Nike vs New Balance Shoe Sizing Compared w/ Photos [Do They Fit the Same?]

Written by Paul Johnson in Casual,Shoes

I recently tried over 50 different types of Nike and New Balance shoes, and in this article I will directly compare Nike vs New Balance sizing using photos of the shoes that I own. Do Nike and New Balance shoes fit the same?

The large majority of Nike and New Balance shoes fit the same and fit within the realm of true-to-size. My general advice is to order the same sizing for both Nike and New Balance shoes. However, after trying over 50 different types of Nike and New Balance shoes, I did find a few exceptions which I will discuss in this article (jump ahead to read about those exceptions).

The difficult part about broadly comparing Nike vs New Balance shoe sizing is the sizing and fit of the shoe depends on what type of shoe you are buying. To keep things simple, in this article I will compare Nike lifestyle shoes to New Balance lifestyle shoes, Nike running shoes to New Balance running shoes, Nike trainers to New Balance trainers, and so on.

Again, I found most types of Nike and New Balance shoes to have very similar sizing. For example, below is a picture of two popular retro trainers: New Balance 237 on the left and Nike Waffle One on the right.

nike-waffle-one-sizing-vs-new-balance-237

As you can see, the sizing is very similar. That is also the case with many of their modern running shoes. For example, here is my Nike Pegasus compared to New Balance Fresh Foam 860 sizing:

nike-pegasus-vs-new-balance-860-sizing

And many of the retro lifestyles shoes also have a similar fit. Below is a photo of my New Balance 550 sizing compared to Nike Dunk sizing:

nike-dunk-low-sizing-vs-new-balance-550

In this article let’s take a closer look at Nike vs New Balance shoe sizing using photos of the shoes that I own. And let’s also discuss what types of Nike and New Balance shoes don’t fit true to size.

Nike vs New Balance Sizing for Shoes Compared

Retro Lifestyle Shoes

Most New Balance and Nike retro lifestyles shoes have a similar sizing length. Below is a photo of my New Balance 550 sizing compared to Nike Dunk sizing:

nike-dunk-low-sizing-vs-new-balance-550

And here is the New Balance 550 compared to Nike Court Vision sizing:

nike-court-vision-sizing-vs-new-balance-550

And here is the New Balance 550 (on the right) compared to Nike Blazer sizing:

new-balance-550-vs-nike-blazer-sizing

A few exceptions that I found were the Nike Cortez (which runs small) and the Nike Air Force 1 (which runs big).

The Nike Cortez (on the left below) runs about a half size smaller than normal shoe sizing. Here it is compared to the New Balance 550:

new-balance-550-vs-nike-cortez-sizing

The Nike Air Force 1 runs a little bit bigger than normal shoe sizing, and has a roomy toe box that can also make the shoe feel bigger than normal sizing. Here it is on the left compared to the New Balance 550:

new-balance-550-vs-air-force-1-sizing

In general, Nike vs New Balance shoe sizing is very similar for most types of lifestyle shoes. For more pictures of lifestyle sizing, click on the shoe you are interested in listed below:

Casual Athletic Shoes

Many New Balance and Nike athletic shoes have a similar sizing length and width. Below is a photo of my Nike Air Max Excee compared to New Balance 997H sizing:

new-balance-997-vs-nike-air-max-excee-sizing

And here is the New Balance 237 compared to Nike Waffle One sizing:

nike-waffle-one-sizing-vs-new-balance-237

And here is the Nike Air Max 1 compared to New Balance 327 sizing:

new-balance-327-womens-vs-nike-air-max-one-sizing

And here is the New Balance 574 compared to Nike Air Max Excee sizing:

nike-womens-air-max-excee-vs-new-balance-574-sizing

One casual Nike athletic shoe that runs a little small is the Nike Air Max 90. I wouldn’t call it a full half size small, but it runs just a tiny bit smaller than normal shoe sizing. Here is my Nike Air Max 90 on the left compared to New Balance 997H sizing:

new-balance-997-vs-nike-air-max-90-sizing

Some of the most popular New Balance shoes are the New Balance Made in USA 99X line. In my experience, most of these New Balance 99X shoes fit true to size, and similar to Nike sizing. For example, here is the New Balance 990 (on the right) compared to Nike Winflo sizing:

new-balance-990-vs-nike-zoom-winflo-sizing

My favorite New Balance Made in USA shoe is the New Balance 993 (which I think has the most comfortable fit), and I also found it to fit true to size (although it has a wide collar area). Here it is (on the right) compared to Nike Winflo sizing:

new-balance-993-vs-nike-zoom-winflo-sizing

The one exception for the New Balance Made in USA line was the New Balance 992, which I found to run very large (almost more than a half size larger than normal shoe sizing). My recommendation would be to size it down a half size. Here is my 992 New Balance vs Nike sizing:

new-balance-992-vs-nike-air-max-excee-sizing

The main takeaway is expect most types of casual athletics shoes for both Nike and New Balance sizing to be true-to-size. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but in most cases normal sizing is best. For more pictures of casual athletic shoe sizing, click on the shoe you are interested in listed below:

Running Shoes

In my experience, most types of New Balance and Nike running shoes fit true to size and have a similar sizing length and width.

