Review of On's 6 New 2026 ShoesWhy pick the Strike 2, 19g lighter and USD 30 cheaper than the previous generation

On's new 2026 shoes number 6, and the one with the biggest difference from the previous generation is the race shoe Cloudboom Strike 2. The everyday Cloudmonster 3 got only 5g lighter across the generation change. The LightSpray version of the Cloudmonster 3 Hyper has a 45mm heel.

Not every new On release for 2026 is good just because it is new

Among this year's new On releases, the one that can be said in numbers to have improved over the previous generation is the Cloudboom Strike 2. Line up the announcement materials by generation and, in the same year, there is a shoe that changed only 5g and one that got 19g lighter and cheaper too.

This article covers only shoes released in 2026 and narrows to what moved from the previous generation. A lineup of all On models sorted by role is in the article on choosing On running shoes by sole shape.

The conditions I used, and a quick table of the 6 new On shoes

There are 2 conditions. On's announcement (press.on-running.com) must give a release date between January and October 2026. And the Japan official product page must list price and weight as of Oct 13, 2026.

Scroll the table sideways →

The 6 split into 3 lines: the everyday Cloudmonster, the fast-training Hyper and the race Cloudboom. Trail shoes are not in this table.

How do they differ from the previous generation? The numbers compared

The previous generation's numbers come from the tech sheets On publishes at each release. For easy comparison, I matched the 2026 side to the announcement materials' numbers too.

Subtract and the gaps become clear. The Cloudmonster is 5g lighter (300 − 295), about 1.7% (5 ÷ 300). The Strike is 19g lighter (210 − 191), about 9.0% (19 ÷ 210). The price fell USD 30, about 10.7% cheaper (30 ÷ 280).

Only the Hyper got heavier: 9g more (274 − 265). In return, the heel is 2mm thicker (39.5 − 37.5).

Cloudboom Volt: the original Strike's numbers, in a shoe you can train in too

The Volt is a new name born in 2026 and has no previous generation. So I looked for a shoe with close numbers: the original Cloudboom Strike.

The weight is 210g for both. The heel thickness is 39.5mm for both. At the toe, the Volt is 34mm and the original Strike 35.5mm, differing by only 1.5mm (35.5 − 34). A shoe with nearly the same dimensions as the 2024 marathon race shoe has entered the tier below the Strike 2.

The difference from its sibling, the Strike 2, is the sole shape and purpose. The Volt has a perforated CloudTec with Helion HF foam in 2 layers. The Strike 2 has the grooved CloudTec Sphere. The Volt is a shoe aimed at "10km speed work to the half marathon."

The strength is that it is built to be used for a long time. It claims a structure that keeps its strength even after many kilometers. Though it is a race shoe with a carbon-fiber blended plate, you can use it from 10km speed work. That is where it differs from a shoe that only comes out on race day.

The watch-out is that there are 2 drop numbers. The Japan product page says 5mm, the announcement materials 4mm. Subtracting thickness gives 5.5mm (39.5 − 34). Someone who wants to match height differences finely will struggle over which of the 3 numbers to trust.

How do the Cloudmonster 3 and 2 differ? The shape returning to the original matters more than the 5g

The weight goes from 300g to 295g. The drop stays 6mm. The plate is the same nylon blend as the previous generation. By the numbers alone, almost nothing moved.

What moved is the shape. On's announcement explains it this way: the original rolled you forward, the 2 was the generation that added cushioning, and the 3 brings back the original's roll and response combined with thick cushioning. The rows of holes became 3 layers, and the sole's upward curve (rocker) got stronger.

The difference from its sibling the Hyper is whether there is a plate. 3 has a plate and the Hyper does not. The Hyper costs JPY 3,300 more (27,500 − 24,200).

The strength is that it is the cheapest of the 6 and built as a shoe for daily use. The announcement calls it a "daily trainer." Among the 6, this is the 1 the announcement calls that.

The watch-out is replacing a Cloudmonster 2. The weight gap is about 1.7%, and the drop and plate material are the same. If the 2 still has life, the reason to replace it is small on the numbers. For an original owner who liked the rolling shape, it is a shoe that came back.

