The 8 Best Sneakers for Supporting Your Flat Feet

• Super soft upper and heel
• Midfoot is supportive but still feels soft

• Very athletic-looking

The Asics Gel-Kayano 30s are extraordinarily comfortable, and the shoe we reach for the most often when our feet, heels, or shins are feeling particularly sore. They are soft underfoot, with a wide base, and soft on the upper, with a thick, stretchy knit. They can be run in, for sure, but they are great for walking and standing in, too. They are my go-to travel shoes for supporting my collapsed heels while walking and swollen feet while flying.

• Soft and cushiony
• Padded heel

• Depending on your flat foot cause, they might not be the right match

These Hoka sneakers are the ultra-cushioned shoe of a lifetime. They wear similarly to the Asics Kayano but have a higher stack height and a bit less stretchy of a knit upper. They come in regular, wide, and X-wide sizing, which we appreciate for foot inclusivity—particularly for anyone whose collapsed arches render their feet wider than they might otherwise be.

The Bondis are mindful of flat-foot reasoning but they are not a panacea. (No single sneaker is, for the record.) For certain foot issues, a podiatrist might recommend a higher heel drop than the Bondi's middle ground five mm. But for run-of-the-mill, no-active-problem flat feet, these are great.

• Plushy feeling
• Great for flat-footed runners

• Toe box runs small for some

On the other hand, 10 mm is generally a good baseline for anyone whose flat feet veer them into plantar fasciitis. (The higher heel drop forces a heel strike, often a useful mechanism for deflecting arch pain.) On's Cloudrunner 2 is beloved for its ailment-friendly heel drop, lightweight design, and strike feel that's at once plush but repsonsive.

• High heel drop preferred for some flat feet
• Durable

• More bouncy than super soft

For a durable sneaker to get roughed up outside, we're going to Salomon always. For flat feet, we're going to the XT Pu.re Advanced shoes, which have a very dramatic 12-mm drop. They feel crazy secure with a fitted upper, and foot-holding TPU cage around the midfoot. They are lightweight, durable, and built to be worn outside doing stuff.

• Super soft, wide cushion
• Stays comfy for long stretches of time

• Can feel a little heavy on the feet

For a softened foot strike, New Balance's 1906R is gentle. It feels soft to land on, and disperses energy quickly and widely so no single part of your foot bears the brunt. This style has a super breathable knit mesh upper and a wide base, which make it a sneaker we don't mind wearing to stand, walk, or travel in for long periods of time.

• Flat, wide base conducive to good foot health
• Extra heel support and cushion

• Not the most durable for hard outside wearing

For a workout sneaker that is flat foot-minded, Nike's Air Max Alpha Trainer 6 is a solid option. It has a high heel drop for moving stress off low arches and it has a ton of stability and absorption in the heel for keeping it that way. They are stable and wide—a great option for lifting and HIIT.

• Rocker takes all pressure off heels and feet
• Flat laces and upper feel super secure

• An odd middle ground between workout and everyday shoe

Ahnu makes but a few pairs of sneakers, and the Sequence 1 Lows are the most wearable. They are an interesting sneaker: a minimal outer design, built with a carbon-fiber rocker and PEBA foam midsole. It has the support of what you might wear in a race shoe, but in casual shoe form.

They do feel rather crazy to wear at first: the toe points slightly upward so you really get the rocker feeling throughout each step. The flat lace lock feels super secure, like there's no movement or undue pressure in the foot. That said, these are marketed as an everyday, do-it-all shoe, but we've also found they are more in this weird middle ground—not a proper workout sneaker but also too athletic for all situations we might still get away with a simpler sneaker.

• Built-in orthotics and flat-foot-friendly design
• Does not look orthotic

• Even with orthotics, 3 mm heel drop not enough for some

The problem with most orthopedic shoes is that they look like orthopedic shoes. And why should style freaks be ashamed of their poorly designed feet? Oliver Cabell's sneakers are built with foot health in mind: a wide base and toe box, built-in orthotic support that keeps feet in neutral, healthy positions. We like how these shoes feel way softer than a minimal, low-profile white sneaker normally does. Still, it is a flat shoe, which might not work for all flat feet all the time.

In a word, yes. Getting shoes that work with your foot design rather than against it is a very good and necessary first step. But particularly critical for people with overpronation, plantar fasciitis, or any other flat-foot-related issue, a really great insole can help give much-needed support and stability. They can help make any shoe feel all the more comfortable on your foot in particular. You can get custom orthotics made by a podiatrist, but for something over-the-counter, we are diehard Superfeet fans.

We're not going to say something is great unless it's actually great. Every product in Esquire's roundups is carefully curated by our fashion and e-commerce teams.

When it comes to walking shoes for flat feet, you can rest assured that we're hand-selecting styles that we've personally tested, tried, and loved, along with styles that the rest of our stylish colleagues here at Esquire endorse for their own wear. We've had to go through a lot of trial and error, and these walking shoes for flat feet are the ones that are simply the best.