Buying guide

Best Insoles for Plantar Fasciitis: A Foot Surgeon’s Guide (2026)

Which over-the-counter insoles actually help plantar fasciitis, what the trials say about prefabricated vs custom, and who should skip each — from a foot surgeon.

The short answer

For plantar fasciitis, buy a firm, full-length insole with a deep heel cup and a real arch — not a gel pad — and wear it in every shoe you stand in for the next eight weeks. The best-run trial on this question, a randomised study of 135 people with plantar fasciitis published in 2006, found that a firm prefabricated insole reduced pain and improved function as well as a custom-made orthotic at three months, and that both beat a soft sham insole. The 2023 clinical practice guideline on heel pain from the American Physical Therapy Association makes a strong recommendation for foot orthoses, particularly prefabricated ones, for short- to medium-term relief. Read those two findings together and the shopping advice writes itself: the $50 insole works, the $500 one is not better for most people, and the soft cushiony one is the sham.

If you want one name, it is the PowerStep Pinnacle: a semi-rigid shell, a moderate arch most people tolerate from the first day, and a deep heel cradle. If your heel pain is sharp and you cannot tolerate anything under the arch yet, start with a Tuli’s heel cup and add the full insole in a fortnight. If your arch is high, or your shoes are roomy hiking or work boots, the Superfeet Green. If you overpronate hard, the Pinnacle Maxx. If your running shoes have no room for anything, the Currex RunPro. Every one of these is explained below with the reasons to skip it.

What an insole actually does for plantar fasciitis

The plantar fascia is a band of connective tissue running from the heel bone to the toes, and it works like the string of a bow: every time the arch flattens under load, the string is pulled tighter at its attachment on the heel. Plantar fasciitis is that attachment getting overloaded faster than it can repair. Morning pain — the first steps out of bed — is the tissue that shortened overnight being stretched again.

An insole helps in three separate ways, and it pays to know which one you need most.

• It shortens the bowstring. A firm arch support limits how far the arch flattens, which limits how hard the fascia is pulled at the heel with each step. This is the mechanism with the most evidence behind it, and it only works if the arch support is firm enough to hold under your body weight. A gel arch collapses; a polypropylene one does not.
• It holds the heel’s own cushion in place. Under the heel bone sits a fat pad that spreads sideways under load. A deep heel cup contains it, so the pad stays thick where the fascia attaches instead of squashing out to the sides. This is why heel cups on their own — Tuli’s, or the cup built into a good insole — relieve the sharp point pain even without an arch.
• It absorbs a little of the impact. The least important of the three, and the one every marketing photograph is about. Cushioning makes the first steps feel better; it does not change the strain on the fascia. That is why the soft sham insole in the trial above felt fine and did nothing.

Two honest limits. Insoles are a short- and medium-term tool: in that same 2006 trial, the advantage over sham had gone by twelve months, largely because most plantar fasciitis settles within a year whatever you do. And an insole alone is not treatment. The guideline’s strong recommendations sit alongside it — calf and plantar-fascia stretching, manual therapy and taping — and a night splint gets a moderate recommendation once symptoms have lasted more than six months. The insole is what makes every step for the next two months less damaging while the rest does the healing.

Why the gel insole in the pharmacy aisle disappoints

Most people with heel pain buy a gel or memory-foam insert first, because it feels wonderful in the shop. Then it does nothing, and they conclude insoles do not work. What they bought was cushioning without structure: the arch flattens exactly as far as before, the heel fat pad still spreads, and the fascia is loaded just as hard, only more quietly. The products that help share a hard part — a shell of polypropylene or dense foam under the arch and around the heel — with the cushioning on top of it, not instead of it. If you can fold an insole in half with one hand, it is not going to help a fascia.

