On Cloudmonster vs Puma Velocity Nitro 2: Which Running Shoe Deserves Your Money?

Introduction

On paper these two shoes fall into different brackets: the On Cloudmonster is a high-stack, maximalist cushion shoe, while the Puma Velocity Nitro 2 is a little more traditional, even if it still carries a healthy wedge of foam in the midsole. Yet both are candidates for the same kind of mileage, from easy runs up to tempo efforts. The question is whether either shoe can genuinely cover the other’s job, and which one you should buy first.

Key Specs Compared

The Cloudmonster weighs 230 grams (8.1 ounces) in women’s sizing and 275 grams (9.7 ounces) in men’s, with a 6mm drop and a price of £150 in the UK or $169.99 in the US. The Velocity Nitro 2 is a shade heavier at 241 grams (8.5 ounces) for women and 289 grams (10.2 ounces) for men, with a 10mm drop, but it costs noticeably less at £100 or $120.

On Cloudmonster: Soft, Roll-Focused Easy Miles

Up top, the Cloudmonster uses a fairly dense engineered mesh with minimal overlays, a moderately padded heel collar, and a flat, almost race-like tongue that wraps across the top of the foot. Inside, a near gusseted construction comes up high and wraps into the forefoot to hold the foot in place.

The headline feature is the massive midsole, built from On’s Helium foam with the brand’s biggest CloudTec pods found on any On shoe. Those pods are arranged to make for a softer ride than most On shoes, working with a speedboard, which is a plate but not a carbon plate, tuned to encourage an easy rolling motion. There is also a pronounced rocker underfoot. On the underside, extra rubberized cloud sections add durability and grip.

In practice, this is a shoe best kept for easy miles. It runs lighter than it looks, but it is designed to help you move freely and comfortably at slower paces, not for anything speedy. It runs softer than most On shoes, so if firm ride has put you off the brand before, this is a step in the right direction: the pods collapse a little without making you sink into the ground.

View more details for On Cloudmonster

Puma Velocity Nitro 2: The Versatile All-Rounder

The Velocity Nitro 2 looks almost identical to the popular original, with a dense, almost double-layered engineered mesh upper whose soft padding runs down into the forefoot over the toes. Heel cushioning is more pronounced than on the Cloudmonster, and the slightly padded tongue keeps lockdown secure without pinching across the top of the foot.

The nitrogen-infused midsole foam is springy and responsive without being too squishy, and the silhouette is closer to an old-school regular running shoe than the huge rocker of the Monster. The outsole offers strong grip, with mini studs on the forefoot and rubber in key rear areas for durability.

This is where the shoe earns its place: it handles the same easy mileage as the Cloudmonster, but it has extra gears. It was tested over an 18-mile, three-hour long run, and also in a half marathon pushed up to around seven-minute pace, finishing comfortably in 1:39. It feels light, nimble and energetic at speed, and for many runners it could plausibly carry marathon training from slow early miles through faster sessions all the way to race day, even though it is not a true race shoe.

Fit and Comfort

Both shoes ran true to size, with the tester’s normal UK 8.5 fitting in each. The Cloudmonster fit was described as absolutely bang on, with plenty of room and good lockdown. The Velocity Nitro 2 also ran true to size, though it feels a bit long and slightly narrower; the tester has fairly wide feet and ran in them with no problem, but the extra length in the toe box felt odd at first, and dropping half a size would make everything else too snug.

Overall comfort is very close. Both are easy shoes to lace up and want to run in, but the Velocity Nitro 2 just edges it on plushness and underfoot feel. One note: the double-layered upper may run a little warmer than the Cloudmonster in very hot climates.

Grip and Durability

Both provide a stable platform, with the Cloudmonster offering a slightly wider, more stable base. In dry weather testing, the Velocity Nitro 2’s grip, carried over unchanged from the original, is excellent. The Cloudmonster’s grip is a little less impressive and showed visible wear after roughly 120 to 130 miles, particularly in forefoot landing zones, which raises durability concerns. Also worth noting: the Cloudmonster’s central channel is smaller than on older On shoes and can occasionally pick up stones, while the Puma has no such issue.

Verdict: Which One Should You Buy?

Can they both do the same job? Not really. Both are brilliant for easy miles, built for comfort, and kind to your legs at low effort. But they diverge when you pick up the pace.

The Velocity Nitro 2 can do everything the Cloudmonster does and more: racing half marathons, faster sessions, and mixed marathon training runs with intervals and recoveries. Add the lower price, the better grip, and the Cloudmonster’s faster-wearing outsole, and the Velocity Nitro 2 wins as the more versatile all-rounder. The Cloudmonster remains a good solid shoe, but it is best seen as a dedicated easy-day trainer for recovery runs and base-building miles.

Conclusion

If you want one shoe that covers everything from slow miles to race-day pace, the Puma Velocity Nitro 2 is the clear pick, especially at its lower price point. If your priority is a maximally cushioned, soft and stable shoe purely for easy days, the On Cloudmonster does that job very well, just expect to pay more and watch the outsole wear.