero drop that we advise:
Flexible Sole:
As you walk, your foot is designed to bend and flex through each step. A shoe with a sole that is too rigid will prevent this natural motion, and instead force your foot to work against the shoe instead of working with it. This can lead to discomfort and or injuries down the line.
A well designed shoe will have a sole that can bend at the ball of the foot with moderate hand pressure.
See the below diagram for a visual:
Firm Heel Counter:
The heel counter is the rigid section at the back of a shoe that wraps around your heel. A firm heel counter keeps the foot properly positioned within the shoe, and prevents the kind of lateral rolling that contributes to ankle instability and overpronation.
When shopping for shoes, you should squeeze the back of any that you’re considering. A well made shoe will resist compression.
The diagram below visualizes a firm heel counter vs one that is not.
Adequate Depth:
Some shoes are incredibly shallow, and while this is not an issue for some - if you have purchased or plan to purchase a pair of orthotics, you’ll need to remove the existing insole and replace it with the new one. (This is the reason most shoes come with removable insoles in the first place).
If the shoe feels tight after swapping out the insoles, the shoe is too shallow and you should aim to find a deeper pair.
Things to Avoid
Knowing what qualities to avoid in a pair of shoes is just as important as knowing what to look for. Here are a few of those things now.
Flip Flops and Flat Sandals:
These types of shoes offer you no support or structure whatsoever, your foot also needs to grip with every step which in turn, creates tension throughout the kinetic chain.
If you do want a pair of sandals or flip flops, look for a pair that have a subtle heel pitch, built in arch support, and a silhouette that is actually shaped like a foot.
Shoes With Pointed Toes:
While they may look stylish, wearing shoes that force your toes into a point at the end forces them into an unnatural, uncomfortable position that can and will lead to damage down the line.
There is no recommendation here for a pointed toe shoe that won’t lead to these issues. If you do have to wear them, try to limit the amount of time you spend in them to only when necessary.
The image below demonstrates what prolonged use of pointed toed shoes is doing to your foot inside of the shoe:
Old, Worn-Out Shoes:
Over time, the midsole of a shoe compresses and in turn loses the shock absorption properties that it had at first. This will happen long before the upper layers of the shoe shows visible wear. It’s safe to assume that if you’ve had a shoe for over a year of regular use, the cushioning is likely compromised regardless of how the shoe looks.
And if the shoe is starting to look like the one below, it's time for a new pair.
Our Picks:
Now that we’ve talked about some of the qualities that make up a good shoe, it’s time we talk about some specific brands we recommend and why. As a reminder, we don’t earn anything from purchases this blog may inspire - we genuinely care about your comfort and want to set you up for success, whether you choose to get a pair of strides or not.
Altra
Altra Running is a brand that we recommend for people regardless of whether or not they are runners themselves. They have several of the qualities we look for in a shoe, and can be worn for running, training, or for everyday use.
Altra’s are zero drop shoes, meaning they have the zero heel lift we’re looking for. They also have a natural, wide toe box, earning another point in their favor. Altra’s are also designed with a flexible sole, allowing your foot to work with the shoe rather than against it, maximizing comfort and preventing potential injuries associated with shoes that don’t have a flexible sole.
Altra has also recently begun making their shoes with the firm heel counter we look for. This wasn’t always the case, but the introduction of this factor strengthens Altra even further as our overall best pick for shoes. They have everything you should be looking for.
Additionally, the models we would recommend above all for someone who wants to wear orthotics in their Altras are the Olympus, Paradigm, or the Torin. These models tend to be higher volume, meaning there’s more room in the shoe for an orthotic to fit. Any pair of Altras will serve you well, but we recommend those three specifically for people who plan to wear orthotics in them.
See the Altra Torin 8 below (our top pick):
Brooks
Another shoe brand that we hold in high regard for everyday use, running, and or training is Brooks.
While not a zero drop shoe, Brooks still have a minimal enough heel to toe drop to be within range of what we would recommend. A pair of Brooks also has a natural, wide, roomy toe box which allows you to wiggle your toes and provides the natural splaying of the toes that we recommend. Additionally, while a bit more firm in the sole than Altras, Brooks soles are still flexible enough to work, and they recently introduced the Glycerin Flex model which offers an even more flexible sole.
Like Altra, Brooks does well with offering their shoes with a firm heel counter, which provides the increase in stability that we look for when recommending shoes.