The four things that separate a good plantar fasciitis insole from a bad one

1. Shell rigidity

Hold the insole at the heel and press down on the arch with your thumb. A good one flexes a little and springs back; a bad one folds. Semi-rigid is the sweet spot for plantar fasciitis: firm enough to hold the arch, flexible enough that you will actually wear it. Fully rigid shells (the firmest Superfeet, the Tread Labs Pace in its higher arches) suit a high, stiff arch and a heavier person; they are too much for a flexible foot on day one.

2. Arch height — and arch length

The arch of the insole needs to sit under the arch of your foot, not behind it or in front of it. Height is what the box advertises; length is what decides whether it works. A moderate arch that starts just in front of the heel cup and runs to the ball of the foot supports the fascia along its whole length. A tall bump in the middle of the insole hurts. If you have a genuinely flat foot, read our flat feet insole guide before buying a high-arch model for your heel pain; the two conditions overlap constantly and the insole should be chosen for the foot, not the diagnosis.

3. Heel cup depth

The most underrated feature for this specific condition. A deep cup with firm walls holds the heel fat pad under the bone and stops the heel sliding sideways in the shoe. Put the insole flat on a table and look at it from the side: you want walls, not a saucer.

4. Volume — will it fit in your shoe?

Most abandoned insoles were abandoned because the shoe became too tight, not because they did not work. A full-length insole needs the shoe’s factory insole to come out, and a heel cup adds height at the back. High-volume models (Superfeet Green, Spenco Total Support Max) want a roomy trainer, hiking boot or work boot; low-profile models (Currex RunPro, the Birkenstock Blue Footbed) go in dress shoes and racing flats. Every shoe we review gets an Orthotic Volume Rating for exactly this question — how much of a device it will accept with the stock insole out — and the reviews are the place to check before you buy a shoe to put an insole in.

The insoles worth shortlisting for plantar fasciitis

Specifications are the manufacturers’ own and are attributed as such; we have not measured shell stiffness, arch height or heel-cup depth on these yet, and none carries a score. Price links go to Amazon and may earn us a commission at no cost to you; it does not change which insoles are listed.

PowerStep Pinnacle — the sensible first purchase

PowerStep describes the Pinnacle as a full-length insole with a “firm but flexible” polypropylene shell, a neutral (moderate) arch, a deep heel cradle and two layers of cushioning on top, sold in twelve sizes with a trim-to-fit toe, at $54.95. The brand’s own claim is relief of plantar fasciitis and mild to moderate pronation. In clinic it is the insole we name first because it is the one people keep wearing: the arch is supportive without being a shock, the cup is deep, and it is stocked almost everywhere so a worn pair is easy to replace. We have compared it directly against its siblings in Pinnacle vs ProTech vs SlimTech and against Currex in Currex vs PowerStep. Skip it if you have a rigid, high arch that has never tolerated a moderate support — go firmer — or if your shoes are shallow and the factory insole is glued in; the Pinnacle needs that insole out.

PowerStep Pinnacle Maxx — for the heel pain that comes with overpronation

The same shell and deep cradle as the Pinnacle, with what PowerStep calls a 2° medial heel post — the outside of the heel is built up so the foot is tipped slightly away from rolling in — and the firmest support in the Pinnacle range, at $57.95. The brand pitches it at moderate to severe overpronation and flat feet. If your plantar fasciitis lives with a collapsing arch, inside-of-the-ankle ache or shoes that wear through on the inner heel, this is the version to buy; the post takes some of the load off the fascia that the arch alone cannot. Skip it if your arch is neutral or high, or if you supinate; a posted heel under a foot that already rolls out makes the outside of the ankle work harder.

Superfeet Green — the deepest heel cup and the firmest shell

Superfeet now sells the Green as “All-Purpose Support High Arch”, at $59.95: a high-arch shape, a deep heel cup, a polypropylene stabiliser cap under the heel and arch, high-density closed-cell foam, and a high-volume profile meant for roomy footwear such as hiking boots and running shoes. Superfeet quotes a working life of twelve months or 500 miles. It is the reference insole for a high, well-defined arch with heel pain, and the deep, structured cup is the best in this list for containing the heel fat pad. It is also the one most often returned by people with a lower arch, who feel the support as a lump. Read our Currex vs Superfeet comparison if you are choosing between the two. Skip it if your arch is flat or flexible, or your shoes are low-volume — this needs room.

