I have always said that buying soccer boots is an art. It can be VERY confusing and frustrating passing through the process of selecting a good pair for you. The soccer cleat/football boot world is huge. There is an amazing amount of brands creating great soccer cleats: Adidas, Nike, Puma, New Balance, Mizuno, Diadora, Under Armour, etc.

Soccer cleats/Soccer cleats are more and more expensive every day which is why you don’t want to waste money buying a pair of soccer cleats you don’t like. All cleats are different, but in this list, you’ll find the ones that more complete overall in terms of durability, comfort, and performance.

With every pair of soccer cleats you buy, you should also buy a great pair of grip socks. Grip Socks help get the most out of every soccer cleats by improving the fit of the shoes and reducing foot slippage inside the boots. In my recommended Grip Socks page you’ll see what for me are the best grip socks to use with any soccer cleats.

My #1 pick

Without a doubt, if I had to buy a pair of soccer cleats right now, I would go with the Nike Mercurial Vapor 13 ELITE. For a long time, the Vapor line has been creating excellent cleats. However, during the last 2 years with their recent models, the Vapors have positioned as the best soccer cleats in the market for most soccer players.

Frankly, I’ve never seen someone say they dislike these football boots. It’s not something new, people think the same way about the Vapor 11 and 12 too. However, the new vapors are said to be considerably better than the last models. The Nike Mercurial Vapor 13 ELITE are conveniently available at soccer.com.

The fit in these pair of boots is as good as it gets, which is not a common thing in a speed boot. Even someone that has the widest feet I’ve seen said these cleats fit him well. It is the most sock-like sensation you’ll find in a soccer shoe while maintaining a great lockdown and a premium upper.

The soleplate is perfect if you are looking for aggressive traction and huge responsiveness. Overall, I would say this is the most complete pair of soccer cleat and a shoe most players will love.

Another Great Choice

For years Nike and Adidas have been the 2 giants of the soccer cleats market. However, PUMA has cut a huge distance in the last years, and their latest boot, The Puma Ultra 1.1, is making that distance almost disappear.

Something that surprised me about this boot is that its retail price is lower than other top-end soccer cleats. Make sure to check its current price at soccer.com.

I would say this is probably the best Soccer Cleat I’ve seen from PUMA in a while. If I had to describe it in one word would be: different. Even though it is a speed boot, they’ve created an innovative upper surface that we’ve never seen before that provides a very nice close-to-feet fit and an awesome feel for the ball.

Overall, I would say the PUMA Ultra 1.1 is a very solid pair of soccer cleats. They are very light, and for their weight, they are considerably better than usual. The upper is a great technical achievement and the soleplate is one of the best the brand has ever made. I think they are totally worth the price you are paying.

Best Soccer Cleats in a Budget

Nike has a history-making great take-down model, and the Nike Phantom GT PRO is no exception. Other brands like Adidas and Puma can’t get close to the quality Nike can offer at this price range.

However, it is even more surprising for me that the PRO version of the Phantom GT is almost as good or even better than the ELITE version, for less than half the price. Here you can see the price of the NIKE PHANTOM GT PRO at Soccer.com.

You can choose the color you like and remember to select the pro version, not the elite.

Top-end soccer cleats are very expensive, some can cost over 250 dollars. However, there are soccer cleats like the Phantom GT PRO that can offer quality as good as the top-end boots for considerably less money. This boot is the take-down of the ELITE version, but I truly believe it can compete with it in every aspect: upper, traction durability, and comfort.

In fact, I would say the PRO version is a better deal for the price than the ELITE. 

For less money, you are getting the exact same upper and a very good fit. You won’t lose any of the features the top-end cleats offer and you’ll be saving money. The Phantom GT PRO is even better than previous models from Nike at its range like the Phantom Vision and Venom. If I needed a pair of boots today and didn’t have the money to buy a top-end pair, I would definitely go with this pair.

Are you playing on Artificial Grass?

If you are playing on artificial grass I wouldn’t recommend you buy the FG version of the soccer cleats I talked about. However, some of these models are available in an AG soleplate. Make sure to check availability for AG soleplates at Soccer.com’s catalog. 

However, you need to make sure that you are playing on Artificial Grass and not turf. Yes, there is a difference and I wrote about it in this article. If you are playing on turf, I think you would prefer to check my recommended turf shoes page.

Why you should buy it at Soccer.com?

