Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 vs GTS 25: What Changed, and Which to Buy
Brooks cut the Adrenaline’s drop from 12 to 10 mm. The lab that measured both found a bigger change than the brochure: 3.3 mm less drop, a midsole about 22% softer, a forefoot 40% stiffer to bend and a heel platform 5.7 mm wider.
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That makes the GTS 25 the better Adrenaline for forefoot pain and for a foot that rolls in, and the worse one for an Achilles that liked the old heel lift. It is not the same shoe with a new upper.
This is a spec comparison. We have not measured, worn or scored either shoe. The brand figures below are Brooks’ own; the lab figures are RunRepeat’s, from one pair of each in men’s US 9. We keep the two apart because they are not the same tier of evidence.
What Brooks says changed
For once, a new model year is a real change. Brooks lowered the drop from 12 to 10 mm and says it did so by adding foam, about a millimetre at the heel and three at the forefoot. The foam is the same nitrogen-infused DNA LOFT v3, the widths are the same, and the GuideRails support system carries over. The shoe got heavier on Brooks’ own figures, by 17 g in the men’s and 20 g in the women’s, and dearer: $155 today against $140 for the GTS 24.
| Specification | Adrenaline GTS 24 | Adrenaline GTS 25 |
|---|---|---|
| Heel-to-toe drop | 12 mm | 10 mm |
| Weight, men’s | 10.0 oz / 284 g | 10.6 oz / 301 g |
| Weight, women’s | 8.8 oz / 250 g | 9.5 oz / 269 g |
| Heel and forefoot stack | Not published by Brooks | Not published; Brooks says 1 mm more foam at the heel and 3 mm more at the forefoot |
| Midsole foam | Nitrogen-infused DNA LOFT v3 | Nitrogen-infused DNA LOFT v3 |
| Widths, men’s | Narrow, Medium, Wide (2E), Extra Wide (4E) | Narrow, Medium, Wide (2E), Extra Wide (4E) |
| Widths, women’s | Narrow (2A), Medium, Wide (D), Extra Wide (2E) | Narrow (2A), Medium, Wide (D), Extra Wide (2E) |
| List price | $140 | $155 (launched at $145) |
Brooks’ product pages list drop and weight but not heel or forefoot stack heights. The 39/27 mm and 37/27 mm figures quoted elsewhere come from third-party spec listings, and they do not fit Brooks’ own account of adding foam. The GTS 25 was announced at $145; Brooks.com lists $155.
What the lab measured
RunRepeat measured one pair of each, and it tells a different story about how the drop came down. The heel of the GTS 25 it measured sat 2.9 mm lower than the GTS 24’s, while the forefoot rose by less than half a millimetre. The drop fell because the heel came down, not because foam went in at the front.
| Measurement | GTS 24 | GTS 25 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heel stack | 39.0 mm | 36.1 mm | −2.9 mm |
| Forefoot stack | 25.5 mm | 25.9 mm | +0.4 mm |
| Measured drop | 13.5 mm | 10.2 mm | −3.3 mm |
| Midsole hardness (Asker C, higher is firmer) | 44.1 AC, firm | 34.5 AC, balanced | About 22% softer |
| Midsole width at the heel | 95.0 mm | 100.7 mm | +5.7 mm |
| Midsole width at the forefoot | 114.0 mm | 117.7 mm | +3.7 mm |
| Force to bend the forefoot | 10.1 N | 14.3 N | About 40% stiffer |
| Weight | 291 g | 295 g | +4 g |
| Toe-box width at the big toe | 73.7 mm | 72.8 mm | −0.9 mm (lab average 73.2) |
| Width at the widest point | 95.1 mm | 96.0 mm | +0.9 mm |
| Toe-box height | 25.4 mm | 26.6 mm | +1.2 mm |
| Heel counter stiffness (1 to 5) | 4 | 4 | None |
Source: RunRepeat lab, men’s US 9, one pair of each. Hardness is on the Asker C scale RunRepeat has used since February 2026; its GTS 24 figure is from its current page. Lab averages across the shoes it has measured: toe box 73.2 mm, drop 8.5 mm, hardness about 35.5 AC. RunRepeat’s torsional-rigidity figures for these two use different methods, so we have left them out.
What a foot and ankle surgeon takes from this
The drop is the headline, and it cuts both ways. At 13.5 mm measured, the GTS 24 was one of the highest-drop mainstream trainers on sale. That heel lift is exactly why it worked for so many sore Achilles tendons, tight calves and heel-first plantar fasciitis: every step asks less stretch of the calf and the fascia. The GTS 25 takes about a quarter of that away. If the GTS 24 is what finally settled an insertional Achilles or a Haglund’s bump, do not switch overnight. Stay in the 24 while you can find it, or bring the 25 in gradually and let the next morning’s stiffness tell you whether it is too soon.