Tread Labs Pace — when you want the arch height matched to your foot

Tread Labs lists the Pace at $80, usually $70 direct (Amazon sells the current version as the Pace 2), in four arch heights — low, medium, high and extra high, chosen from a wet footprint — with what it calls “extra firm medical-grade support”, a two-part design in which the moulded arch support is separate from a replaceable top cover, and a guarantee that the support will be replaced if it ever breaks or loses shape. For plantar fasciitis the appeal is the choice of height: a support that actually meets your arch is the whole game, and this is the only prefabricated insole here that lets you pick from four. It is firm, and it is meant to be. Skip it if you want a soft first insole or cannot be bothered to measure; a mismatched height in a firm shell is worse than a moderate one in a semi-rigid shell.

Currex RunPro — for running shoes with no room

Currex states a 4 mm profile, three arch heights (low, medium, high) chosen with an at-home fitting guide, a “fully decoupled heel” with extra heel cushioning and a flexible arch shell it calls dynamic — the arch bends with the foot rather than holding it still — at $59.95. The brand says the insole is “independently tested to reduce plantar fascia strain and forefoot pressure”; we have not seen the test, so treat that as a claim rather than a finding. This is the insole for a runner with early plantar fasciitis whose shoes are already snug: it goes where the Pinnacle and Superfeet will not fit. It is also the least supportive of the full-length insoles here, which is the trade. Skip it if your pain is severe or you are heavy; the flexible shell gives a stiff fascia too little to lean on.

Spenco Total Support Max — structure with more cushioning on top

Spenco describes the Total Support Max, $49.99, as a firm multi-density design — a stiffer pod under the arch to slow overpronation and softer pods at the heel and forefoot to absorb landing — with a deep heel cup and a metatarsal arch that lifts the ball of the foot, meant for running, walking, work shoes and boots. It is the choice for the person who needs a real arch and heel cup but finds the Pinnacle or Superfeet too hard underfoot, and for anyone whose heel pain comes with ball-of-foot pain, because of the metatarsal dome. It is thick. Skip it if your shoes are anything other than roomy, or if you dislike a bump under the forefoot — some people never adjust to a metatarsal pad.

Tuli’s Heavy Duty Heel Cups — the heel-only option, and the first thing to try when it is too sore for an arch

A heel cup rather than an insole: Tuli’s describes a multi-cell, multi-layer “waffle” design that absorbs shock and returns it, twice the thickness of its classic cup, in three sizes, at $14.99 with a lifetime warranty, sold for plantar fasciitis, Sever’s disease and heel pain generally. It fits in any shoe, including the dress shoes and flats where a full insole is impossible, and it does the fat-pad containment job without asking the arch to accept anything. It does not shorten the bowstring at all. In practice it is the right first step for the acutely sore heel that flinches at any arch support, and the right permanent answer for the shoe that has no room. Skip it if your heel pain is clearly arch-driven — the ache is along the sole rather than at the heel point — or if you expect it to do a full insole’s job; add the insole once the heel will tolerate it.

Dr. Scholl’s Plantar Fasciitis Pain Relief Orthotics — the budget one, and what it is not

Dr. Scholl’s sells these at about $18: a full-length foam insole with what it calls Shock Guard cushioning, a “supportive arch” and a shock-absorbing heel cup, trim-to-fit, with a recommendation to replace every six months. The brand claims immediate relief and prevention of morning pain. For a mild first episode in a light person, it is a reasonable $18 experiment and much better than a gel pad, because there is at least a shaped heel and a raised arch. But the support is foam, not a shell: press the arch and it gives. Skip it if you are heavy, on your feet all day, or this is not your first bout; the money is better spent on one of the shelled insoles above.

