My Doctor Recommended Crocs. So I Tested and Ranked Them.

New York Times

5 hours ago

Despite the fact that Crocs were medically recommended for my personal circumstances, they aren't necessarily the best footwear choice for every person, injury, or occasion (style or otherwise). You should speak to your doctor before investing in Crocs and changing your footwear routine, especially if you're dealing with any kind of foot injury. Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
To better understand what exactly about my situation necessitated Crocs, I interviewed my own podiatrist, Robert Fridman, DPM. (Fridman has no financial relationship with Crocs, but I must disclose that he does have a financial relationship with me, in that I have paid him for treatment.) He — a runner himself — has worked closely with athletes and runners to diagnose and treat chronic pathologies like my own.
'Every tendon in the body has to have an opposite, there is a push-pull,' Fridman tells me. 'The antagonist of the plantar fascia is the Achilles tendon, which attaches to three muscles in your calf.'
Imagine your legs dangling off the edge of a dock or a kitchen stool. Neither the Achilles nor the calf muscle is working, so your feet are just hanging mid-air. Fridman explained that when the foot is hanging unimpeded like that, the toes drop, the heel lifts, and the foot naturally finds itself at a differential of about an inch between the heel and the toes.
That differential, Fridman said, happens to be almost exactly the heel-to-toe drop of Crocs. According to Fridman, a shoe that can hold your feet in this position (with a little cushion beneath it) can help a foot recover from high-impact activities like running or even long days of walking.
Walking around barefoot on hard floors and wearing thin-soled shoes on pavement can be hard on feet, and the plush soles on a pair of Crocs can help provide a softer landing.
That being said, Fridman stressed that even in cases like mine, Crocs aren't meant to be worn all the time, or for extended walks. They're great for around the house, idle times, and for short trips to the grocery store, but not for a day of trekking across New York. Crocs can often be very loose on the foot, and in order to keep one's foot securely in them, Fridman said that wearers instinctively begin to make countless micro-adjustments using small muscles — an unnatural overreliance that can further exacerbate foot pain.
More importantly, Crocs are not a cure-all, and in cases like mine, they're merely a single piece in a multifaceted approach to treating foot and ankle pathologies. If you find yourself relying on something like Crocs to tolerate even minimal walking, a larger issue might be contributing to your pain.
'If you have an inability to be comfortable and safe without a very specific piece of footwear, that would be a case where I would probably consult a medical professional, and we would say, all right, what's going on with this individual?' Ryan Chapman, director of the biomechanics and wearables lab at the University of Rhode Island, said in a video call. So if this is your situation, you may want to speak with your doctor before relying on Crocs for pain management.
I am not unique in my journey through foot pain: Fridman mentioned that he saw a notable uptick in cases of plantar fasciitis following the first pandemic lockdowns, likely stemming from more people working from home and walking around barefoot on hard surfaces for far longer than they previously ever had.
Armed with the science, the message was clear: To reduce pain and return to running, I had to wear Crocs.
The brand has dozens upon dozens of styles, some being only subtle variations on each other. In order to narrow down our list, we focused primarily on models that I felt could be incorporated into my own daily wardrobe, making sure to include popular styles, classic offerings, and styles across a spectrum of categories, from sneakers to slides. Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
We also made sure to test styles that used the two most common types of foam footbeds offered by Crocs: Croslite and LiteRide, both of which are proprietary materials. Croslite is the classic Crocs foam. LiteRide is a newer, far softer material typically used only in the footbed, as seen in some of Crocs's more recent, popular styles, like the Echo Clog.
But not all LiteRide and Croslite foams are the same; in my testing, I found that different clogs made of the same material still felt different underfoot, especially in terms of firmness. I confirmed this by testing the hardness of each footbed and sole using a Shore durometer — a small tool that gauges hardness on the Shore A scale (something like a pencil eraser has a hardness of around 40 Shore A, and an automobile tire might have a Shore A reading of roughly 70). The Crocs shoes we tested had Shore A readings that ranged from 24 to 70 — a huge swing for materials that are purportedly the same. The InMotion clog, left, and the classic clog, right. Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
Over the course of several weeks, I rotated between the different pairs of Crocs, making sure to wear each for several consecutive days. I wore them during my usual daily household routines (especially during long periods of standing, such as when I was cooking), as well as for short walks around my neighborhood. I also wore them as a recovery shoe after long days of walking around New York. I assessed them for comfort and support, especially as it pertained to my own symptoms.