Cloudmonster 3 Hyper: 20% more foam, and no plate

In On's announcement, the Hyper's 2nd generation has 20% more foam. The heel goes from 37.5mm to 39.5mm, 2mm thicker, about 5.3% (2 ÷ 37.5). Comparing announcement materials with each other, the weight is 9g more, about 3.4% (9 ÷ 265). It works out to 20% more foam for only 3.4% more weight.

The dollar price is USD 219.99 to USD 220. Unchanged. It is a generation change that added content without moving the price.

The plate is still not included, following the previous generation. The announcement explains that "a plateless build keeps your legs fresh in training with a lot of distance." The Japan official page also says "plate intentionally removed."

The strength is the 39.5mm thickness. On's announcement says the limit usable in races is 40mm. Foam is stacked right up to just short of that, and no plate is included. It is a build that uses up the thickness with foam instead of a plate.

The watch-out is the weight number. The Japan product page says 253g and the announcement materials 274g, a 21g gap (274 − 253). This site's other articles calculate with the Japan official 253g. When comparing weight with other makers' shoes, match which number you use first.

LightSpray Cloudmonster 3 Hyper: 45mm heel. A training-only shoe

The LightSpray is an upper made by a robot spraying thread. It has no seams and no laces. In On's announcement, this shoe has only 8 parts: 1 upper, 2 midsoles and 5 small rubber pieces.

What I want readers to know is the thickness number. The heel is 45mm. The announcement materials themselves say it "exceeds the 40mm limit usable in races." The regular Hyper is 39.5mm, so it is 5.5mm thicker (45 − 39.5). It is not a color variant with only the upper changed; the sole is a different shoe too.

The strength is the 205g lightness. By the Japan official numbers, it is 48g lighter than the regular Hyper (253 − 205). A 45mm thick-sole shoe is 5g lighter than the race-oriented Cloudboom Volt (210 − 205). As a shoe that gets both thickness and lightness, it stands far out among the 6.

There are 3 watch-outs. On itself writes that it exceeds the limit, so you cannot enter races that have a thickness rule. The price is in the same tier as the Strike 2. And since there are no laces, you cannot change how tight it is.

Cloudboom Strike 2: lighter, and cheaper too

Of the 6, this is the shoe with the biggest generational difference. The weight is 19g lower. The dollar price is USD 30 lower. A shoe that gets lighter normally gets more expensive, so it moved the opposite way.

What did it change? On's announcement lists 3 things. First, the sole shape became the CloudTec Sphere, with thin grooves between the forefoot and midfoot so the foam bends in many directions. Second, the Helion HF foam is 15% lighter than the original's. Third, the plate is curved and sandwiched between 2 foams of different stiffness.

This is the interesting part of how this shoe works. The original dropped the upper half of the midsole in from outside. The Strike 2's Japan official page also says "removable upper midsole." The build's skeleton stays; the foam and grooves were swapped.

The strength is the 191g number itself. Of the 6 new 2026 shoes, it is the lightest with laces. On's announcement carries a developer's words that it was built with the goal of keeping speed to the late stages of the marathon.

The watch-out is that sole thickness is written in neither the announcement nor the Japan official page. The original was written as 39.5mm, so this has gone backward. The drop also changed from 4mm to 5mm. Someone used to the original's height difference should choose knowing about that 1mm difference.

LightSpray Cloudboom Strike 2: working out the extra you pay for 33g

The sole is the same as the Strike 2, and only the upper is LightSpray. The weight is 158g, 33g lighter than the Strike 2 (191 − 158).

On's announcement says a University of Cape Town study found running economy 1.6% higher than a representative industry shoe. It also lists On athletes setting personal bests in London, Paris and Boston.

So how much is 33g? I divided the extra paid for the LightSpray upper by the weight saved.

The surprise is the 3rd row. Going up from the Volt to the Strike 2 costs more per gram. For someone who has decided to buy the Strike 2, adding the LightSpray version is, on the numbers, a good-value upcharge.