Birkenstock Blue Footbed — for dress shoes and anything shallow

Three-quarter length, cork and latex on a firm base, with Birkenstock’s contoured arch and a shallow heel cup, sold to go under the existing insole in shoes that cannot take a full-length device — loafers, dress shoes, flats. It is the only thing on this page that puts a firm arch into a shoe with no room, and it is what we suggest for the office half of a plantar-fasciitis day. Skip it if you need a deep heel cup; the Blue is about the arch, not the heel, and a Tuli’s cup in the same shoe may do more for point heel pain.

Heel cup or full-length insole?

Both, in sequence, is the usual answer. A heel cup treats the heel: it contains the fat pad and cushions the point that hurts, and it fits any shoe. A full-length insole treats the cause: it supports the arch so the fascia is pulled less hard at that point. If the heel is so sore that any arch support makes it worse, start with the cup for one to two weeks, keep stretching, and add the full insole when the arch will accept it. If the pain is more ache-along-the-sole than point-at-the-heel, go straight to the full insole. Wearing a heel cup for months without ever adding arch support is the most common way people stall.

Over-the-counter or custom orthotics?

Start over the counter. The trial evidence — the 2006 randomised trial above, a 2008 Cochrane review and later work — keeps finding that a firm prefabricated insole and a custom-moulded orthotic perform about the same for plantar fasciitis in the first three months, which is when most of the benefit happens. The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons’ pathway says the same thing in practice: strapping, over-the-counter arch supports and heel cups first, and custom devices only after roughly six weeks of failed conservative treatment.

Custom orthotics earn their cost in specific situations: a foot shape no prefabricated shell fits (a very high or very flat arch, a large leg-length difference, a bunion or hammertoes that need accommodation); diabetes or neuropathy, where a prefabricated edge can cause a wound; plantar fasciitis that has recurred more than twice; and heel pain that has not improved after six to eight weeks of a good prefabricated insole, stretching and sensible shoes. If you are in one of those groups, the custom device is a medical prescription, not an upgrade, and it starts with an examination rather than a foam box in a shop.

Fitting: the part people skip

1. Take the factory insole out and use it as the trimming template for any full-length insole. Trim the toe only; never the heel or arch.
2. Check the heel sits in the cup with the shoe laced. If the heel rides up the back wall, the insole is too long for the shoe or the shoe is too shallow.
3. Break it in over a week — two hours on day one, adding an hour or two a day. Arch ache that fades within an hour of taking the insole out is normal in the first week; arch pain that lasts into the next morning means the arch is too high for you.
4. Wear it in every shoe you stand in. One pair in the trainers and none in the work shoes halves the treatment. Buy two pairs or move one between shoes at the door.
5. Replace it when the shell softens or the heel cup flattens — six to twelve months for most, longer for the two-part designs with a replaceable cover.

What to do alongside the insole

The insole is the passive half of treatment. The active half is what the guideline recommends most strongly: stretch the calf against a wall or off a step for thirty seconds, several times a day, and stretch the fascia itself by pulling the toes back with your hand for ten seconds, ten times, before the first steps in the morning. Tape the arch for the first few weeks if you are on your feet all day. Add a night splint if the pain has lasted more than six months. And fix the shoes: a stiff heel counter, a sole that does not fold in the middle and a slight heel drop do for the whole foot what the insole does inside it. Our plantar fasciitis shoe guide ranks shoes on exactly those features, with slippers and sandals for the hours you are not in trainers — going barefoot on hard floors at home undoes a surprising amount of a good insole’s work.

Who should skip over-the-counter insoles

• Anyone with reduced sensation in the feet — diabetes with neuropathy, or any numbness. A firm edge you cannot feel can cause a wound. Custom devices with an examination first.
• Heel pain with numbness, tingling or burning, or pain that is worse at rest: that pattern suggests a nerve, not the fascia, and an insole will not fix it. See our neuropathy guide and get it examined.
• Heel pain in a child or young teenager is usually Sever’s disease of the growth plate, not plantar fasciitis. A heel cup helps; a high adult arch support does not, and the diagnosis should be confirmed.
• A rigid, fixed deformity — a stiff flat foot, a severe bunion, a cavus foot — that no prefabricated shape will match. This is custom-orthotic territory.
• Heel pain after a fall or a sudden increase in mileage that hurts to squeeze from the sides may be a stress fracture of the heel bone. Insoles are not the treatment; see our stress fracture guide and get an X-ray.