All the while, I also tried to incorporate each pair of Crocs into what I felt were cohesive outfits that revolved around my already-existing wardrobe staples (and that I wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen wearing).
During my testing, I also identified two types of comfort in each shoe.
The first is what I call 'plush comfort,' that sink-in feeling of total compliance, similar to stepping on an anti-fatigue mat.
The second is what I call 'orthotic comfort' — the ability of the shoe to hold my foot in the position Fridman described and to provide long-term support, regardless of plushness.
Finally, I also ranked Crocs by style — not only which looked best, but which were most easily worked into an everyday wardrobe. Style is, of course, subjective, and in this case, relative not to the overall world of footwear, but to the specific category of clogs.
Below are all the Crocs I tried, ranked from my least to most favorite.
Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
Slides have been a perennially popular post-workout-turned-street-style choice since their inception. Crocs's slide lineup runs deep, but many styles appear to be variations on one or two classic models. Given the name, and my need for recovery, the Mellow Luxe Recovery Slide seemed like the right choice to test.
Made of the softer LiteRide foam, the Mellow Luxe slides clocked in at roughly 33 Shore A on the durometer, with some outlier readings in the mid-20s. They are decidedly soft. My feet sank into them right away, and the first few paces felt as soft and welcoming as those first barefoot steps on a gym mat in elementary school.
This was my first real run-in with the difference between orthotic and plush comfort. The recovery slides have no firm outsole to keep the jiggly, soft LiteRide material in place. As a result, the footbed kind of collapses, and after a while feels like it sits at much less of an angle, which isn't as comfortable underfoot as the classic clogs.
I also found that even while walking from one side of the house to the other, the strap dug into the top of my toes as I walked around, which is not the recovery experience I wanted.
And then there was the look. The side profile is unique and cool — they look almost like a canoe. But these slides have an adjustable fabric strap that runs across the forefoot, and the mixed materials make them look like the kind of surgical boot you might wear with a torn Achilles tendon or an ankle fracture. Despite the name, they don't look particularly luxe.
These slides would be great for activities where you might want a soft mat underfoot, like when standing in the shower, but I didn't enjoy my time wearing them around my house all day, and I didn't find them great for walking around.
Plush comfort: 10/10
Orthotic comfort: 3/10
Style: 2/10
Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
The InMotion Clog has a shape similar to the Classic Clog, with a LiteRide footbed. But in my time with them, I struggled to understand who they were styled for. I found them comfortable, but the venting pattern was different from that of the iconic Crocs, in a way that felt arbitrary.
The InMotion Clogs look like Frankenstein Crocs made of several different styles, almost like a Crocs prototype. It's a mullet in the front and a mullet in the back kind-of-look. When my brother tried them on at my apartment, the look of disappointment on my sister-in-law's face said it all.
In my experience, the footbed lacks the supportive shape of the Classic Clog while trying to imitate its overall appearance. The support felt like it collapsed throughout the day, on par with the Mellow Luxe Recovery Slide.
These clogs measured roughly 28 Shore A for the footbed and 42.2 Shore A for the outsole.
If you are looking for plush comfort and a modicum of support, these might be for you, especially if you genuinely do not care how you look. But in choosing these, you might sacrifice all elements of thoughtful style.
Plush comfort: 9/10
Orthotic comfort: 5/10
Style: 3/10
Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
Are these sneakers disguised as Crocs disguised as sneakers? They have great qualities of both and performed better than expected.
If I am being honest with myself and with the world, the initial thought of a Crocs sneaker was, frankly, abhorrent.
Who wants such a thing? Crocs in disguise are not Crocs. It nearly defeats the purpose. And almost as a rule, I dislike dishonesty in design.
