Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 vs Adios Pro 3: Which Marathon Racer Should You Buy?

Introduction

The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 has finally arrived, and the big question is simple: is it better than the Adios Pro 3, and if you loved the Pro 3, will you still like the Pro 4? The two shoes look similar at a glance, but there are meaningful changes here that genuinely switch up the ride. This head-to-head covers what has changed, how it affects the feel on the run, and which shoe makes more sense for different types of runners.

Quick Specs: Weight, Stack, and Price

The Adios Pro 4 remains among the lowest-stack carbon racers, packing 39 mm in the heel and 33 mm in the forefoot for a 6 mm drop. Official figures show half a millimeter shaved off the forefoot stack compared to the Pro 3 for a slightly lower drop, though in practice the difference may be negligible depending on rounding, and the real-world stack likely comes out about the same.

Where the Pro 4 clearly wins is weight. It comes in at 202 g (7.1 oz) in a men’s UK 8.5 test shoe, which is 14 g (0.6 oz) lighter than the Adios Pro 3. That puts it much closer to the Nike Vaporfly Next% 3 and the Adidas Adizero Metaspeed Sky Paris on weight, though it remains a shade heavier than those rivals, which come in under 200 g. Price stays the same at £220 in the UK or $250 in the US.

What Has Changed on the Adios Pro 4

The Pro 4 has been given a complete overhaul. The black and white design and new rocker geometry riff off the rare, elite-focused Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1. The midsole features a new Lightstrike Pro formula tuned to provide a little extra softness compared to the Pro 3, and the forefoot rocker has been moved back to 60% of the length of the shoe, making it a little faster to engage. The carbon element is unchanged: the Pro 4 carries the same full-length carbon Energy Rods 2.0 as the Pro 3.

The outsole is also new, with a textured datamapped Light Traction rubber and the Continental grip pad tweaked and moved on the key landing points. A bigger central channel cut into the midsole saves weight, and the heel geometry has been altered with the cutaway dropped.

Fit and Comfort: The Biggest Upgrade

Up top is perhaps where the most impactful change happens. The Pro 4 gets brand new Lightlock uppers aimed at fixing the comfort issues some runners had with the Pro 3. The one-way stretch woven mesh uppers address one of the biggest gripes with the Pro 3: a fit that was not quite as disappearing and comfortable as other carbon racers. Many runners also experienced discomfort around the toe knuckle from the eyelets, and that has been changed on the Pro 4.

The thin wrapping tongues are now stitched in to prevent them moving around, with a little more lace-pinch-busting padding, plus a simplified lacing structure that makes it easier to get a good fit and reduces pressure points. There are also new locking bands inside the shoe that wrap the foot for a snug, secure fit.

In testing, the fit was much improved versus the Pro 3. It is far easier to get the Pro 4 on, positioned, and locked down than the fiddly Pro 3. However, the narrow toe box still tapers quite abruptly. During a marathon test, after two and a half hours either the length or the narrowness of the toe box, or a combination of both, caused quite a lot of toenail discomfort, worse than remembered from the Pro 3. The takeaway: factor in sizing carefully. A quarter size up seems wise, while half a size may be too much.

Ride Comparison: Softer vs More Immediate

Covering more than 50 miles in the Pro 4, including an all-out 5K, lots of progression runs, and a solo marathon test, plus a side-by-side mile with 400 m intervals wearing the Pro 4 on one foot and the Pro 3 on the other, revealed a clear character difference.

The Pro 3 is the firmer, more immediate shoe. Its denser midsole compresses less on touchdown, engages faster, and delivers a bit more stiffness from the combination of Energy Rods and foam, creating a strong sense of connection to the ground. The Pro 4 is lighter, always a good thing, but the ride is noticeably softer and bouncier. Some of the Pro 3’s stiffness has gone, and there is a bit more Vaporfly 3-style softness with more bounce. It is now a punchier carbon shoe that sits closer to its rivals.

At slower paces the difference is pronounced: the Pro 4’s softness really comes through and can create a bit of wobble, while the Pro 3 holds firmer and fires you off quicker. At all-out pace the two feel more similar, because that intensity really activates the Pro 4’s foam and brings it to life. Individual running style also matters: some runners find the Pro 3 milder and the Pro 4 bouncier with snappier transitions. If you bought the Pro 3 for its immediacy and punchy roll-through, be aware that some of that has gone. The Pro 4 is not a slower shoe, it just tweaks the ride in a different direction.

Which One Should You Buy?

Both are very capable carbon shoes that a lot of runners will enjoy for faster miles up to the marathon distance, and both offer speed but get you there in slightly different ways. The Pro 4 is softer and bouncier with the better upper; the Pro 3 is stiffer and more immediate.

If you had no issues with the Pro 3 and you really liked the ride, you may be better off sticking with the Pro 3 and hunting deals. If you found the Pro 3 too harsh and wanted more bounce, energy, and softness, look at the Pro 4 first. The heel packages are very similar, with no meaningful difference in heel hold or slipping noticed between the two.

On balance, the Pro 4 is the better shoe, largely thanks to the improved upper, though the toe box discomfort was significant enough to limit how far it feels safe to race in going true to size. Still, when picking one shoe to race a marathon, the Pro 4 is the choice.

Conclusion

The Adizero Adios Pro 4 is a lighter, more comfortable evolution of Adidas’s marathon racer, trading some of the Pro 3’s firm immediacy for a softer, bouncier ride that brings it closer to its main rivals. If comfort was your complaint, the Pro 4 is the clear upgrade. If you loved the Pro 3’s punch, keep an eye out for deals on the outgoing model instead.