Nike Vaporfly 3 vs Invincible 3

Which Running Shoe Is Better?

Products

Nike Vaporfly 3
Nike Invincible 3

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Oct 20, 2025 09:37 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Oct 21, 2025 08:04 PM

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Our Verdict

Nike Vaporfly 3

Nike Invincible 3

The Nike Invincible 3 and the Nike Vaporfly 3 serve very different purposes, with the Vaporfly 3 being a carbon-plated super shoe built for racing, while the Invincible 3 is a versatile daily trainer. As expected, the Vaporfly 3 delivers higher energy return, but the gap isn't as big as one might think, highlighting the impressive bounce of the Invincible 3 within its category. However, the Vaporfly 3 is nearly 100 grams lighter, making it far more agile and efficient, a day-and-night difference in terms of speed. Although the shoes have similar stack heights, the Invincible 3 provides better stability thanks to its wider base.

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Variants

  • Vaporfly 3 (Black/Black/Oatmeal/Metallic Gold Grain - (Women - US 7))
  • Vaporfly 3 (Black/Olive Aura/Metallic Medium Ash - (Men - US 9))
  • Vaporfly 3 (Electric Pack - (Women - US 7))
  • Vaporfly 3 (Laser Orange/Citron Pulse/Sail/Hyper Violet - (Women - US 7))
  • Vaporfly 3 (Mint Foam/Sunset Tint/Barely Volt/Sail - (Women - US 7))
  • Vaporfly 3 (Multi-Color/Volt/Hyper Pink/Black - (Men - US 9))
  • Vaporfly 3 (Sail/Crimson Tint/Guava Ice/Black - (Men - US 9))
  • Vaporfly 3 (Sail/Crimson Tint/Guava Ice/Black - (Women - US 7))
  • Vaporfly 3 (Sail/Glacier Blue/Volt - (Men - US 9))
  • Vaporfly 3 (Sail/Olive Aura/Volt/Glacier Blue - (Women - US 7))
  • Vaporfly 3 (Volt/Scream Green/Barely Volt/Black - (Women - US 7))
  • Vaporfly 3 (White/Black/University Red/Habanero Red - (Men - US 9))
  • Vaporfly 3 (White/Dk Smoke Grey/Particle Grey - (Women - US 7))
  • Vaporfly 3 (White/Sea Coral/Pure Platinum/Topaz Gold - (Women - US 7))
  • Vaporfly 3 (White/Vivid Purple/Purple - (Men - US 9))
  • Vaporfly 3 (White/Vivid Purple/Purple Agate/Black - (Women - US 7))
  • Invincible 3 (Electric Pack/Olympic Safari - (Men - US 9))
  • Invincible 3 (Jade Ice/White-Clear Jade - (Women - US 7))
  • Invincible 3 (Light Cream/Coconut Milk/Oxygen Purple/Light Orewood Brown - (Men - US 9))
  • Invincible 3 (Phantom/Bright Crimson/University Red/Black - (Men - US 9))
  • Invincible 3 (Photon Dust/Psychic Blue/Sail/Light Smoke Grey - (Women - US 7))
  • Invincible 3 (Pure Platinum/Cool Grey/Vapor Green/Dark Obsidian - (Women - US 7))
  • Invincible 3 (University Red/Blue Joy/Rugged Orange - (Men - US 9))
  • Invincible 3 (White/Blue Tint/Sail/Blue Void - (Men - US 9))
  • Invincible 3 (White/Bright Crimson/Sail/Black - (Men - US 9))
  • Invincible 3 (White/Fire Red/Cement Gray/Black - (Men - US 9))
  • Invincible 3 (White/Sesame/Anthracite/Coconut Milk - (Men - US 9))

Main Differences for
Marathon Racing

Threshold 

0.10

Marathon Racing 

8.2
6.9

Weight  

8.5
4.9

Plate 
 

Carbon Fiber
None

Forefoot Energy Return 
 

8.4
8.0

Full Comparison

Design

Weight  

8.5
4.9

Right Shoe Weight Photo  

Left Shoe Weight Photo  

Weight 
 

188.0 g (6.63 oz)
287.3 g (10.13 oz)
Show Text 

Stack Heights 
 

Stack Height Photo  

Heel Stack Height 
 

37.6 mm
38.2 mm

Forefoot Stack Height 
 

29.4 mm
29.8 mm

Heel-To-Toe Drop 
 

8.2 mm
8.4 mm

Advertised Heel-To-Toe Drop 
 

8.0 mm
9.0 mm
Show Text 

External Shape 
 

3D Model Full Shoe  

Outsole Heel Width 
 

74 mm (2.9")
99 mm (3.9")

Outsole Arch Width 
 

52 mm (2.0")
72 mm (2.8")

Outsole Forefoot Width 
 

107 mm (4.2")
118 mm (4.6")

Heel Width-To-Stack Ratio 
 

1.97
2.59

Forefoot Width-To-Stack Ratio 
 

3.64
3.96

Internal Shape 
 

3D Model Internal  

Internal Length 
 

267 mm (10.5")
272 mm (10.7")

Internal Heel Width 
 

55 mm (2.2")
63 mm (2.5")

Internal Forefoot Width 
 

91 mm (3.6")
93 mm (3.7")

Wide Sizing Available 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Other Features  

Other Features Photo  

Tongue Gusset Type 
 

Non-gusseted
Non-gusseted

Plate 
 

Carbon Fiber
None
Performance

Heel Energy Return 
 

8.5
8.1

Heel Compression Video  

Heel Energy Return  

See details
See details

Heel Energy Return 
 

84.0%
81.2%
Show Text 

Forefoot Energy Return 
 

8.4
8.0

Forefoot Compression Video  

Forefoot Energy Return  

See details
See details

Forefoot Energy Return 
 

83.1%
80.8%
Show Text 

Heel Cushioning 
 

6.2
6.7

Heel Cushioning Picture  

Heel Cushioning  

See details
See details

Energy Absorbed At 550N 
 

3.26 J
2.92 J

Energy Absorbed At 1100N 
 

7.72 J
8.31 J

Energy Absorbed At 1900N 
 

12.53 J
14.67 J
Show Text 

Forefoot Cushioning 
 

6.0
5.9

Forefoot Cushioning Picture  

Forefoot Cushioning  

See details
See details

Energy Absorbed At 800N 
 

3.82 J
3.83 J

Energy Absorbed At 1300N 
 

6.44 J
6.31 J

Energy Absorbed At 2050N 
 

9.39 J
9.05 J
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Heel Firmness 
 

7.3
6.3

Heel Firmness  

See details
See details

Firmness At 550N 
 

66.4 N/mm
60.1 N/mm

Firmness At 1100N 
 

152.2 N/mm
120.9 N/mm

Firmness At 1900N 
 

348.2 N/mm
265.9 N/mm
Show Text 

Forefoot Firmness 
 

8.9
9.0

Forefoot Firmness  

See details
See details

Firmness At 800N 
 

136.9 N/mm
142.8 N/mm

Firmness At 1300N 
 

280.4 N/mm
299.3 N/mm

Firmness At 2050N 
 

556.8 N/mm
590.7 N/mm
Show Text 

Nike Vaporfly 3

Nike Invincible 3

Comments

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Nike Vaporfly 3 vs Nike Invincible 3: Main Discussion

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