But when the InMotion Pacer pair arrived, I begrudgingly changed my mind about the aesthetic. They looked more convincingly like sneakers than I initially anticipated. I probably never would have clocked them as non-sneakers had I not known they were Crocs. They marry some broader aspects of Stan Smith and Air Force One sneakers with some of the material design principles of Crocs. (Although photographs reveal the subtle sheen of foam, they appear more matte in person).
And when I put them on, my feet were convinced.
They have a LiteRide footbed with a durometer reading of roughly 27 Shore A — very soft compared with Croslite clogs — and a firmer outsole with a reading of about 44 Shore A. This keeps the LiteRide footbed material protected and gives it some stability, while also giving the wearer enough protection to wear the shoes out in the world. They are vented, so they don't trap sweat, and they can also get wet.
The sneaker-like design keeps the foot securely in place, so you aren't slipping and sliding around in them — obviating some of the aforementioned foot-strain risks inherent to the clogs.
InMotion Pacers are definitely sneakers but also definitely still Crocs. I'd be hesitant to swap out actual sneakers for these entirely, especially for days with a lot of walking, but they would be great beach or pool shoes or summer weekend shoes. They worked best with swim trunks and Lululemon pants for quick jaunts to the store.
My one issue is that the shoe itself is narrow. If you have wide feet, the InMotion Pacers might not be for you.
Plush comfort: 8/10
Orthotic comfort: 6/10
Style: 5/10
Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
I struggled when selecting an item from Crocs's Echo line. My eye was, of course, drawn to the Echo Wave — a slip-on clog with curved, stylized ridges reminiscent of stillsuits from Dune. They are also beloved online. But, in being honest with myself, I knew there was no path towards successfully incorporating the Wave with my own wardrobe or in my day-to-day life without feeling absurd.
The Echo Clog seemed to me a happy medium — it has a bulky-yet-elegant, semifuturistic silhouette while also looking like a shoe I could wear. They look and feel like off-road Crocs.
The Echo has a LiteRide footbed within a firmer Croslite shell. (The footbed's hardness is roughly 32 Shore A, and the outer shell is roughly 47 Shore A.)
Unlike the Mellow Luxe Recovery Slide, the Echo Clog's softer footbed feels like it is stabilized by the firm outer shell, which gives it a feeling of comfort and support similar to that of the classic clogs while retaining the far squishier footbed of the LiteRide models. After extended wear, I did feel the LiteRide begin to collapse under my arch, but not as quickly as it did with the slides.
But the Echo Clog looks and feels ginormous. They look like elephant feet. And, stomping around in them, I felt like an elephant.
Due to the outer shell, they're roughly an inch longer than classic clogs of the same size. For the shoe to have reasonable proportions, you would have to size down significantly, which would introduce other biomechanical issues.
I also found that the shoe had a little too much jiggle. It didn't really hug my foot, and was roomier than any other size 10 clog I put on. I tried a size 9 at a store and found that the pressure from the strap buttons against my foot made them uncomfortable to wear almost immediately.
The back strap is also not adjustable. Few Crocs are actually adjustable, but the Echo Clog has a cloth back strap that looks deceptively like it can be tightened, and I was disappointed to learn that this wasn't the case. If I had been able to cinch the strap around my heel, the Echo Clog would have immediately been more wearable for longer periods of time.
It was also a challenge to create outfits with the Echo Clogs; in the end, they worked best with heavily textured materials that contrasted with the strangeness of the shoe's shape, such as ballistic nylon trousers or tapered linen pants in dark colors. Rebecca Hartje/NYT Wirecutter Rebecca Hartje/NYT Wirecutter Rebecca Hartje/NYT Wirecutter
Ultimately, these clogs are stylish, but sizing is odd, and while they provided a lot of comfort, it wasn't the ideal type of comfort for my feet.
Plush comfort: 7/10
Orthotic comfort: 7/10
Style: 7/10
Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
Think of the Dylan Clog as a more plush cousin of the Birkenstock Boston clog. It's a stylish, understated clog that, from afar, is virtually unrecognizable as a pair of Crocs, and, more importantly, disguises its foam composition relatively well with a pebbled texture intended to resemble leather, which is semi-convincing at a distance.
