The 7 Best White Sneakers of 2025

Canvas sneakers

The canvas Bensimon Lace-Up Tennis Shoes (men’s, women’s) have a rounded rubber toe that gives them an oddly duck-like silhouette. We found them to be uncomfortable, and their flexible soles made us worry that they’d wear out quickly.

At first glance, the Converse Chuck 70 (unisex) sneakers could pass for our Chuck Taylor pick. There are differences, though: The Chuck 70s have yellowed midsoles and toe caps, a chunkier profile, and substantially cushier insoles. We prefer the look of regular Chucks, which are also $25 cheaper. But if you want more padding, these shoes are worth considering.

We tried the lace-up version of the Keds Champion Originals (women’s) and the Vans Old Skool Canvas Shoe (unisex). Both pairs are long-standing classics with loyal, ever-renewing fanbases. Our testers had fit issues with these shoes—their feet hung over the sides, stretching out the canvas. The Keds sneakers come in wide and extra-wide sizes, and the Vans shoes come in a wide option. So with that in mind, we may consider retesting these in the future.

Testers deemed the Vans Classic Slip-On Shoe (unisex) uncomfortably tight and scratchy.

Leather sneakers

Even when we sized up, the shell-toed Adidas Superstar Shoes (unisex) were too tight and constricting.

You’d be forgiven for mistaking Adidas Gazelle Shoes (unisex) for our similar-looking pick, the Adidas Samba OG Shoes. Compared with their cousins, the Gazelles have blockier soles and wider, more-rounded toes, which aren’t quite as elegant or flattering. But they have a slightly lower and more padded heel tab, so people who find the Sambas’ heel tabs uncomfortable might like these better. The Puma Palermo Leather Sneakers (men’s, women’s) also have a Samba-adjacent vibe, with a T-toe design; we found them stiff and less graceful than the lean, sinuous Sambas.

The refined, minimalist Koio Capri sneakers (men’s, women’s) have a dressier look than the Greats The Royale 2.0 sneakers (which are in the same vein). And they feel more like dress shoes, too (read: stiff and unforgiving). The Koios also cost nearly $60 more.

The chunky, ’90s-throwback New Balance 550 (unisex) sneakers have enjoyed a fashion renaissance in the past several years. Unfortunately, they were stiff around the forefoot and bulky at the collar, and our feet ached after a day of walking in them.

The Nike Blazer Mid ’77 sneakers (men’s, women’s) are basketball classics—as well as a Wirecutter staff favorite—and they’re the only mid-top pair that we tested. While they’re undoubtedly cool, the stiff leather collars made them feel like orthopedic ankle boots: awkward and nearly immobilizing.

Testers found the leather uppers of the tennis-inspired Nike Killshot 2 Leather sneakers (unisex, women’s) uncomfortably thick.

The Veja Campo ChromeFree Leather (unisex) sneakers look good—as well they should, since they run close to $200. But they creased easily and didn’t feel nearly as supple as our all-leather Greats Royale 2.0 pick. They also don’t have much padding or support; our feet ached after a few hours of wearing them. And one tester, who ordered them in her usual size (women’s 12), said they ran short.

Faux leather sneakers

Sneakerheads love Adidas Stan Smith Shoes (men’s, women’s); we’ve taken some heat over the years for not making them a pick here (sorry!). We love them too—aesthetically—but, sadly, none of our testers found them especially comfortable. They were tight around the bridges and arches, and even with socks, the rigidly curved tongues rubbed some panelists’ feet raw.

The pricey Veja V-10 (unisex) lace-up sneakers—made from vegan leather with rubber soles—have tongues that aren’t burnished at the edges, causing them to chafe uncomfortably against feet.

This article was edited by Ingela Ratledge Amundson and Jennifer Hunter. Kaitlyn Wells contributed reporting and wrote an earlier version.