On Cloudmonster Hyper vs HOKA Skyward X: Super Trainer Toe-to-Toe

Stack Height, Drop, Weight and Price

When it comes to stack height, neither shoe is messing around. The On Cloudmonster Hyper midsole stack comes in at 37.5mm in the heel and 31.5mm in the forefoot for a 6mm drop. While the HOKA Skyward X packs a whopping 48mm in the heel and 43mm in the heel for a 5mm drop.

The On Cloudmonster Hyper weighs in at a surprisingly light (for its general bulk) 9.1oz in a US Men’s size 9.5. The HOKA Skyward X lands at a weightier 11oz. That’s up there with the heftiest running shoes.

These new generation super trainers come with some eye-watering price tags. There’s only five bucks between them with the On Cloudmonster Hyper landing at $220 and the HOKA Skyward X at $225. They join the ASICS Superblast ($200) breaking the $200 ceiling for a daily trainer. Running is getting expensive.

Design

The first thing you notice about both of these shoes is how big they are. Minimal they are not. In fact, they pack the most cushioning you’ll find of any shoe in their respective ranges.

The other common factors: they both use two types of foam with super foam inserts carried in a more standard foam cradle.

The Cloudmonster Hyper has a wedge of high-energy PEBA in an EVA CloudTec foam cradle with 2.5mm more foam across the midsole than you find in the On Cloudmonster 2. The Cloudmonster Hyper forgoes any kind of plate. Not even the nylon Speedboards we’re used to seeing bring some stiffness to its midsoles.

The HOKA Skyward X also packs a wedge of PEBA in a supercritical EVA frame but adds a bowed carbon plate. It’s a combination designed to deliver cushioned spring and improve efficiency with that EVA frame there to enhance stability.

Up top, the Cloudmonster Hyper has excellent engineered woven uppers that strike a good balance between structure and flex. The Skyward X has a flat knit upper that’s marginally thicker with some overlay reinforcements on the toe box.

Both shoes go all out for cruiser comfort with no scrimping on the plush details. That includes fat padded heel collars – with the HOKA Skyward X coming in narrower to the Cloudmonster Hyper’s more rounded cup.

The Skyward X opts for big padded tongues while the Cloudmonster Hyper saves a bit of weight with a racier, flat-wrapping tongue. The Hyper adds rubberized laces that don’t come loose.

Flip them over and there’s relatively generous coverings of outsole rubber across both bases. The Skyward X has more coverage and a thicker, more durable rubber. The Cloudmonster Hyper follows On’s regular format, covering the key cloud elements but this time with little studs to improve the grip. Those are showing some early signs of wear.

Fit

In testing, I ran in a US 9.5 in both shoes. That’s my regular On and HOKA running shoe size and overall I would recommend going true to size in both shoes.

The Skyward X follows the standard HOKA blueprint. They’re snug, bordering on tight but offer excellent midfoot lockdown and heel hold. There’s not a huge amount of wiggle room in the toe box and I just about got away going true to size. Some runners might benefit from going half a size up, particularly if you’ve got wider feet or you prefer a roomier fit.

The On Cloudmonster Hyper fit is much more spacious. The toe box is incredibly roomy with plenty of volume and length. Lockdown across the top of the foot was still nicely reliable, helped by the wrapping tongues and the heels hold well with no slipping.

Check Out My 5 Best On Running Shoes

Performance

In testing I’ve covered north of 40 miles in both the HOKA Skyward X and the On Cloudmonster Hyper. I covered a range of paces from slow and easy, to faster efforts up to marathon pace and beyond. I also recently used the On Cloudmonster Hyper for the 55-mile Comrades Marathon in South Africa. That took me just under 9 hours – a great test for cushioned shoes.

Now, in my On Cloudmonster Hyper review, I mentioned that I’m not entirely sold on this shoe. Partly because of the price, partly because I don’t think it quite delivers super trainer performance. You get good cushioned protection with some liveliness underfoot and generally good stability for a neutral shoe. But it’s not packing enough punch.

I wasn’t convinced by the HOKA Skyward X either. I don’t think I’ve ever been as confused by a shoe. After more than 4o miles, I still can’t quite get a handle on it. It’s got this big, soft, easy cruiser vibe with good overall comfort and a big base that makes the road disappear. But I find it lacks the reliable stability that you’d usually expect with shoes you’d lace up for long, slow miles.

The difference between these two shoes is marked. Even though they're both max-cushioned shoes, with big midsole volumes, designed for similar purposes – daily training with an easier edge – they’re chalk and cheese. The ride is completely different.

When you put the On Cloudmonster Hyper up against most other shoes – like the On Cloudeclipse, the original On Cloudmonster it feels big, softer, more heavily cushioned.

Up against the HOKA Skyward X, all of a sudden, it feels like the firmer, more traditional shoe. The HOKA Skyward X is a max-cushioned beast that makes the On Cloudmonster Hyper feel almost ‘normal’. Even though it’s not.

The HOKA Skyward X stack and softness makes for a slightly wild ride. The On Cloudmonster Hyper is more precise, more controlled, more stable. There's not as much cushioning but there's far less wobble. So if you like a ride that’s more controlled, you’ll likely prefer the On Cloudmonster Hyper overall.

In my tests the HOKA Skyward X was a bit Jekyll and Hyde. At times, I was convinced it was the least stable shoe I’d ever run in. Wobbly, soft, squidgy and odd. A few miles later, I’d hit a sweet spot, unlocking enough spring and energy to make me wonder if this shoe was built for faster miles. It’s a really mixed bag.

But often I couldn’t quite control the HOKA Skyward X. There's too much uncontrolled softness in the giant midsole bed. I just don't get the stability I want from an easy shoe and at times it's very, very sinking. Unless you land on a sweet spot, you don’t get much energy back.

One caveat: I know plenty of runners who really love the HOKA Skyward X. Whether it’s weight or running style, some runners get on with it really well. And if you really want that super, super cushioned, max-to-the-extreme cushioned shoe, this definitely delivers.

But if you want something that's a bit more controlled, a bit more stable, but still offers good cushioning and eats up that road impact, then the Cloudmonster Hyper offers that in a way that feels much more natural.

My Verdict

Both shoes push the limits of max-cushioned daily trainers. Both shoes deliver big, plush, cushioned, soft rides that virtually make the road disappear underfoot. But if you’re a runner who likes snappy, connected, responsive shoes with good ground contact, these are probably not for you. You’ll want to look at options like the HOKA Mach 6 or the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4.

There’s not much to choose on comfort. The On Cloudmonster Hyper are roomier, the HOKA Skyward X more snug. Or price, just $5 between them. The decision really comes down to whether you want really, really soft. Or just really soft. Along with versatility, in which case, the On Cloudmonster Hyper edges it.

It’s lighter and less shoe on the foot. It handles the slow and easy miles with better controlled protection with enough balanced energy to help tired legs, too. When you land further forward and engage the PEBAX insert, there’s also energy that I struggled to extract from the HOKA Skyward X.

The HOKA Skyward X offers cushioning by the trampoline load – and lots of runners have loved this shoe – but I found some inconsistency that I couldn’t get along with. There’s simply a lot more going on which results in less natural ride across the pace range. It’s also heavier and that restricts its upper pace potential.