TheRoundup is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you make a purchase via links on this site, at no cost to you.
All products are reviewed in accordance with our Review Methodology.
Editorial Disclosure: ZuZu Barefoot paid TheRoundup.org an editorial fee for this independent brand review and gifted sandals for testing. Payment and gifting did not guarantee a positive review, and ZuZu Barefoot did not receive final editorial control.
ZuZu Barefoot sandals are a great option for beginners, vegans, and zero-waste shoppers on a budget.
All ZuZu sandals are easy to wear, made partly from sustainable materials, and the majority are designed to be repaired rather than replaced.
My wife and I spent an entire summer testing all four ZuZu models in real-life scenarios, including vacation walks, runs, and evenings out.
This ZuZu review is for anyone weighing the brand against bigger barefoot rivals, and for anyone buying a first pair of barefoot sandals.
The main pros of ZuZu Barefoot shoes are comfort, a secure fit, and vegan materials at a fair price. The main cons are wet-weather quirks and uncertified sustainability claims.
We rate ZuZu barefoot shoes as good overall, because the pros outweighed the cons throughout our summer of testing.
Get 10% Discount at ZuZu Barefoot With Coupon Code ROUNDUP10
Yes, ZuZu barefoot shoes are good, and the whole range impressed us when we tested it.
My wife (henceforth affectionately referred to as Mrs. M) and I tested all four ZuZu models through a full summer of real-life daily wear. We each finished the summer with a favorite ZuZu model; mine was the Drift, and hers was the Groove.
ZuZu offers different sole thicknesses to suit different tastes and experience levels. I have worn barefoot footwear for years and enjoy the thinnest soles, while Mrs. M is newer to barefoot footwear and preferred the thicker ZuZu models.
ZuZu barefoot shoes are more eco-friendly than standard foam sandals, but they're not 100% sustainable.
Each ZuZu sandal is partly made from renewable and recycled materials, but mixed with some conventional synthetic materials.
ZuZu designs its sandals to be repaired, which helps reduce waste and makes them last longer.
The materials used in ZuZu barefoot shoes are natural rubber, rice husk, recycled polyester, synthetic foam, canvas, vegan leather, and stainless steel.
Each material serves a specific purpose in the sandal.
Every material in every ZuZu model is vegan. ZuZu describes its midsole and footbed materials as anti-bacterial but does not name the treatment behind the claim.
ZuZu makes its sandals at a factory in Vietnam and publishes little about the ethics of its manufacturing process.
The clearest ethical commitment ZuZu publishes is its materials policy, which is to choose more sustainable materials wherever they meet the brand's standards for comfort, durability, and performance.
ZuZu's website does not mention anything about factory working conditions, energy and water use, packaging, or shipping emissions. As far as I'm aware, there have been no independent audits of the facility.
Yes, ZuZu barefoot shoes are comfortable once the straps are adjusted to your feet. The break-in period on ZuZu sandals is a few wears at most, all of it spent getting the straps right.
In my case, the Drift's front strap rubbed my big and little toes until a few small adjustments stopped it. Mrs. M's ZuZu sandals fit well from the first wear, so she was able to walk in them for hours at a time.
The Flex sandal's toe strap irritates me after a few hours, though having material between my toes bothers me in any sandal. Adjusting to ZuZu's thin, flexible soles also takes a while if you normally wear cushioned shoes.
ZuZu sandals are designed for long-term durability, with straps you can replace and warranties that cover both defects and sole wear.
The straps on every ZuZu model except the Drift are replaceable at home.
ZuZu covers manufacturing defects (faulty gluing, damaged buckles, stitching failures) for 12 months. Under a separate sole warranty, ZuZu replaces soles that wear down in regular use within 10,000 km (6,214 miles). After 12 months, ZuZu still offers paid repairs.
Our own ZuZu testing lasted one summer, long enough to judge fit and comfort but too short to see years of wear.
ZuZu Barefoot sandals are suitable for everyday wear, all-day walking, wet conditions, travel, occasional hiking, and barefoot-style running. Different features of the sandal suit different activities.
Yes, ZuZu barefoot shoes are good for beginner minimalist runners, provided you choose the right model.
The cushioned Groove is the best ZuZu model for a beginner to start with. Mrs. M ran 5k (3.1 miles) four times in the ZuZu Groove during our summer of testing. The 5k runs were Mrs. M's first in any sandal, and she finished the four runs surprised at how secure and comfortable the Groove stayed compared to her usual cushioned running shoes.
Beginners should avoid the thinner ZuZu Flow at first. Mrs. M found the Flow's 6mm (¼ inch) sole too thin to walk far in, let alone run.
Yes, ZuZu barefoot shoes are good for wide feet. ZuZu shapes every sole like a bare foot, so it's widest across the toes. Mrs. M's toes spread naturally in both of the ZuZu models she tested.
People with very narrow feet may actually find ZuZu shoes too wide and find that they slip.
Download ZuZu's printable sizing template to check your foot against the exact outline of every size before ordering.
Customers are generally very positive about ZuZu Barefoot. At the time of writing, ZuZu's website shows an average rating of 4.79 out of 5 across 1,547 reviews.
Reviewers across all four models praise comfort from the first wear, a secure strap fit, and grip on wet ground. One ZuZu Flow owner wrote that the sandals "almost feel like an extension of my feet."
The main complaints about ZuZu sandals are that the ZuZu Flex and the Groove straps loosen when wet. A few owners find the Flow's sole too thin.
The key to becoming a satisfied customer lies in choosing the correct ZuZu Barefoot style for your needs.
