Nike Pegasus 41 vs Brooks Ghost 16 vs Hoka Clifton 9: Which neutral everyday trainer suits you?

The three trainers at a glance

Before we go into detail, here are the hard facts from our catalogue. Weights are approximate figures, the drop is exact.

• Nike Pegasus 41: 10 mm drop, approx. 286 g, neutral, standard width. The balanced all-rounder.
• Brooks Ghost 16: 12 mm drop, approx. 278 g, neutral, also available in wide (2E/4E). The soft, heel-focused comfort trainer.
• Hoka Clifton 9: 5 mm drop, approx. 248 g, neutral, rather narrow (also in wide). The light, low-set mile eater.

Drop: 5, 10 or 12 mm make a real difference

The drop, meaning the height difference between heel and forefoot, shapes the running feel more than many people think. If you want to go deeper, our guide Drop explained simply helps.

The Brooks Ghost 16 is at the upper end with 12 mm. This high drop relieves the calf and the Achilles tendon and feels especially natural and rolling to many heel strikers. If you are coming from classic running shoes, you will usually find the familiar rolling point here straight away.

The Nike Pegasus 41 sits in the sweet spot at 10 mm. This drop is regarded as a safe standard that suits almost every running style and neither overly challenges the calf nor pushes too much into the heel.

The Hoka Clifton 9 is clearly flatter at 5 mm. That brings the foot closer to a natural position and encourages a slightly more even footstrike, but it can load the calf and Achilles tendon more if you were previously used only to high drops. The massive cushioning platform partly offsets the low drop again, both visually and in feel.

Weight: The Clifton is noticeably lighter

In weight all three are in the everyday range, but there is a clear ranking. At approx. 248 g the Hoka Clifton 9 is the lightest of the trio and feels correspondingly nimble on the foot, even though it offers high cushioning. It is precisely this ratio of plenty of foam and little weight that has made the Clifton so popular.

The Brooks Ghost 16 follows at approx. 278 g, and the Nike Pegasus 41 is the heaviest at approx. 286 g. The difference of around 38 g between the Clifton and the Pegasus sounds small, but is quite noticeable on long runs. In return, the Pegasus and Ghost feel somewhat more solid and stable on the foot, which many perceive as high-quality and secure.

Width and fit: Here the wheat is separated from the chaff

Fit is often the reason why an otherwise good shoe ends up not fitting after all. According to the catalogue, all three come up true to size in length, but they differ clearly in volume.

• The Brooks Ghost 16 is the safest choice for wide feet, as it is also available in wide 2E and even 4E. If you have always had too little room in the forefoot, this is where you will find the best selection.
• The Nike Pegasus 41 has a normal, medium width and so fits most standard feet without experiments.
• The Hoka Clifton 9 comes up rather narrow. For narrow feet that is ideal, while wider feet should go for the wide version that is also offered or try them on carefully beforehand.

Character: Three philosophies

In summary, the three shoes take different approaches. The Pegasus 41 is the neutral all-rounder without weaknesses, which can do almost everything and offends nowhere. As the only trainer in your shoe cupboard it suits easy runs just as well as occasional faster sessions.

The Ghost 16 is the soft comfort classic with a high drop and the best choice of widths. It is the right choice when running feel and fit come before speed.

The Clifton 9 is the light, low-set mile eater with plenty of foam underfoot. It rewards a calm, even running technique and narrow to normal feet.

Which shoe is right for whom?

• Take the Nike Pegasus 41 if you are looking for an uncomplicated all-rounder for everything, like a medium drop and have a normal-width foot.
• Take the Brooks Ghost 16 if you have wide feet or need wide sizes, prefer a high drop of 12 mm and put soft, plush comfort above everything.
• Take the Hoka Clifton 9 if you want a light shoe with plenty of cushioning and a low drop and have a rather narrow foot.

All three are neutral shoes. If you need support because of strong overpronation, none of them is the right choice. Read our guide Neutral or stability shoe and take a look at stable alternatives such as the Nike Structure 25 or the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 23.

Related models worth a look

If none of the three quite appeals to you, there are strong neighbours in the neutral segment. For maximum cushioning with a width option, the ASICS Gel-Nimbus 26 is worth it, for very soft heels the Hoka Bondi 8, and as a balanced daily trainer with a lower drop the Saucony Ride 17. You will find even more choice in our running shoe overview or tailored to you via the running shoe finder.

Direct spec comparison

The quickest way to see the differences is in our direct comparison of Pegasus 41, Ghost 16 and Clifton 9. There, drop, weight, width and guide price are shown side by side.