For someone looking to get a pair of Brooks to wear a pair of custom orthotics in, we would recommend either the Brooks Ghost Max or Ghost Max 3, Addiction GTS 15, or the Glycerin GTS. We recommend them because, similar to the models we recommend for the Altras, they provide the proper volume and removable insoles to allow for the use of custom orthotics without making them feel too tight.
Brooks are especially recommended for people who want a more traditional, cushioned shoe as opposed to the Altra’s, since the zero-drop platform can take some getting used to.
See the Brooks Glycerin Max (our top choice for a running shoe) below:
New Balance:
New Balance is a familiar name to anyone who has shopped for shoes, and they’re another brand that we recommend to people alongside Brooks and Altra.
New Balance has an exhaustive catalogue, and some of the shoes within that catalogue like the Minimus TR, and the Minimus Zero Trail offer the zero-drop we recommend while the Minimus MT10 offers a very small 4mm heel drop. The rest of their catalogue sits within the range of heel drops we are comfortable with aside from the 990V6 and the 550 which have a higher heel drop than we would recommend.
New Balances are also well regarded by us for their wide toe box, allowing for the same level of natural-toe-splaying that we celebrate Brooks and Altra for. Particularly models that utilize New Balance’s SL-2, which is a foot mold that New Balance uses that results in shoes with the best possible toe box shape. Additionally, all New Balances are made with a flexible sole, which grants them major points from us.
New Balances are also made to have a firm heel counter, another quality we look for - their classic models like the 990 specifically have a firm, supportive, and well padded heel counter.
For someone looking to get a pair of New Balances to wear a pair of custom orthotics in, we would recommend any of the 990 series (v6), Fresh Foam X 860 v14, and 857/626 models, as they offer removable insoles, deep toe boxes, and the necessary volume to support the use of custom orthotics.
See the New Balance Fresh Foam X 860 V14 (our top pick for walking and our top budget pick) below:
Topo
Up next on our shoe guide is Topo Athletic, another shoe company that makes shoes we would recommend to someone looking for a running, training, or everyday wear shoe.
Topo shoes are not zero drop, but like New Balance and Brooks, the heel-to-toe drop they do have is well within the range that we are comfortable with recommending. What Topo is really known for is for having a great toe box. It’s wide, natural, and provides plenty of room for toes to splay while walking, and they are well regarded for the flexibility afforded by the design of their soles.
Additionally, Topo shoes are made with a firm heel counter, which again is exactly what we look for.
The specific Topo’s we would recommend for someone looking to wear them with a pair of custom orthotics are either the Topo Atmos for daily wear, or if you’re someone who wants a hiking boot, the Topo Trailventure 2 is what we would recommend. Both have the proper toe box, removable insole, and the requisite volume needed to comfortably fit custom orthotics.
See the Topo Trailventure 2 (what we recommend for hiking) below:
Vionic
Vionic is a brand that makes dressier shoes. They are a perfect option for someone who needs support or wants to wear a pair of custom orthotics, but needs a more formal shoe, and they have a wide collection for both men and women.
Vionic shoes are not made in the minimalist style that provides a zero drop, but the heel-to-toe drop is gentle and supportive. Additionally, Vionic shoes offer the kind of wide and roomy toe box that we advise people to look for, which can be difficult to come by in more formal shoes, something that earns Vionic’s major points with us.
Vionic shoes also come with the flexible sole that we want shoes that we recommend to have, which is important because a lot of dress shoes are very stiff and uncomfortable, really making your foot work against the shoe instead of with it. As well as the firm heel counter that we recommend.
For women, the formal shoe we recommend from Vionic would be the Klara Ballet Flat which provides the removable insole and required volume to allow a custom orthotic to fit. See it below:
For men's dress shoes from Vionic, we would recommend Vionic’s Uptown Loafer which also provides a removable insole and the needed room and support to allow someone to properly benefit from its interaction with custom orthotics. See it below:
In summary there are plenty of shoe options out there for you to choose from that provide comfort, practicality, and promote healthy feet without sacrificing style. We hope you found this guide useful, and we plan to keep it updated consistently as guidance changes or new relevant information becomes available. We take our role as leaders in foot health seriously, and whether or not you choose to join the Stride family, we want to make sure your feet are in the best environment they possibly can be.
Reviewed for clinical accuracy by Dr. Zac Cartun, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Stride Soles. Last reviewed April 2026. This article is for informational purposes and is not a substitute for medical advice from a licensed clinician.
