Which running shoe brands do ChatGPT and Gemini recommend?

We asked both assistants three questions a shopper would ask about running shoe brands, with web search on, and wrote down every brand they named in the order they named it. Last asked 1 Nov 2026. Brands we track link to their pages.

What are the best running shoe brands?

ChatGPT

  1. Saucony
  2. ASICS
  3. Brooks
  4. HOKA
  5. Nike
  6. New Balance
  7. Adidas

Asked 31 Oct 2026

Gemini

  1. Brooks
  2. Asics
  3. Nike
  4. Saucony
  5. Hoka
  6. New Balance
  7. Adidas
  8. On
  9. Altra

Asked 31 Oct 2026

Which running shoe brand would you recommend for a first-time buyer?

ChatGPT

  1. Brooks
  2. ASICS
  3. Saucony
  4. Hoka
  5. New Balance

Asked 31 Oct 2026

Gemini

  1. Brooks
  2. Asics
  3. Saucony
  4. Hoka
  5. New Balance

Asked 31 Oct 2026

What are some popular running shoe brands people love right now?

ChatGPT

  1. Brooks
  2. ASICS
  3. HOKA
  4. New Balance
  5. Nike
  6. Saucony
  7. Altra
  8. Mizuno
  9. On
  10. adidas

Asked 1 Nov 2026

Gemini

  1. HOKA
  2. ASICS
  3. Brooks
  4. Nike
  5. Saucony
  6. New Balance
  7. On
  8. Adidas

Asked 1 Nov 2026

The running shoe brands named in more than one answer

Out of 6 answers on this page. A count of answers, not a ranking.

  • ASICS: named in 6 of 6
  • Brooks: named in 6 of 6
  • HOKA: named in 6 of 6
  • New Balance: named in 6 of 6
  • Saucony: named in 6 of 6
  • Adidas: named in 4 of 6
  • Nike: named in 4 of 6
  • On: named in 3 of 6
  • Altra: named in 2 of 6

Why the answers change

Ask an assistant the same question twice and the list moves. It changes between runs, between people, and with whatever the assistant found when it searched that day. These are the answers we got on the dates shown, asked with no account history and no location. We ask again every month with the same wording, so the next set can be compared with this one.

A brand missing from these lists is not a verdict on the brand. It means a shopper asking this question on this day would not have heard of it from the assistant.

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