Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 4 vs Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% 3
Two shoes people weigh up against each other constantly. Here is what actually separates them, taken from the same database that drives the Shoe Finder quiz, with nothing added by hand. The short version: the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% 3 has the higher heel at 8mm against 6mm, the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 4 is 35g lighter, only the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 4 comes in a wide fitting.
Side by side
| Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 4 | Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £239.99 RRP | £284.99 RRP |
| Type | Race day | Race day |
| Support | Neutral | Neutral |
| Weight | 166g | 201g |
| Heel drop | 6mm | 8mm |
| Heel stack | 34mm | 38mm |
| Widths | Standard and wide | Standard only |
| Plate | carbon | carbon |
What the differences mean
Weight
The Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 4 is 35g lighter, at 166g against 201g. As a rough guide every 100g costs about one percent in running economy, so 35g is worth a fraction of a percent. You will feel it more than it costs you, and it counts for more on a fast 5k than on a slow long run.
Heel drop
This is the real difference. The Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% 3 has a 8mm drop and the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 4 has 6mm. A higher heel asks less of your achilles and calf and more of your knee, and a lower one does the opposite. If you get regular trouble at one of those, pick accordingly. If you get none, pick whichever is closer to what you already run in, because changing drop suddenly is the most reliable way to give yourself a new problem.
Width fittings
The Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 4 comes in a wide fitting and the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% 3 is standard width only. If your feet are broad this is likely to settle it on its own, because no amount of cushioning makes up for a shoe that squeezes. Sizing up does not fix width, it just makes the shoe longer.
Price
£239.99 against £284.99 at full price, so the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 4 is £45 less. Both are discounted often enough that the gap on the day may look nothing like this, which is worth checking before you decide on price alone.
Which should you buy?
Neither, until you have tried both on. Fit decides more than any specification on this page, and the two shoes above are close enough that a foot shape will separate them faster than a spreadsheet will.
Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 4
Marathon race day only. Nike claims 6mm drop but the lab measured 8.6mm, and the heel is narrow.
Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% 3
A marathon super shoe for race day only. The heel outsole wears fast if you land there.
Or let the quiz decide
This page compares two shoes. The shoe finder compares all 227 of them against your width, your weight, where you run, your budget and any recurring niggles, then gives you three and tells you why each one made it. It takes about a minute.