The Hoka Mach 7 is a lightweight, versatile running shoe that offers enough comfort for easy runs and enough speed for faster ones. It has a smooth ride thanks to its rocker, and in the inflated world of running shoes, it’s not all that expensive either.
Its main problem is that all of the above is also true of the Hoka Mach 6, because very little has been changed about the shoe with the new version. The upper has been tweaked and the outsole improved, but the ride experience is pretty much the same, and the Mach 6 is now often in sales.
So I’d probably look at the older shoe ahead of the Mach 7, but the Mach 7 is still one of the best running shoes I’ve tested so far in 2026. While rivals like the Adidas Adizero Evo SL and Saucony Endorphin Azura offer a bit more bounce, the smooth ride of the Mach 7 at all paces means I keep coming back to it.
Hoka Mach 7 review: price and availability
The Hoka Mach 7 will go on sale in March 2026 and it costs $145 in the U.S. and £140 in the U.K., making it one of the more affordable models in Hoka’s line-up, coming in cheaper than the Hoka Clifton 10 and Hoka Bondi 9.
Hoka Mach 7 review: design and fit
The Mach 7 will be available in seven colors at launch including the white and green design I tested. I found that it fits me well in my normal size and is available in both standard and wide fits — the standard model is quite narrow, so the wide option is welcome.
It’s not a max-cushioned shoe like the Clifton or Bondi, but the Mach 7 still offers 37mm of foam under the heel and 32mm under the forefoot in the men’s shoe. The women’s has a slightly lower stack height, but also has a 5mm drop.
One benefit of not being as cushioned as other shoes is that the Mach 7 is very lightweight. It weighs just 7.9oz in my US men’s size 9.5, and that featherweight feel is welcome on faster runs in particular.
Upper
The Mach 7 has a lightweight creel jacquard upper with overlays including a raised Hoka logo on the side.
It’s not as plushly padded as the uppers on more cushioned shoes like the Bondi, but I found it was still comfortable for long runs, and it held my foot securely on faster efforts.
Midsole
The midsole in the Hoka Mach 7 is made from supercritical EVA, the same material that was used on the Hoka Mach 6. It’s a light and responsive foam and neither especially soft nor firm, offering a balanced ride that’s naturally quite stable.
Like many Hoka shoes, the Mach 7 has a rockered profile that helps to ease you from heel to toe with each stride.
Outsole
Perhaps the most notable change with the Mach 7 compared with the Mach 6 is found on the bottom of the shoe, with a redesigned outsole that uses a new sticky rubber in the forefoot to improve grip.
I didn’t have any memorable problems with grip when testing the Mach 6 myself, but the Mach 7 has offered reliable traction throughout my testing, almost all of which has been done in wet conditions.
Hoka Mach 7 review: running performance
I’ve been a big fan of the Hoka Mach line ever since the original version and have used the Mach 6 regularly over the past two years since it launched.
Everything I love about the Mach 6 remains the same with the Hoka Mach 7. It has a simple, effective design with a versatile ride that can handle all your training runs, now with the added benefit of slightly improved grip in the forefoot.
I used the Mach 7 for a variety of runs during my testing, including a 15-mile long run, a 12-mile marathon-pace workout and many easy and steady daily training runs, and it always felt great.
The ride is smooth and feels good at any pace, with the rocker gently tipped you forward at easy paces and helping you to maintain your speed during faster runs.
While the EVA foam in the midsole is not the springiest or most exciting material, it gets the job done, being both comfortable and responsive, and the lightweight design of the shoe helps when you’re running at faster speeds in particular.
Should you buy the Hoka Mach 7?
The Hoka Mach 7 is a great running shoe but I’d first look for deals on the Mach 6, since it is so similar. Once the Mach 6 is no longer easy to find in stock, however, I would happily recommend the Mach 7 either as an all-rounder to tackle all your running in, or a speedy sneaker to fit into a running shoe rotation.
There are some great options that rival it as lightweight daily trainers with a similar price. The most obvious of these is the Adidas Adizero Evo SL, which is a faster shoe with a midsole that delivers more energy return, but it’s not as stable as the Mach 7 on easy or long runs.
The Saucony Endorphin Azura is another strong option with a bouncier feel than the Mach 7. It’s a little heavier, and I find the Mach 7 a nimbler shoe that’s better at faster paces myself, but the Azura has a bit more cushioning underfoot and is also quite stable.
If you do want more cushioning then the Hoka Clifton 10 would be a good alternative to the Mach 7. It’s heavier and not quite as good for faster runs, but the Clifton 10 is a comfortable daily trainer that’s great for long easy runs in particular.
