Edition one · Running shoes under $150 · US · September 2026
Which running shoes do AI agents recommend?
We asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Meta's Muse and Perplexity the same forty shopping questions and counted the brands they told people to buy. Brooks came first. Below the top, the agents barely agree.
Share of recommendation, ranked.
Share is the percentage of answers in which an agent put the brand forward as something to buy. Mentioned counts every answer that named the brand at all, including comparisons and asides.
200 answers: forty questions, five agents, collected on 28 September 2026.
| Rank | Brand | Share | Mentioned |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brooks | 67% | 68% |
| 2 | ASICS | 56% | 58% |
| 3 | Saucony | 53% | 56% |
| 4 | Nike | 45% | 49% |
| 5 | Adidas | 43% | 44% |
| 6 | New Balance | 43% | 45% |
| 7 | HOKA | 36% | 40% |
| 8 | Puma | 19% | 19% |
| 9 | Altra | 11% | 12% |
| 10 | Reebok | 10% | 10% |
Seventeen more brands were recommended at least once. Topo Athletic reached 6%; none of the rest passed 4%.
Is your brand on the list?
Type a brand to see how often each agent recommended it in this edition.
What stood out.
- Brooks is the default answer. It was recommended in two answers out of three, and in 37 of Meta's Muse's 40 answers. It led on four of the five agents.
- ChatGPT has its own favourites. It recommended Saucony in 75% of answers and ASICS in 73%, ahead of Brooks at 50%. Perplexity recommended Saucony in 23%.
- The same brand can be in or out depending on the agent. HOKA: 65% on Gemini, 13% on ChatGPT. Puma: 35% on ChatGPT, never on Perplexity.
- Seven brands take 83% of all recommendations. Each answer recommended about four brands, so a shopper's shortlist is short, and twenty other brands share what is left.
- The price cap decides who is in the room. On was recommended in 6 of 200 answers. Much of its range sits above $150, so the agents mostly left it out.
By agent
| Brand | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Muse | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks | 50% | 68% | 68% | 93% | 55% |
| ASICS | 73% | 53% | 58% | 55% | 43% |
| Saucony | 75% | 65% | 35% | 68% | 23% |
| Nike | 40% | 55% | 43% | 63% | 25% |
| Adidas | 43% | 38% | 45% | 48% | 43% |
| New Balance | 50% | 33% | 28% | 53% | 50% |
| HOKA | 13% | 65% | 33% | 50% | 18% |
| Puma | 35% | 28% | 13% | 18% | 0% |
What a store can do about it: our checklist for getting your products recommended by ChatGPT and the other agents, and what these results mean for it.
How this edition was made.
This is our first edition, and a smaller one than the full method describes. Here is exactly what we did and where it falls short.
- Questions
- Forty, written the way shoppers ask, each with a budget and a need. The full list is below.
- Agents
- ChatGPT (gpt-5.6-sol), Gemini (Gemini 3.5 Flash), Claude (Haiku 4.5), Meta's Muse (Muse Spark 1.3) and Perplexity (its fast preset). Each was asked through its developer API with web search on and a US location, with no system prompt and no history.
- Runs
- One answer per question per agent: 200 answers. The full method asks each question five times, so treat gaps of a few points between brands as noise.
- Coding
- Every answer was coded twice, independently, against a written codebook, by two separate AI coding passes. They agreed on 99.0% of 865 brand mentions (Cohen's kappa 0.88). A third reading settled the nine disagreements.
- Gemini's model
- Gemini 3.5 Flash, not the newer 3.8 Flash. Through the API, 3.8 Flash answered from memory without searching the web, which is not what a shopper sees; 3.5 Flash searched on every question. The UK market comes in a later edition.
- API, not app
- API answers can differ from the consumer apps: the default model, the search stack and personalisation are not the same. We name the model behind every column so you can judge.
All forty questions
- What are the best running shoes under $150?
