The Best Insoles for Flat Feet, According to Experts

It’s beyond frustrating when you buy shoes you really like, only to realize they don’t provide enough support. Luckily, finding the best insoles for flat feet can help level up your footwear. Because, whether you’ve had flat feet all your life or developed fallen arches as the result of injury or pregnancy, it’s important for your shoes to feel good. We spoke with podiatrists to learn more about how to find truly high-quality inserts for your needs, and selected the very best options based on their recommendations and criteria.

Our top picks

1. Best Overall: Superfeet All-Purpose Support Medium Arch Insoles
2. Best Budget: Walkomfy Flat Feet Arch Support Insoles
3. Best for Plantar Fasciitis: Walk Hero Comfort and Support Plantar Fasciitis Feet Insoles
4. Best for Very Low Arches: Powerstep Low Arch Support Insoles
5. Best for Sneakers: Fulton The Athletic Insole
6. Best for Dress Shoes: Superfeet All-Purpose Support Low Arch Insoles
7. Best ¾-Length Option: Dr. Scholl's Heel & Arch All-Day Pain Relief Orthotic Insoles
8. Best Thin Option: Samurai Insoles Arch Support Shoe Insoles
9. Best Stiff Option: Powerstep Pinnacle Maxx Support Insoles

• How we chose the best insoles for flat feet
• The best insoles for flat feet
• What causes flat feet?
• Do you really need insoles if you have flat feet?
• What should you look for in an insole?
• How should you break in a pair of insoles?

The experts we spoke to mentioned the following features as key elements for a high-quality insole. We referred to them when making our selections.

• Deep heel cup: The heel cup, or part of the insole directly under and around your heel, should be deep enough to cradle the back of your foot. Bonus points if there’s additional padding under the heel.
• Rigidity: A stiffer insole will be more supportive. It should have some amount of flexibility and cushioning, too, but it shouldn’t be made entirely of foam.
• Comfort: An off-the-shelf insole might not feel as perfect as a customized one, but it should still feel comfortable—it shouldn’t force your arch into an unnatural position, and it should help your feet feel fresh even after longer periods of wear.

There’s a great range of over-the-counter (OTC) insoles for flat feet on the market right now. To help narrow down your search, check out our top picks below, selected according to podiatrists’ recommendations.

Erik Sims, DPM, managing partner at Sims & Associates Podiatry in New York, recommends Superfeet’s insoles for their semi-rigid design and deep heel cup, both of which help keep feet stable and comfy all day long. The popular blue version has a mid-height arch that’s intended to suit a range of feet, and it’s made with firm, dense foam that doesn’t feel too squishy (again, you want your insole to be on the rigid side).

Reviewers who walk hundreds of miles a month, hike in their spare time, and deal with plantar fasciitis all have wonderful things to say about these insoles. “My Superfeet Blues made it 800 miles on the Appalachian Trail last summer, and they were awesome for my flat feet and terrible knees. It was hard going back to work shoes and dress flats without them,” one fan wrote on REI.

• Sizes: US 4.5-6 to 12.5-14 | Materials: Plastic, foam, polyester | Odor-resistant

Walkomfy’s Flat Feet insole stabilizes and aligns the base of your foot, thanks to its design, which provides targeted support to different parts of the foot: The heel is padded with a springy foam to reduce shock, while the arch is reinforced with sturdy cork. Plus, the comfy memory foam midlayer, found throughout the sole, absorbs sweat.

• Sizes: US 6-6.5 to 15-15.5 | Materials: Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), foam, cork, velvet

People with flat feet can often develop plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the band of tissue across the bottom of the foot that can lead to heel pain, Nelya Lobkova, DPM, a surgical podiatrist and founder of Tribeca Podiatry in New York City, tells SELF. A thick insole, like this option from Walk-Hero, can help reduce that discomfort: It’s cushioned enough to absorb the impact from your footsteps and features a deep heel cup to help keep your foot in a comfortable position all day long.

• Sizes: US 6-6.5 to 14-14.5 | Materials: Plastic, EVA foam, velvet | Odor-resistant

Powerstep is another preferred brand for Dr. Sims, and this particular insole is made specifically with flat feet in mind. It’s relatively stiff yet cushioned—so it should feel comfy, but not like it’s collapsing with each step—and has a lower height. This means it can provide arch pain relief without significantly raising your foot, making it a great option if higher-arch insoles feel super uncomfortable.

• Sizes: US 6-6.5 to 12 | Materials: EVA foam, plastic, polyester | Odor-resistant

Not only does Fulton’s Athletic style of insole have the expert-recommended rigidity and ample heel cup, it also impressed one SELF staffer who wore her pair inside running shoes while walking all over Brooklyn. “After a couple months of wearing the insoles, I found that my feet, shins, knees, and hips no longer screamed in pain,” she wrote in her review. “The insoles seemed to support my flat feet with just the right amount of curve under my arches, and my ankles and heels felt secure.”

