AI Recommendations for Running Shoes (2026)
Tracked across 1 benchmark run from May 23, 2026 to May 23, 2026
The exact question we asked AI models
“Running shoes under 150 everyday use”
Brand Recommendations
Aggregated across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity over 1 benchmark run.
| # | Brand | Mentions | Top-3 | First Picks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brooks | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | ASICS | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 3 | Saucony | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | Nike | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | New Balance | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Adidas | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Puma | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | HOKA | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Model-by-Model Breakdown
Top brands each AI model recommends for this prompt.
chatgpt
- 1.ASICS
- 2.Nike
- 3.Brooks
- 4.New Balance
claude
- 1.ASICS
- 2.Nike
- 3.Brooks
- 4.Saucony
gemini
- 1.Nike
- 2.Brooks
- 3.Saucony
- 4.HOKA
- 5.ASICS
perplexity
- 1.ASICS
- 2.Puma
- 3.Saucony
Key Insights
Key Takeaway
For a recreational fitness runner, AI still routes to a tight core - ASICS, Brooks, Nike, HOKA, New Balance - but this run is the first where the four models disagreed on the single best pick, returning four different #1s. ASICS is the only brand in all four top-3 lists and Novablast 5 remains the SKU-level default, so the category leadership is intact even though the unanimous-#1 streak broke. Marketplace-strong brands Mizuno and Skechers remain entirely absent.
Top Brands Summary
ASICS and Brooks tied for most-mentioned this run (12 each), but the top-pick consensus that held for five straight runs broke: the four models returned four different #1 picks - ChatGPT led with HOKA, Claude with ASICS, Gemini with Brooks, and Perplexity with New Balance. ASICS remains the only brand in every model's top 3 and the SKU-level Novablast 5 is still the single most-recommended shoe, but no brand held a unanimous #1 this run. Nike (10 mentions) and HOKA (9) round out the high-consensus tier.
See the full Running Shoes benchmark
Cross-model rankings, trend data, and competitive landscape.
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