Frequently asked questions

Do insoles actually cure plantar fasciitis?

They reduce the strain on the fascia with every step, which is what lets it heal; they do not repair it themselves. In the trials, a firm insole improves pain and function over the first three months compared with a soft sham, and the difference has disappeared by a year because most cases have settled by then. Combined with stretching and better shoes, that is exactly what you want from it.

Superfeet or PowerStep for plantar fasciitis?

PowerStep Pinnacle for most feet, because its moderate arch and semi-rigid shell are tolerated by more people from day one. Superfeet Green for a high, well-defined arch and roomy shoes, where its deeper cup and firmer shell are an advantage rather than a lump. The insole that gets worn beats the insole that is theoretically better.

Are heel cups or full insoles better for plantar fasciitis?

Heel cups relieve the sore point and fit any shoe; full insoles support the arch and address the cause. Start with the cup only if the heel is too sore to tolerate an arch, and move to the full insole within a couple of weeks.

How long before an insole helps?

Heel-point pain often eases within days from the heel cup alone. The arch-driven ache takes two to six weeks of consistent wear, in every shoe, to change. If nothing has improved after eight weeks of a good insole, stretching and sensible shoes, that is the point to be examined and to talk about a custom device, a night splint or other treatment.

Can I put these in running shoes?

Yes, with the factory insole out, if the shoe has the volume. Neutral cushioned trainers usually do; racing flats and low-volume trainers usually do not, which is where the Currex RunPro earns its place. Check the Orthotic Volume Rating in our reviews before buying a shoe you plan to put a device in.

Do I need custom orthotics?

Probably not for a first episode of plantar fasciitis in an ordinary foot. Trial evidence finds prefabricated and custom devices perform about the same over the months that matter. Custom devices are for feet that prefabricated shells do not fit, for neuropathy, for recurrent cases and for heel pain that has failed six to eight weeks of good over-the-counter treatment.

What we are testing next

The PowerStep Pinnacle and Superfeet Green are first in the insole queue: shell stiffness under a fixed load, arch height and heel-cup depth with calipers, thickness at heel and forefoot, weight, and how much of each shoe’s Orthotic Volume Rating they consume. When those numbers exist this page will say so, in the table above, labelled measured.

Related guides & shoe pages

• Best shoes for plantar fasciitis — the features that matter and the shoes analysed
• Best insoles for flat feet
• Best insoles for standing all day
• Currex vs Superfeet
• Currex vs PowerStep
• PowerStep Pinnacle vs ProTech vs SlimTech
• Heel spurs: what actually hurts
• How we test — and what the Orthotic Volume Rating measures

Measured, not guessed

Reviews for Plantar Fasciitis

Individual shoe pages state their evidence tier, published measurements and who should skip them.

New Balance

New Balance Fresh Foam X More v6

Spec Analysis

New Balance's tallest shoe, 38 mm forefoot, 4 mm drop, APMA seal — not yet tested.

$159.99Not scoredM: D/2E/4E · W: B/D/2E

ASICS

ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 28

Spec Analysis

Light neutral gel trainer, 8 mm drop, 4E available at $145 — not yet tested.

$145Not scoredM/W: Standard, 2E, 4E

Saucony

Saucony Ride 19

Spec Analysis

Light neutral daily trainer, 8 mm drop, wider base than the 18 — not yet tested.

$144.95Not scoredM: D/2E · W: B/D

All Plantar Fasciitis shoes

Measured, worn, scored — never sponsored

No brand has ever paid for a review, a score, a ranking or the seal. Where we earn a commission the link says so, and the score does not change.

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