The On Cloudboom Strike is designed with race day in mind, promising a lightweight and agile experience for runners looking to push the pace. It's the Swiss brand's take on the super shoe, with On's signature Helion HF super foam and a carbon fiber plate. The semi-transparent upper offers breathability and keeps the weight down. These features are geared toward runners targeting their next PR in anything from 5Ks to marathon distances.
Our Verdict
The On Cloudboom Strike is a great choice for marathon racing thanks to its lightweight design, which boosts agility and enhances overall performance. Its impressive cushioning ensures you stay comfortable over long distances, helping to reduce fatigue and keep you feeling fresh. However, it's not the most bouncy or stable race-day option.
Excellent cushioning for a race shoe.
Premium materials keep weight down.
Carbon plated.
Not the most stable super shoe.
In 5K/10K racing, the On Cloudboom Strike's lightweight construction and carbon plate make it a very good option for shorter distances. The energy return aids in maintaining speed and efficiency. That said, the forefoot foam could be firmer for more aggressive toe-offs.
Excellent cushioning for a race shoe.
Premium materials keep weight down.
Carbon plated.
Soft foam at the forefoot.
The On Cloudboom Strike offers great responsiveness in both the forefoot and heel. This means you'll experience a dynamic and energetic ride, making your stride feel smoother and more efficient.
Great bounciness.
The cushioning of the On Cloudboom Strike is particularly amazing, making it highly suitable for long distances. The underfoot protection helps to reduce fatigue, helping you stay fresh throughout your run. The shoe is especially well-cushioned in the forefoot, a standout feature among super shoes.
Excellent cushioning for a race shoe.
Amazing forefoot protection.
The On Cloudboom Strike's lateral stability is reasonable, generally providing balanced running. However, it sits high off the ground and isn't particularly firm, compromising balance in some cases. Also, it's not the most stable option in its category.
Carbon plated.
Soft foam at the forefoot.
Not the most stable super shoe.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Nov 20, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.9, which adds a Forefoot Long Run Cushioning test to our performance section. Read more in our changelog.
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Updated Oct 23, 2025:
We updated the Pros & Cons, Lateral Stability, Energy Return, Cushioning, 5K/10K Racing, Heel Energy Return, Heel Cushioning, Forefoot Cushioning, Heel Firmness, and Forefoot Energy Return boxes to align with the latest test bench and refreshed the Popular Running Shoe Comparisons section to keep the review accurate.
- Updated Oct 20, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.8.2, which updates our methodology for the impact force range used in our compression tests to improve their accuracy. This also affects all usage and performance usage boxes using those compression tests as score components.
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Updated Aug 28, 2025:
We updated the Popular Running Shoe Comparisons box to mention the On Cloudmonster Hyper in the brand's lineup.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the On Cloudboom Strike in men's US size 9; you can see the label. The color shown here is White | Black, and the shoe is also available in White | Flame and Limelight | Wolf colorways. Wide versions aren't available for this model. There's also an LS edition, exclusively for On members, featuring the brand's LightSpray™ sprayed-on upper for reduced weight and an additional CloudTec element underfoot, with a slightly different placement compared to the standard version. Given these design differences, our results only apply to the non-LS version.
Popular Running Shoe Comparisons
The On Cloudboom Strike is a super shoe that prioritizes cushioning more than most race-day options, aiming to preserve leg freshness in the later miles of a marathon. This design choice means it sacrifices some energy return and firmness, making it feel slightly less aggressive than competitors like the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4. A key distinguishing feature is its thick insole, known as the Bounceboard, which enhances underfoot protection, adding to its overall comfort. If you're looking for another very cushioned super shoe, check out the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3, which features a unique design optimized for midfoot strikers.
Within On's lineup, this shoe sits above the On Cloudboom Echo 3, another super shoe that's more geared toward shorter distances and is closer to the ground. The On Cloudboom Zone features premium foam but lacks a plate, making it a different type of performance option better suited for interval workouts and uptempo efforts rather than full race-day performance. On also offers daily trainers for easier-paced miles like the On Cloudsurfer 2 and On Cloudmonster 2. There's also the On Cloudmonster Hyper, which is a training shoe with a dual-layer midsole, including a premium, PEBA-based foam.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best running shoes to find the perfect pair.