Subtract the bundled socks (JPY 4,950 on their own) and the upcharge for the shoe alone is JPY 3,850, down to about JPY 117 per gram. The calculation, and which feet suit a laceless shoe, are in the LightSpray Cloudboom Strike 2 review.

The watch-out is that your means of adjusting fit decrease. The announcement says "a second-skin fit with no laces." If it fits your foot shape, you get the lightness as it is; if not, you cannot tighten it to fix it. On the Japan official site, some colors carry a "limited edition" tag.

The Cloudsurfer 3, in early release in October (month 10)

There is 1 shoe I left out of the quick table. On announced the Cloudsurfer 3 on Sept 15. It says sales start Oct 1 at running specialty stores only, with full release including on.com and directly operated stores in early 2027.

The content is a new foam called Surreal. In the announcement, it is lighter, softer and more rebounding than the Helion that has been used for daily shoes. It also lists a calculated result: combined with the diagonal holes (CloudTec Phase), compression is 15.5% deeper than with the foam alone.

The announcement materials' numbers are 285g (men's US 8.5), 8mm drop and USD 160. The Cloudsurfer 2 tech sheet said 9mm drop and USD 160. The dollar price is the same and the height difference drops 1mm.

What you can buy on Rakuten now is up to the Cloudsurfer 2 generation. Choose by looking at the number in the product name. Why it is 25g heavier than the 2, and how to decide between waiting or buying the 2, are covered in the Cloudsurfer 3 review.

The 1 pair with the most reasons to buy among On's 2026 releases

It is the Cloudboom Strike 2.

The reason is that the generation change leaves 3 things in numbers. The weight fell 19g. The foam became 15% lighter. The dollar price fell USD 30. The Cloudmonster 3 is 5g; the Hyper got heavier with 2mm of thickness. The Volt and LightSpray 2 have no previous generation to compare. The one you can say "improved over before" using only official numbers is the Strike 2.

So if I pick 1 pair from this year's On, this is the one I put down first. Then I fill in what is missing with its siblings.

If you have no race planned, the Cloudmonster 3 fits. The Strike 2 is about JPY 184 per gram (35,200 ÷ 191), 2.2 times the Cloudmonster 3's about JPY 82 (24,200 ÷ 295).

Gym-rack picks and how to choose for HYROX are split out in the article on choosing On shoes with HYROX in mind. The jackets and tights to go with the shoes are compared by water-repellent and waterproof in the article on On running apparel.

FAQ

Are the On Cloudrunner 3 and Cloudvista 3 new for 2026?

I did not include them as new releases in this article. On its announcement pages, I could not find a document giving the release dates of these 2 and the Cloudrunner 3 Max. They fall outside the condition of listing only shoes whose release date I could confirm from On's announcements, so they are not in this article's table. Their weight and price are in On's lineup article.

If a Cloudmonster 2 or the original Cloudboom Strike is cheap, is it fine to buy?

The Cloudmonster 2 is no trouble to buy if the price gap is large. The gap from the 3 is 5g, and the drop and plate material are the same. The original Strike is 19g heavier than the Strike 2, 210g like the Volt. If it costs more than a new Volt, choosing the Volt makes more sense.

How do the Cloudboom Strike 2 and Cloudboom Volt differ?

The Strike 2 is for race day in the full and half, and 19g lighter than the Volt at 191g. The Volt is a shoe aimed at "10km speed work to the half marathon." The sole is the grooved CloudTec Sphere in the Strike 2 and the perforated CloudTec in the Volt.

Can On's LightSpray shoes be used in races?

It depends on the shoe. The LightSpray Cloudmonster 3 Hyper has a 45mm heel, and On's announcement says it "exceeds the 40mm race limit." The LightSpray Cloudboom Strike 2 is a shoe On announced for marathon racing, and the announcement lists records of athletes using it in races.

Gear in this article

Ads and images: Rakuten Ichiba

On Cloudboom VoltOn Cloudmonster (check the generation by product name)On Cloudmonster Hyper (check the generation by product name)On Cloudboom Strike (check the generation by product name)On Cloudsurfer

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