It’s totally okay to buy soccer gear at Amazon. The problem with buying on Amazon for us, the soccer gear buyers, is that we run out of options quickly. The variety Amazon has related to soccer gear is decent, but very limited in comparison to online soccer stores. Most of the time, when I want to buy specific soccer gear that I’ve seen on the web, it won’t be available on Amazon.

If I was going to buy soccer cleats at this moment, the last place I would do it is at Amazon. Online soccer stores are notably superior to amazon’s offer. In fact, I’m not even trusting Amazon anymore when buying soccer cleats because there are retailers that sell fake soccer cleats and because Amazon is only targeting to sell cheap takedown models.

Usually, what we’ll find on Amazon is not necessarily the best gear, but commercial gear that the average person is willing to buy, which is understandable considering Amazon is not an online soccer store.

That’s why most of the time I prefer to buy gear at online stores specific for soccer. The one I trust the most are soccer.com. Online soccer stores simply offer all the soccer gear that is available for us, the soccer player. They sell the soccer gear that we will usually not find physically at any store or at Amazon. Here are some advantages of buying in online soccer stores:

  • You have greater variety: They will usually have all the soccer gear that is available in the market at the recommended price brands wants them to sell. You’ll have more options in colors and sizes, an area in which Amazon is insufficient.
  • You can filter your searches: It is easy to look for the gear that you need because the stores will usually have everything well-organized in the site. For example, you can look for soccer cleats depending on their playing surface (FG, SG, AG), to their brand (Nike, Adidas, Puma, etc), collections, age, and many others.
  • Discounts: Online soccer stores will usually have great discounts on high-end soccer gear all year long on old models or colorways. Especially on buying seasons like Christmas or thanksgiving, their discounts are gold for soccer players.
  • Personalization: At online soccer stores, you are able to personalize your gear if you wish to with your name, numbers, or flags. I bought a pair of soccer cleats with my name and my date of birth on it last year. It’s a nice detail anyone would like on their gear.
  • Better service overall: It’s totally different to deal with amazon when you have complains or doubts about a product, from talking to someone at an online soccer store that is an expert in soccer gear, that knows about the game as much as you do, and that truly understands the player’s needs.

What I like the most about buying at online soccer stores is that you can filter the searches of your cleats. For example, if you want cleats for artificial grass, you can search at the store for cleats only for this surface (you can do the same with FG, SG, indoor, and turf). Or you can also search for a specific brand or collection you like. The user experience is simply a lot better.

The only place where you’ll be able to have all the options of soccer cleats that are currently on the market are these online stores specific for soccer. Amazon’s offer is very bad, and I couldn’t find any good retailer that sold the boots I liked the most. Besides, you’ll probably be able to buy them discounted boots for cheaper at these stores.

Choosing the perfect soccer cleats for you

I wrote, “The Best Guide in the Internet to Choose the Perfect Soccer Cleats for You”. In that guide, you’ll find absolutely everything you need to know when you buy soccer cleats. It’s super important you know all that information so you can make a great decision when buying soccer cleats because what might work for me, may not work for someone else.

If you’re in a hurry and can’t read that article, here is a brief summary of what to take into consideration:

For me at first, the most important thing you MUST consider before buying a soccer cleat is the fit and comfort. You have to buy a soccer cleat that suits your foot type correctly. It makes no sense that you buy a boot that doesn’t fit you the way it should. Comfort is the most important thing a football boot should provide. All soccer cleats I recommended are super comfortable boots. Especially the Tiempos after the break-in time.

Take a minute to think about this: What is the main reason we buy soccer cleats? The answer is traction. I remember  I used to play with sneakers when I was a kid, it was like running on ice. People that don’t wear soccer cleats while playing soccer have a great disadvantage with those who do.

Fortunately, it is rare to see a high-end soccer cleat that doesn’t provide good traction. Most of them will get the job done. Just be careful to pick the correct stud pattern for the surface you are playing at: FG, SG, AG, turf or indoor.

Lastly, sizing. Every single time you buy a football boot online, you should check if it runs true to size or if it is half a size bigger or smaller. Most youtube reviews will provide this information. It is super annoying to play with a soccer cleat that is either too loose or too tight.

Think about what you like and not what is marketed to you. Don’t ever buy a soccer cleat because brands say that is the boot for your position. Consider what type of touch, feel, and playing sensation you want to achieve when wearing a pair of soccer cleats.