At the time of publication, the Dylan clogs are the only pair of Crocs that have been previously recommended by Wirecutter, and we've liked them for good reason. They're comfortable and relatively supportive, and they can be seamlessly integrated with many actual outfits you wouldn't be at all ashamed to wear to work or to a bar.
When I wore the Dylan Clogs with a pair of cuffed and creased Dickies 874s, my wife said I looked like an Italian architect from the 1930s, and my sister-in-law said it looked like an outfit from The Bear . With olive trousers, they had an 'if Dickie Greenleaf was an 'Autumn'' vibe.
The Dylan Clogs are geometrically similar to the Classic Clog, made of the same Croslite material, and have a similarly shaped footbed. If you are used to classic Crocs, these feel like a nearly identical but ever-so-slightly lower-arched version of the originals, but they tend to run a little roomy (I am a 9 in the Dylan Clogs and a 10 in the Classic Clogs).
The issue for me is that the Dylan Clogs are firm, especially to start out with. My durometer readings of their footbed were, on average, 42 Shore A, similar to the roughly 40 to 42 Shore A of the black Classic Clogs. Even more surprising, my white Classic Clogs and my wife's lavender Classic Clogs had roughly 34 Shore A readings, even though all four of these clogs are purportedly made of the same Croslite material. This exposed a slight hitch in the Crocs lineup: black Croslite Crocs may be firmer than those in other colors.
Although I personally haven't had this problem, many people also say that the lack of venting and the airtight material can create a mugginess in the forefoot.
My Dylan Clogs have slowly broken in, and I found that running hot water over them helped soften the material slightly, but if you need supreme plushness underfoot, the Dylan Clogs may not be for you.
Plush comfort: 3/10
Orthotic comfort: 6.5/10
Style: 9/10
Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
The first time I saw someone in my life wearing Crocs Classic Clogs was when my high school cross-country captain wore them after practice one day. His were bright orange; they were great for recovery, he said.
With love, we all made fun of him.
In retrospect, if I'd known what my team captain knew (and what Fridman told me about how effective Crocs are as post-run recovery shoes), I might have had a more effective recovery routine myself and skirted many an injury over the years. (And if I'd had the self-possession to wear bright-orange shoes in high school, I might also have been slightly more at peace with myself, but that is another issue.)
Are the Classic Clogs an attractive shoe? No. But also, not no.
They were certainly unique and visually striking when they first entered the world. They made a bold statement and did so unapologetically. They have a clarity of purpose and vision. Crocs Classic Clogs have even earned a coveted spot in one of the Museum of Modern Art's design exhibits.
Over the last several decades, the clogs have cemented a social and aesthetic language of their very own. They have such an inherently strong identity as a class of shoe such that in 2025, nobody sees someone wearing a pair of Crocs and asks what they are, or has any doubts as to why they are being worn or what function they are serving. They are a thing in and of themselves.
And that, whether you like it or not, is style.
There's a reason so many celebrities, like Justin Bieber and Pharrell, have been spotted wearing Crocs, and why the overall design and material composition of Crocs has been cribbed by brands from Yeezy to Nike to Merrell. They feel like they belong to another planet, and at the same time, have the inimitable laidbackness of someone strolling out of the house for their morning coffee with the morning paper. They're shoes that could easily have been worn by Jeff Bridges as The Dude.
There's also a reason nurses and chefs (and cross-country runners) wear them: They are comfortable. They are great for long hours of standing, and they come in countless colors and fit nearly every foot from a toddler's to a men's 13.
The Classic Clogs cradle my foot at just the right angle to provide the relief I need. The moment I slip them on, I feel the strain of my daily footwear wash away, as if my feet are exhaling for the first time all day.
Wearing them, I understand right away why they make great recovery shoes: They have excellent airflow and let the foot breathe. They never get too stuffy. The material is soft and compliant yet still supportive. The lightly textured footbed feels something like a massage underfoot.
Although they have become my de facto house shoe, I have, at times, worn them for longer walks, while driving, and on long flights. When I was at my absolute worst (foot-wise), they were the only things that gave me any real feeling of relief, and there have been entire weeks when my beleaguered feet only wanted to wear the Classic Clogs.