For the forefoot, the change runs the other way. Less drop puts less of each step onto the ball of the foot, and the GTS 25 is also about 40% stiffer to bend at the forefoot. For metatarsalgia, sesamoiditis, turf toe or a stiff, arthritic big toe, that combination is a genuine improvement.
It is a softer shoe on a wider base. The GTS 24 measured firm, 44.1 on the Asker C scale; the GTS 25 measured 34.5, right on the lab’s average. Softer foam can feel less stable under a foot that rolls in, but Brooks widened the platform at the same time: 5.7 mm more at the heel and 3.7 mm more at the forefoot. For overpronation, a flexible flat foot or early posterior tibial tendon trouble, a wider heel is the more useful of the two changes, and it largely offsets the softer foam.
The toe box did not change. 73.7 and 72.8 mm at the big toe, both close to the lab’s average of 73.2 mm. The GTS 25’s toe box measured 1.2 mm taller, which helps a little with an orthotic or a hammertoe. If you need real width, both come in 2E and 4E for men and D and 2E for women.
Which one should you buy?
Stay with the GTS 24 if…
- Its high drop is what settled an Achilles, a tight calf or heel pain.
- You liked its firm, planted ride.
- You can still find your size at a clearance price below the GTS 25’s $155.
Buy the GTS 25 if…
- Your pain is in the forefoot: the lower drop and stiffer forefoot both help.
- Your foot rolls in and you want the wider heel platform.
- You found the GTS 24 too firm.
- You are buying your first Adrenaline. It is the one Brooks will keep in stock.
Orthotics and inserts
Both shoes take out their sockliner, and the GTS 25’s toe box measured 1.2 mm taller, which is a small help for an orthotic. Neither Brooks nor the lab publishes how much depth is left under the sockliner, which is the figure that decides whether a custom orthotic fits without lifting your heel. The lower heel of the GTS 25 matters here too: most full-length orthotics are thicker under the heel than under the forefoot, so they give back a little of the drop the new model took away. Take the sockliner out in the store and check; our Orthotic Volume Rating explains the one-minute test.
Where to buy
Paid link. We earn a commission at no extra cost to you; commissions never influence a score, a ranking or the seal. Price and availability change, so check the listing.
Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24
Men’s:
Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25
Women’s:
Questions runners ask
Is the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 better than the GTS 24?
It is a different shoe more than a better one. Brooks lowered the drop from 12 to 10 mm, and an independent lab measured it 3.3 mm lower, about 22% softer, stiffer at the forefoot and 5.7 mm wider at the heel. That suits forefoot pain and overpronation better, and suits Achilles and calf problems less well than the GTS 24 did.
What is the heel drop of the Adrenaline GTS 25?
Brooks lists 10 mm, down from 12 mm on the GTS 24. RunRepeat’s lab measured 10.2 mm on the GTS 25 and 13.5 mm on the GTS 24, one pair each at men’s US 9, so the real change on the pairs measured was larger than the brochure change.
Is the Adrenaline GTS 25 softer than the GTS 24?
Yes. The lab measured the midsole at 34.5 on the Asker C scale against 44.1 for the GTS 24, which moved it from firm to balanced, about average for the shoes the lab has tested. Both use Brooks’ DNA LOFT v3 foam.
Is the GTS 25 still good for Achilles tendonitis?
It can be, but it asks more of the Achilles than the GTS 24 did. Less heel lift means more stretch on the tendon with each step. If a GTS 24 is what settled your Achilles, either stay in it while you can find it or step down to the GTS 25 gradually, and let pain the next morning be the guide.
Read the full analysis of each
- Brooks Running, Adrenaline GTS 25 product pages, men’s and women’s: drop, weights, widths, price; read September 2026, with an archived copy from November 2025.
- Brooks Running, Adrenaline GTS 24 product pages, men’s and women’s, current and archived copies from October 2024 and April 2025: drop, weights, widths, price.
- Brooks Running, the Adrenaline GTS line’s evolution, gear story, October 2025: the drop change and the added foam.
- Road Trail Run, Adrenaline GTS 25 review, August 2025: the $145 launch price.
- RunRepeat, lab reviews of the Adrenaline GTS 24 and GTS 25, and its testing methodology (men’s US 9; Asker C hardness since February 2026); read September 2026.
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