How CGN picks
Every recommendation comes from your answers, real product specs and a set of rules you can read below. Nothing is paid placement.
1. The fit quiz
Seven questions cover health, what you’re shopping for, activity, sizing and width, arch and stride, where it hurts, and how you like your footwear to feel. Your answers stay in your browser.
If you tell us about diabetes, neuropathy, an open wound or foot surgery in the last 12 months, we stop and point you to a clinician. We don’t show products in that case.
2. Hard filters
Some answers rule products out entirely. Ruled-out products stay in the catalog, marked with the reason.
- Product type: shoes, insoles or both.
- Men’s or women’s: the product must be sold in that sizing, or be unisex.
- Budget: list price at or under your maximum. A product with no listed price is ruled out when you set a budget.
- Shoes: the category must suit your activity. Trail running and hiking only get trail shoes.
- Shoes, wide or extra wide: the shoe must list that width. If a shoe lists no widths at all it stays in, with a −2 penalty, because brand data is sparse.
- Insoles: the category must suit the shoe it goes in. Insoles sold for diabetic feet are never picked automatically.
3. Points
Every remaining product starts at zero. Each answer adds or removes points when a product’s published specs match or clash. When a brand doesn’t state a spec, it scores 0, never negative. The full rule set, straight from the engine:
| For | Answer | When the product has… | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoes | Activity | Category built for it (primary / secondary) | +3 / +1 |
| Shoes | Activity | Brand lists it for that activity | +1 |
| Shoes | Feel | Cushioning matches / clashes | +2 / −2 |
| Shoes | Narrow feet | Comes in narrow | +1 |
| Shoes | Wide or extra wide | Lists that width / lists no widths | +0.5 / −2 |
| Shoes | Bunion | Wide or foot-shaped toe box / wide widths | +3 / +1 |
| Shoes | Hammertoe | Wide or foot-shaped toe box | +2 |
| Shoes | Heel pain | High or max cushioning / rocker sole | +1.5 / +0.5 |
| Shoes | Ball-of-foot pain | Rocker sole / high cushioning | +2 / +1 |
| Shoes | Big toe or toes | Rocker sole / plate | +2 / +0.5 |
| Shoes | Achilles | Drop of 8 mm or more / 4 mm or less | +2 / −2 |
| Shoes | Arch pain | Stability support | +0.5 |
| Shoes | Knee | Stability support | +0.5 |
| Shoes | Roll inward | Stability or motion control | +1.5 |
| Shoes | Roll outward | Neutral / stability | +0.5 / −0.5 |
| Shoes | Shopping for both | Removable insole | +1 |
| Insoles | Footwear | Category built for it (primary / secondary) | +3 / +1 |
| Insoles | Activity | Brand lists it for that activity | +1.5 |
| Insoles | Arch height | Exact / sold in several heights / one step off / opposite | +3 / +2 / +1 / −2 |
| Insoles | Arch not sure | Medium height | +1.5 |
| Insoles | Arch | Brand lists it for flat feet or high insteps | +1 |
| Insoles | Feel | Cushioning matches / clashes | +2 / −2 |
| Insoles | Heel pain | Brand lists it for heel pain / deep heel cup / semi-rigid | +2 / +1 / +1 |
| Insoles | Arch pain | Brand lists it for arch pain / semi-rigid | +2 / +0.5 |
| Insoles | Ball-of-foot pain | Metatarsal pad / brand lists it / high cushioning | +2 / +1 / +0.5 |
| Insoles | Big toe or toes | Semi-rigid | +0.5 |
| Insoles | Achilles | Deep heel cup / brand lists it | +1 / +0.5 |
| Insoles | Knee | Brand lists it for knee discomfort | +0.5 |
| Insoles | Roll inward or outward | Brand lists it for that stride | +1 |
| Insoles | Bunion, hammertoe or narrow feet | Low volume | +1 |
| Insoles | No heel pain | 3/4-length or heel-only insert | −1 |
4. The match percentage
The match percentage is a product’s points as a share of your best pick’s points, within its type. The best pick is always 100; a product with half the points shows 50. It compares products with each other for your answers. It is not a measure of how well anything fits your foot.
Example: if your best pick scores 10 points.
5. Your top three
We sort by points, break ties on price, and take the top three of each type, with at most one per brand while other brands remain. You see real alternatives instead of three versions of one model.
What CGN doesn’t do
CGN doesn’t diagnose conditions or replace a clinician. Off-the-shelf products aren’t a substitute for clinical care. If you have diabetes, neuropathy, a wound or recent surgery, get footwear checked by a professional. See the medical disclaimer.