- What are the best running shoes under $150 for wide feet
- I'm a beginner who just started running three times a week. What are the best running shoes under $150 for me?
- I have flat feet and I overpronate. Which stability running shoes under $150 should I buy?
- What are the best cushioned running shoes under $150 for high arches and a neutral stride?
- I weigh about 230 pounds and run on pavement. What running shoes under $150 will hold up and protect my joints?
- I'm training for my first marathon and can only afford one pair of shoes for all of my long runs. What is the best option under $150?
- What is the best everyday running shoe under $150 for someone who runs 20 to 30 miles a week?
- What are the best lightweight running shoes under $150 for tempo runs and 5K races?
- What are the best trail running shoes under $150 for rocky, hilly trails?
- I only run on the treadmill at my gym. Which running shoes under $150 are best for that?
- I need one pair of shoes under $150 that works for both running and long walks. What do you recommend?
- What are the best running shoes under $150 for someone with plantar fasciitis?
- My knees hurt after I run. Which running shoes under $150 have the best cushioning for knee pain?
- What are the best women's running shoes under $150 for daily training?
- What are the best men's running shoes under $150 right now?
- Which running shoes under $150 last the longest? I want to get at least 500 miles out of a pair.
- What are the best running shoes under $150 for running in the rain, with good grip on wet pavement?
- I run in the Texas summer heat. What are the most breathable running shoes under $150?
- What are the best running shoes under $150 made with recycled or sustainable materials?
- What are the best running shoes under $100 for a casual runner who does a few miles on weekends?
- My budget is $150 and I can only buy one pair. Should I get a max-cushion running shoe or a lightweight trainer, and which one specifically?
- I want to buy my husband running shoes as a gift for under $150. He runs a few times a week on roads. What should I get him?
- What are the best running shoes under $150 for narrow feet and a narrow heel?
- What is the best shoe under $150 to race a half marathon in if I can't afford carbon-plated super shoes?
- What are the best running shoes under $150 with a wide toe box and a low heel drop?
- I'm 60 and getting back into running. What running shoes under $150 are best for older runners who need comfort and stability?
- What are the most cushioned running shoes under $150 for slow, easy recovery runs?
- I don't know if I need a stability shoe or a neutral shoe. How do I tell, and what should I buy for under $150 in each case?
- What are the best running shoes under $150 that work well with custom orthotics?
- What are good running shoes under $80 for a college student who runs a couple of miles a day?
- What are the best running shoes under $120 for a high school cross country runner's daily training miles?
- I do short runs and gym classes in the same shoes. What running shoes under $150 also work in the gym?
- What are the best running shoes under $150 for winter running in the cold and light snow?
- I run on both roads and gravel paths. What is the best road-to-trail running shoe under $150?
- I have tight Achilles tendons. Which running shoes under $150 with a higher heel drop do you recommend?
- What are the best running shoes under $150 to help prevent shin splints?
- What are the best running shoes under $150 for runners with bunions?
- What is the best value running shoe under $150, and is it smarter to buy last year's model on sale instead?
- Which running shoes under $150 look good enough to wear casually but are still good for real running?
Use this data.
The results and the coded answers are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Quote them, chart them, build on them. Credit the Recommended by Agents Index and link to this page.
- Results by brand CSV, 27 rows. Rank, share of recommendation, mentions and share on each agent.
- Coded answers CSV, 862 rows. Every brand named in every answer, with the agent, model, question and final code.
- Questions CSV, 40 rows. The exact wording asked, with the shopper need behind each one.
The agents' answer text is not included. Each provider's terms govern republishing it.
Cite this edition
Recommended by Agents Index, “Running shoes under $150, US,” edition one, September 2026. https://www.recommendedbyagents.com/agent-index/
Embed the ranking
The top ten as a live table. It updates if we correct the edition.
Categories we plan to run next.
- Skincare
- Mattresses
- Coffee equipment
- Headphones
- Pet food
- Cookware
- Luggage
- Running shoes, UK
Want your category covered? Tell us.
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