The Nike Alphafly 3 and the On Cloudboom Strike are two high-performance racing shoes designed for serious runners, both tailored for marathon distances, but they excel in different ways. The Nike shoe has marginally better energy return and lateral stability. Its design prioritizes efficiency, making it a top choice for runners seeking an aggressive race-focused shoe. In contrast, the On focuses on a more cushioned ride, particularly in the forefoot area. It provides a softer landing experience, benefiting runners looking to reduce impact stress during races. While it may not offer the same explosive toe-off as the Nike, it delivers a well-balanced ride that's particularly effective for maintaining comfort and performance over the full marathon distance.
The On Cloudboom Zone and the On Cloudboom Strike share a middle name but are built for very different purposes. The Zone is an unplated training shoe that shines in interval sessions and faster workouts, offering a lightweight, firm, and direct ride with enough snap for short efforts. The Strike, by contrast, is On's top-tier carbon-plated super shoe, much more energetic and significantly more cushioned, with geometry and foam optimized for efficiency over long distances and racing. The Zone makes sense as a workout companion within the same ecosystem, but if you are chasing maximum performance and race-day efficiency, the Strike is the clear choice.
The On Cloudboom Strike and the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3 are similar in weight but differ in performance. The adidas is more energetic, delivering a higher level of energy return and a more propulsive feel, making it particularly well-suited for shorter-distance racing. In contrast, the On is more cushioned, providing better underfoot protection and making it a stronger option for marathon racing, where preserving leg freshness is a priority.
The On Cloudboom Strike and Diadora Gara Carbon 2 are both carbon-plated racers that share many similarities on paper: similar weight, low drop, and a comparable plate position. However, the Cloudboom Strike is noticeably softer underfoot, but while it offers a well-cushioned ride, its midsole is less responsive and lacks the bounce of the Gara Carbon 2's foam.
We've recently started buying and testing running shoes with a very data-oriented approach. While we're just getting started, our methodology already has dozens of tests to help you make the right purchasing decision for your needs. Not only do we use high-end equipment to gather objective data, but we also order multiple sizes of the same shoes for team members to be able to log in miles. This real-world testing is done at various paces and conditions, and with different types of workouts, to cover all the bases. This allows us to verify our results and ensure they align with what you might feel with a specific pair.
Test Results
The shoe is notably light, enhancing agility and speed, making it ideal for competitive racing. Its lightweight design is beneficial for both long-distance and shorter races.
The shoe features a unique insole design, incorporating a thick, removable layer of Helion HF foam, known as the 'bounceboard,' which sits directly atop the carbon plate. This design provides additional cushioning, especially in the forefoot area.
This thicker foam insole, which increases the forefoot stack height, also explains the shoe's relatively low drop.
The heel energy return is great, ensuring efficient energy transfer with each stride, which is crucial for maintaining pace and reducing energy expenditure. While it's very dynamic for a running shoe overall, the performance feels slightly underwhelming compared to other race-day alternatives like the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4.
Similar to the heel, the forefoot energy return is consistent, contributing to quite a lively running experience and enhancing overall performance. Just don't expect the same level of bounce you'd find in other super shoes, like the PUMA Fast-R NITRO Elite 3.
The heel cushioning is great, providing comfort and reducing impact during long runs. This helps minimize fatigue over extended distances, ensuring a smoother running experience.
The forefoot cushioning is exceptional, effectively absorbing even high-impact forces. This feature is especially valuable at faster paces (the shoe's intended use) where greater stress is applied. Compared to other super shoes, the On Cloudboom Strike excels in this area, mainly due to its thick insole that provides additional padding at the forefoot.
The heel is on the softer side, offering some stability and support, which is essential for maintaining proper form, while still focusing on providing a plush feel.
The forefoot is relatively soft for a race-day shoe, lacking the optimal firmness typically desired for short-distance racing. This softness can make quick transitions less efficient and reduce propulsion during faster-paced efforts. As a result, it will feel less snappy than firmer models like the PUMA Deviate NITRO Elite 3, which are better suited for high-cadence, toe-off-driven racing.