The black clogs have a durometer reading of roughly 40 Shore A, which is higher than the mid-30s Shore A readings of my stucco-colored clogs, and my wife's lavender-colored clogs (again, my suspicion is that black Croslite is firmer than other colors).
Plush comfort: 6/10
Orthotic comfort: 8/10
Style: 8/10
Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
I've never felt particularly drawn to orthotic-style clogs. They always looked too bulky, too curvy, too elementary-school art teacher.
But upon seeing these on my feet for the first time, I was beguiled.
The On The Clock LiteRide Work Slip-Ons look like shoes you might find in a professional kitchen, but they didn't make me feel like I was wearing a costume. They had a sleek yet paradoxically heavy silhouette that gave them an ugly-duckling charm, putting them in the same category as something like Birkenstock Boston clogs or Blundstone boots while also being something distinctly their own.
They are also the only pair of Crocs I tried that have a removable insole. They have a hard, black shell with low-profile, glued-on treads. The bright-orange insole, made of LiteRide material, had a hardness reading of roughly 28 Shore A, and the outsole treads had a reading of roughly 68 Shore A — a combination that provides significant plushness alongside greater foot protection and durability, as well as a bit more stability for the LiteRide material.
These kept my feet snug and in place even during longer walks through the park, and they also seemed to escape my notice entirely when worn around the house; I felt as natural walking in them as when I was barefoot — a feeling of freedom that no other pair of Crocs was able to deliver.
The LiteRide insole is shaped to deliver subtle arch support. It is tapered in a way that allows it to keep its shape well throughout the day. I never felt the nagging fatigue of the LiteRide material collapsing under my arch (like what I felt with many other LiteRide models). These had the gym-mat softness my feet loved but with the support of regular Crocs.
The On The Clock slip-ons worked with tapered jeans, casual cuffed trousers, workwear trousers, shorts, linen pants — almost anything I threw at them. They had the insouciance of slippers and a bulky charm of something similar to Paraboot shoes.
In short, I loved how they felt, and I loved how they looked.
I encountered only two problems when testing them.
The first is that the vent holes are only minimally useful. These clogs are basically completely closed, and the material does not breathe at all. Sweat accumulates over the course of a few hours, and things can begin to feel muggy (and smelly). To keep these fresh, I'd recommend rinsing them out with soapy water now and then and letting them dry after every wear. It's also probably wise to remove the insole and wipe it down after a long period of wear.
The other problem has to do with my own wide foot and high instep (top of foot) — a combination that effectively means my foot takes up a lot of space in a shoe. The shoe's opening pinched the top of my left foot just slightly, and without socks, I'd probably have blisters by the end of the day. I don't imagine this to be a huge issue for people with medium or low insteps.
I also anticipate that the glued treads on the sole will be the first point of failure, especially if worn out and about on concrete, but this has not yet happened to my pair.
Plush comfort: 9/10
Orthotic comfort: 8/10
Style: 9/10
My feet and my own personal style tell one story. Yours may tell another. And life is also about sacrifice: style for comfort, breathability for style, support for plushness. Even in my own journey, I waffled between looking good and feeling good.
My foot is not all the way healed, but with the help of time, rehab, and Crocs, the pain has waned significantly. Recently, I went on a weeklong trip, walking 9 miles a day without any notable discomfort — a true feat, given that short jaunts down the block once felt like walking barefoot across gravel. After those long days, I always reached for my Crocs and slowly felt the sensation of wear and tear begin to slip away.
Not all Crocs gave me the type of comfort and support that my doctor seemed to recommend, nor did they have the panache I look for in a pair of shoes. The Mellow Luxe Recovery Slide and the InMotion Clog will probably never make their way into my rotation, while the Dylan Clog and the On The Clock LiteRide Work Slip-On have been integrated into my daily wardrobe.
I've grown attached to them; they are more to me now than a recovery shoe. I find myself dreaming up new ways to style them, and on occasion, I might even look down at a pair of boots I'm wearing and think to myself, reluctantly, 'This outfit would have looked better with a pair of Crocs.'
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