10 Shoes Brands like Adidas: Our Top Alternatives

Adidas is a world-famous footwear and sportswear German brand founded in 1949 by Adolf Dassler. Some of its popular shoes are the Stan Smith sneakers, the Superstar sneakers, and the running shoes made with the BOOST technology to improve performance.

This brand is a great place where you can get all you need to practice your favorite sport. But before making a purchase, we often look around for more options, designs, styles, and technologies to have a wider feel of what’s available in the market.

And that’s what we’re here for today! If you’re looking for alternatives to Adidas, we’ve selected 10 excellent brands that we think are similar to it in their history and products.

Be it casual shoes, running shoes, or stylish sneakers we’re sure you’ll find something you like from these brands!

1. Nike

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Nike Court Legacy Shoe

Nike is one of the most well-known American brands in the world, with the slogan “Just do it” and the iconic logo that is recognized by almost everyone. And probably each of us has a pair or two of Nikes in the closet.

Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman founded the company in 1964. The company was originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports, but in 1971 it was renamed Nike Inc, after a Greek goddess of victory.

Nike has been at the top of the sports apparel and footwear industry for decades and is well-known for a number of key business strategies, including the advertising of Air Jordan shoes and contracts with some of the world’s most important sports leagues.

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2. Relance Running

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A pair of blue Relance Running RL-01 shoes

Relance Running designs and creates high-performance and stylish running shoes, that can also be used as casual everyday shoes depending on your style. The brand was founded in 2021 in France.

The team behind the brand is made up of sports enthusiasts who have put in a lot of effort over the past two years to create a comfortable and durable shoe.

The RL-01, their first model, has been highly praised by the press for its innovative design, which includes a knitted upper with a durable mesh, a lightweight and cushioned PU foam sole, and a silicone insole for maximum comfort.

The brand is committed to using French manufacturers and suppliers, and its products are made in the Maine-et-Loire region of France. The company is headquartered in Brest, Brittany, with the design process based in Paris.

Relance’s prices are accessible, around $130 per pair, if we consider the quality and comfort of these shoes.

You’ll also like: 9 French Sneaker Brands for Running and Casual Wear

3. Skechers

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Skechers Track Bucolo 52630 CCLM men’s athletic shoes

Skechers, headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, USA, is an international footwear manufacturer. It was founded in 1992 and is currently the third-largest footwear brand in the country.

The initial Skechers products were boots that were aimed at grunge culture. Initially specializing in men’s footwear, the brand quickly expanded to include casual and leisure designs for women and children as well.

A few years later, in 2011, Skechers launched its collection of high-performance footwear for athletes.

Today, the company creates, manufactures, and sells a variety of performance and leisure shoes, apparel, and accessories.

4. Reebok

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An old Reebok men’s running shoe

Reebok is a world-renowned sportswear company that dates back to the late 1950s. Since then, the company has focused on producing running, walking, and jogging shoes.

Joe and Jeff Foster founded Reebok in Bolton, England, in 1958. The name Reebok is derived from the Gray Rhebok antelope, which is known for its speed when running.

After Paul Fireman purchased the company in 1984, the headquarters were relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. With Paul Fireman’s purchase, the company became an American fitness brand.

Adidas purchased Reebok in 2005 and became the company’s new owner until the first quarter of 2022 when it completed the sale to Authentic Brands Group.

Reebok has struggled to remain competitive in the sportswear market. Nonetheless, it has remained a major innovator in athletic shoes over the years.

Must read: Are Reebok Running Shoes Good? (My 5+ Years Experience)

5. Puma

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Puma official website

Puma and Adidas have a shared history in terms of vision and progress. The brands were founded by the Dassler brothers, Rudolf Dassler and Adolf Dassler, after the two brothers separated and started their own business ventures.

While Adolf “Adi” Dassler founded Adidas, the second largest sportswear brand in the world after Nike, Rudolf Dassler founded Ruda. “Ruda” was coined from the first two letters of Rudolf’s first and last name.

Ruda started in 1948 and was renamed Puma that same year. Both Adidas and Puma have been founded in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany, and are still currently based there. Puma has become the third largest sportswear brand after Nike and Adidas.

Puma’s success story is largely based on football shoes, but it has also had great success manufacturing running shoes and casual footwear.