• Sizes: US 5 to 12 | Materials: Cork, foam, cotton | Odor-resistant

Your love of flats or loafers doesn’t mean you have to suffer a life without proper arch support—you just need an insole that won’t add a ton of volume to your already-snug shoe. Superfeet’s versatile low-arch insole is thin enough to slip into slim footwear (including some shoes that don’t even have removable insoles of their own). It has a low arch height and the same stabilizing heel cup you’ll find in the brand’s other inserts, so it’ll still provide solid structure for your foot without cramping your style.

• Sizes: US 4.5-6 to 12.5-14 | Materials: Plastic, foam, polyester | Odor-resistant

If you find it annoying to size (and possibly trim) a full-length insole to fit into your shoes, try a three-quarter-length one instead, which podiatrists say can offer just as much support as a full-sized insert. (Jared Gremillion, DPM, a podiatric surgeon at Holston Medical Group in Bristol, Tennessee, tells SELF that the forefoot of most insoles is really just there for mild comfort). This one from drugstore stalwart Dr. Scholl’s is a particularly good option for flat feet, thanks to its supportive arch. It’s also padded for additional shock absorption, so it should pair especially well with your walking shoes.

• Sizes: US 6 to 10 | Materials: N/A

Designed by a podiatrist who struggled with his own foot pain, this insole from Samurai is made to reduce the discomfort that results from both flat feet and plantar fasciitis. It has a slightly flexible, responsive orthotic core built into the midfoot and heel, which allows it to both bend with your foot and prevent it from rolling inward. This insole is a little thinner than the other options on our list, so it’s a good pick if you want something that won’t add a ton of bulk to footwear like dress shoes.

• Sizes: US 6-6.5 to 13-13.5 | Materials: EVA, plastic, foam, synthetic fabric

The Pinnacle Maxx Support insole from Powerstep is seriously sturdy—it has a firm, mid-height arch and a deep, angled heel cup that’s meant to prevent your foot from slipping around or pronating. It’s still comfortable and cushioned, so you can wear it in your everyday shoes, from sneakers to work boots, without concern.

• Sizes: US 5-5.5 to 12 | Materials: EVA, plastic, foam, polyester | Odor-resistant

As SELF has previously reported, flat feet—or arches that are nearly or completely flush with the floor when you’re standing—can be genetic or you could develop them later in life. “Fallen arches,” as this is sometimes called, can be the result of an injury, weakness in the muscles and tendons in the bottom of your foot, or simply getting older.

Pregnancy can also cause your arches to flatten. During pregnancy, your body increases production of a hormone called relaxin to help loosen the ligaments and muscles around your pelvis—but that increase loosens all your ligaments, including the ones in your feet. When you add pressure to those newly relaxed ligaments (say, by walking), your arches are more likely to collapse and flatten. For most people, that change is irreversible.

For most people, having flat feet isn’t a major problem, Dr. Lobkova says. That said, if you sit or stand for long periods of time, flat feet can contribute to arch, knee, hip, and back pain. This is because flat feet can cause your ankles and lower legs to roll inward, which can lead to knee pain and shin splints (especially if you’re a runner). Fallen arches may also increase your likelihood of developing calluses, as the inside of your foot has a greater tendency to rub and chafe against your shoes.

If you deal with any of these discomforts, a shoe insert could help provide more support and stability—and hopefully relieve some of your pain, Alissa Kuizinas, DPM, a podiatrist at Wellness in Motion Boston, tells SELF.

Most of our picks have key design elements in common, which you can keep in mind while you shop for your own insoles. For one thing, an OTC insole should have a heel cup that is deep enough to cradle the back of your foot, Dr. Sims says. That snug fit will help keep your foot stable and supported, he explains.

For further stability, look for a stiff insole, says Dr. Sims. He cautions against products that advertise a lot of cushioning, because the more rigid the insole, the more supportive it’ll be. Here’s an easy test: If you can easily fold an insole, or even roll it up, it’s likely too soft. An overly flexible insert may actually contribute to foot and ankle instability instead of managing it.

Beyond that, the right insole choice comes down to what makes your feet feel better—and that could mean testing out a few pairs (like the ones we recommended above) before you find the best option. If you discover your foot pain doesn’t get better with an OTC insole or other at-home treatments, talk with your doctor or podiatrist to see if custom orthotic insoles might be the better choice for your foot health.

Dr. Sims recommends wearing your new insoles for one or two hours at first, in order to break them in and help your feet adjust to how they feel. You can increase your wear time by an hour or two over the following days. Skipping this adjustment period can potentially cause more foot pain (at least in the short term), so it’s better to just go slow. And as SELF has previously reported, your insoles should be comfy enough for all-day wear in just a couple of weeks.

Related:

• Ugly-Cute Clogs Perfect for When You Need to Get Shit Done
• The Best Flip-Flops for the Beach, Running Errands, and Beyond, According to Podiatrists
• My Search for the Perfect Everyday Sneaker Ended When I Found These

Get more of SELF’s great product recommendations delivered right to your inbox (for free!).