SoleMate Match
Footprints are as unique as fingerprints, so can we suggest

The right shoe for your feet.

Gait specialist physical therapists designed nine questions that generate a shoe recommendation specific to your needs.

Start the surveyHow it works
How it works

Give us two minutes and we can give you our recommendation.

  1. Tell us about your feet

    Nine questions about you, your feet, and the shoes you walk in now. Nothing to measure.

  2. We apply our algorithm

    432 combinations of age, activity, feet, and footwear, each mapped by two physical therapists. We consider the gait biomechanics, your load tolerance, and what the research says about footwear and health.

  3. You get the reasoning

    Your matches, one sentence on why each feature suits you, and how to use your results to find the right shoe in any shoe store.

What you'll get

Not a score. The actual match for all of your individual factors.

  • Your matches. Shoes that meet every requirement, or the closest we could find, with each requirement checked beside the shoe's actual specifications.
  • Why they suit you. One sentence per feature, with the physical therapists' full reasoning a tap away.
  • Your store checklist. Hands-on tests that work with any shoe, any brand, any budget, on a PDF you can take with you.
Example result

Altra Escalante 4

Minimal shoe

Full match
Meets 6 of 6 of your requirements
Your needThis shoe
Meets Toe box WideWide toe box
Meets Arch support Neutral (no built-in arch support)Neutral
Meets Cushion feel FirmerFirmer cushion
Meets Heel-to-toe drop Low to moderate (9mm or less)0 mm drop · minimal
Meets Sole thickness Moderate or lower (35mm or less)24 mm stack · minimal
Meets Heel motion No motion-control featuresNo motion control

For someone 65 or older with balance concerns, neutral arches, and no pain.

Who made this

Who made this

Healthy feet do not need much shoe. Support and cushioning are interventions, added only when they are justified.

Much of what physical therapists know never reaches the people who could use it, because it's stuck inside clinic walls. That includes the biomechanics of the foot during gait, how that varies across individuals, and so which shoe may provide the best support. This site is a piece of the reasoning behind physical therapy, open to everyone.

  • Gloria Han, PT, DPT, GRS
  • Bethany Russell, PT, DPT, GRS

Ready? It takes about two minutes.

No account, no email. Your answers stay in the link to your results.

Start the survey