In 1954, Heinz Futterer broke the 100m world record in Japan wearing the first Puma running shoes. Another famous sportsman who wore Puma running shoes is Usain Bolt.

6. On Running

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On Running official website

Olivier Bernhard, a duathlon champion and Ironman winner, founded On Running with his friends Caspar Coppetti and David Allemann.

They collaborated in Zurich, Switzerland, in January 2010 to create their prototype, which managed to win the ISPO BrandNew Award a month later. On is now a well-known global sneaker brand renowned for its cushioning and extremely comfortable designs.

The Cloud sneaker, for example, is one of On Running’s best designs. Not only because of its innovative design but also because of its lightness and comfort.

On employs innovation to take a more sustainable manufacturing strategy. For example, the Cyclon running shoe is made entirely of recyclable materials.

7. Asics

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A runner wearing Asics Cumulus running shoes

Asics is one of the most well-known Japanese brands, with significant sales and presence in North America and Europe. The company began making basketball shoes in 1949 before expanding into all kinds of outdoor sports products under the Asics brand in 1977.

This name is the acronym of the Latin phrase, “Anima Sana In Corpore Sano”, which means “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body”. The brand’s mission has always been to develop resistant products that represent this ideology.

Among the numerous Asics shoe features you can find great shock absorption and Wet Grip rubber outsoles, which allow runners to move cleanly in all kinds of rainy conditions. Asics designs emphasize comfort and aid in maintaining balance while moving.

Don’t miss: 3 Japanese Running Shoe Brands: Our Favorites

8. Hoka One One

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Hoka One One official website

Hoka One One is a sneaker and running shoe manufacturer. This brand emerged onto the scene after deciding to create footwear with a very thick sole, ideal for providing the necessary boost while running.

Customers consider the company’s shoes to be very unique and attentive to every minor detail because Hoka takes care of various details.

As for Hoka One One’s origins, the company was established in 2009 in Annecy, France. Its current headquarters are in Goleta, California. The brand’s creators have always had a distinct concept rooted in the desire to achieve radical change.

The initial goal was to create a shoe that would assist the runner in increasing his speed. However, the company’s focus has shifted over time to include the goal of increasing the comfort and practicality for those who wear its shoes.

Hoka One One shoes are designed not only for professional athletes but also for beginners and people who don’t run competitively.

9. Saucony

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Saucony shoes close-up

Saucony is an American footwear and apparel company founded in Kutztown, Pennsylvania in 1898.

Four men founded the company near the high banks of Saucony Creek, from which the name “Saucony” was derived. The company made jackets, socks, hats, T-shirts, and backpacks but its primary focus was on sneakers.

A.R. Hyde, a Russian immigrant, purchased Saucony in the late 1960s. Since 1910, Hyde had run his own shoe brand in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hyde relocated Saucony to Cambridge, where he merged the two companies while keeping the Hydes Athletic Industries name.

After two of its sneakers were placed among the top ten running shoes of 1979 by Runner’s World Magazine, the company rebranded again in 1980, changing its name to Saucony.

Since then, the brand has gone through several managerial changes and now it’s a trademark of Wolverine World Wide. Today, the company is a well-known manufacturer of various types of running shoes and trainers for multiple disciplines.

You might also like: Saucony vs Asics Running Shoes: Which Brand is Better?

10. Brooks Sports

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Brooks Sports official website

Brooks Sports, also called Brooks Running, has a massive global fan base. Brooks provides the comfort, reliability, and aesthetic that every runner desires in their sneakers, from pro athletes to regular runners. Brooks Ghost and Adrenaline GTS are some of its most well-known models.

Brooks has been in business for a long time and has faced many challenges along the way, but it is still regarded as one of the best running shoe manufacturers in the world.

The brand was established in Philadelphia in 1914. Prior to being purchased by the Brooks brothers, the company was known as the Quaker Shoe Company. It changed its name to Brooks Shoe Manufacturing Co. in 1920 and began selling shoes under the Bruxshu brand.

Brooks is now headquartered in Seattle, and its products are sold in many countries worldwide. The company has evolved, producing various sneakers and sports shoes with significant improvements in each model.

Over the years, the brand has undergone numerous operational changes, including collaborations with other shoe manufacturers. Brooks shoes have also been featured in Sports Illustrated and Runner’s World publications.