For example, here is a photo of my Nike Zoom Winflo vs New Balance FuelCell Propel sizing:

new-balance-propel-vs-nike-zoom-winflo-sizing

And here is a photo of my Nike Pegasus vs New Balance FuelCell Rebel sizing:

mens-nike-vs-new-balance-running-shoe-sizing

And here is the New Pegasus vs New Balance Fresh Foam 860 sizing:

nike-pegasus-vs-new-balance-860-sizing

And here is the women’s Nike Pegasus compared to New Balance Fresh Foam 880 sizing:

womens-nike-vs-new-balance-running-shoe-sizing

Again, the large majority of Nike and New Balance running shoes fit true to size. I think that is especially true for Nike, and although I would say the same about New Balance, there were two New Balance running shoes I found to be exceptions.

I thought the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080 fit big compared to other running shoes. For example, here is the New Balance 1080 compared to New Balance 880 sizing:

new-balance-880-vs-1080-sizing

And here is the Nike Pegasus (on the left) compared to New Balance 1080 sizing:

nike-pegasus-vs-new-balance-1080-sizing

The New Balance 1080 runs a little bit bigger than normal shoe sizing in my experience.

And the New Balance Fresh Foam Cruzv1 was another New Balance shoe that I found to not fit true to size. It ran about a full half size small (but it does use a stretch knit fabric). Here is my Nike Pegasus compared to New Balance Fresh Foam Cruzv1:

nike-pegasus-vs-new-balance-fresh-foam-cruz-sizing

Nike vs New Balance shoe sizing for running shoes is very similar. The main takeaway is expect most types of running shoes for both Nike and New Balance to be true-to-size. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but in most cases normal sizing is best.

For more pictures of running shoe sizing, click on the shoe you are interested in listed below:

Leather Casual Walking Shoes

In my experience, most types of New Balance and Nike casual leather walking shoes fit true to size and have a similar sizing length.

However, many of the New Balance options are built using the SL-2 last. The SL-2 last is a straight last commonly used for athletic shoes that creates a narrower fit around the heel but a wider forefoot area in combination with a deeper toe box. It’s a popular last for those who need a roomier fit in the forefoot and toe box.

For example, here is the toe box shape of the New Balance 928 (which uses the SL-2 last):

new-balance-928-on-foot

And here is the toe box shape of my New Balance 813 (which uses the SL-2 last):

new-balance-813-on-foot

The Nike Air Monarch is a popular leather walking shoe for Nike, and it also has a design that is a bit wider than typical athletic shoes.

Here is the sizing of Nike Air Monarch compared to New Balance 577:

nike-air-monarch-vs-new-balance-577-sizing

Here is the Nike Air Monarch compared to New Balance 840:

nike-air-monarch-vs-new-balance-840-sizing

And here is a women’s Nike leather casual shoe compared to New Balance 928:

nike-vs-new-balance-leather-walking-shoe-sizing

Nike vs New Balance shoe sizing for casual leather walking shoes is very similar. The main takeaway is expect most types of casual leather walking shoes for both Nike and New Balance to fit true to size regarding length (but many of them are designed to have wide toe boxes).

For more pictures, click on the shoe you are interested in listed below:

Nike vs New Balance Shoe Sizing FAQ

Is New Balance better than Nike for Wide Feet?

In general, both Nike and New Balance offer many types of shoes that are available in wide sizes. However, New Balance definitely has the larger selection of shoes that are built with a wider design to begin with.

New Balance has several shoes built using the SL-2 last. The SL-2 last is a straight last commonly used for athletic shoes that creates a narrower fit around the heel but a wider forefoot area in combination with a deeper toe box. These shoes will be a good option if you prefer a wider-design to your shoes.

The SL-2 last is available for both men’s and women’s New Balance shoes. Here are some of the most popular New Balance shoes that use the SL-2:

It’s important to understand that the SL-2 will *most likely* not be wide enough in standard form to overcome the need for wide sizing. In most cases, even on a wider last like the SL-2, you should still order wide sizing if you normally order wide sizing in shoes. The SL-2 will feel just a tiny bit wider that other standard shoes.

For the widest options, visit my article that discusses New Balance extra extra wide shoes.

The Nike Air Monarch shoes (which are available in wide sizes) are popular for people with wide feet, and the Nike Air Force 1 is also known for having a deep, roomier toe box area. But, in my opinion, it is New Balance that will offer the better selection of shoes built for wide feet (learn more).

List of Nike and New Balance Shoes that fit narrow

If you have narrow feet, below is a list of Nike and New Balance shoes that have a narrow design:

List of Nike and New Balance Shoes that fit long

These are the Nike and New Balance shoes that I found to fit a little bit longer than normal shoe sizing:

List of Nike and New Balance Shoes that fit short

These are the Nike and New Balance shoes that I found to fit a little bit shorter than normal shoe sizing:

For more sizing information, you can visit our New Balance sizing resource which gives you access to sizing photos for over 30 types of New Balance shoes.

Paul Johnson

Paul is a lead content creator for Workwear Command. He has had several blue-collar jobs which have provided him a wide range of experience with tools and gear. He also has a business degree and has spent time in business casual office settings.

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