ZuZu makes four barefoot sandal styles: the Groove, the Drift, the Flow, and the Flex.
All four styles are huarache sandals, meaning a flat, flexible sole held to the foot by adjustable straps.
We tested all ZuZu styles, and here's what we found.
The ZuZu Groove is the brand's most comfortable design thanks to a cushioned foam midsole and a breathable vegan leather footbed.
Mrs. M wore the Groove all summer and rated it as her favorite. The Groove is the one ZuZu model with a vegan leather footbed, which feels smoother underfoot than the canvas footbeds on the other three models.
The Groove's straps do a good job keeping the sandal secure on Mrs. M's feet through long walks and runs.
We found very few negatives about the Groove design during our testing. Some reviews claim that the vegan leather footbed turns slippery when fully soaked. The straps also loosen when they get wet and need a few seconds of retightening.
Get 10% Discount at ZuZu Barefoot With Coupon Code ROUNDUP10
The ZuZu Drift is ideal for everyday use, thanks to a fast Velcro fastening and no toe post. The Drift was my favorite of the four ZuZu models because it's the only ZuZu model without a toe post. I picked the Drift over the Flex for the open toes and the extra ground feel of the Drift's thinner 9mm (0.35 inch) sole.
The Velcro fastenings help you get the Drift on and off quickly and easily. But these are the only ZuZu straps you cannot replace at home, so worn-out straps mean you need to replace the whole show.
Although it's not a huge deal, I was surprised by this design's weight. For such a simple sandal, the Drift weighs the most of the four ZuZu designs at 170g (6 oz) per sandal.
Get 10% Discount at ZuZu Barefoot With Coupon Code ROUNDUP10
The ZuZu Flow is the model to choose for maximum ground feel, thanks to a 6mm (¼ inch) single-layer sole thickness with no midsole. The Flow is also ZuZu's lightest and cheapest sandal, at 140g (4.9 oz) and $79.
Mrs. M kept the Flow for wearing around the house, but recommends it to anyone already comfortable on thin soles. One experienced barefoot-sandal owner rated the Flow on par with Shamma, a better-known barefoot sandal brand.
Owners who praise the Flow's ground feel also report two quirks. The tread lugs press through the thin sole underfoot. The black canvas footbed can also stain feet at first, though owners say the staining stops after the first few wears.
Get 10% Discount at ZuZu Barefoot With Coupon Code ROUNDUP10
The ZuZu Flex makes a great hiking sandal because it has the best grip in wet conditions, and a thicker sole with a nice balance of durability and softness underfoot.
The Flex's 10.5mm (0.41 inch) stack, an EVA foam midsole under a canvas footbed, is the tallest in the ZuZu range. I liked wearing the Flex as an adventure sandal, though its slightly thicker sole meant I lost a little of the ground feel I get from the Drift.
Owners who praise the Flex's grip also report two caveats. Some owners find the sole stiffer than ultra-thin barefoot sandals, though still flexible. The straps also loosen when they get wet, which is the same complaint owners make about the Groove's buckled straps.
Get 10% Discount at ZuZu Barefoot With Coupon Code ROUNDUP10
Overall, I feel ZuZu's range has an option for everyone. But if you're new to barefoot shoes, you should also know how ZuZu compares to the alternatives.
The strongest alternatives to ZuZu are Vivobarefoot and Xero Shoes, two bigger barefoot brands we have tested across several reviews.
The table below compares key aspects of ZuZu, Vivobarefoot, and Xero Shoes side by side.
| ZuZu | Vivobarefoot | Xero Shoes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Products | Huarache sandals only | Closed shoes and one leather sandal | Sandals and shoes |
| Sandal prices | $79 to $99 | $150 to $200 | $49.99 to $79.99 |
| Vegan | Yes, every model | Not guaranteed | Yes (Aqua Cloud) |
| Third-party certification | None | B Corporation | None |
| Sandal stack heights | 6mm (0.24 inches) to 10.5mm (0.41 inches) | 3mm (0.12 inches) | 3mm (0.12 inches) |
| Sole warranty | 10,000 km (6,214 miles) | N/A | 5,000 miles (8,047 km) |
| Repair scheme | Paid repairs after warranty | Revivo repair and resale | N/A |
ZuZu is better than Vivobarefoot for vegans, buyers with smaller budgets, and for barefoot beginners.
Every sandal in the ZuZu range is vegan at prices between $79 and $99. Beginners also get an easier start from ZuZu, because ZuZu's cushioned soles are far thicker than the 3mm (0.12 inch) sole on the Vivobarefoot sandal.
Vivobarefoot beats ZuZu for trail running and also sells closed barefoot shoes suitable for cold-weather wear, which ZuZu does not. But its thin soles are better suited to experienced barefoot runners than to beginners.
Vivobarefoot isn't a vegan brand, but it has the advantage of being B-Corp certified, which means its social and environmental practices are independently audited. This comes at a price, though. Vivobarefoot sandals are up to twice as expensive as ZuZu's.
Xero Shoes is the closest rival to ZuZu, with six sandal models priced from $44.99 to $79.99.
We rated the $49.99 Xero Aqua Cloud Best Value in our barefoot sandal for women roundup, for its thin 3mm (0.12 inch) sole and strong wet grip at a low price.
ZuZu's sole warranty covers about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) more than Xero's. Choose Xero to spend the least, or to buy shoes and sandals from one brand. Choose ZuZu for the longer sole warranty, and for straps you can swap at home when they wear out.
ZuZu is worth the extra cost if you decide the sandals are right for your feet and your plans.
ZuZu is right for you if you want a comfortable vegan barefoot sandal for less than $100.
Choose ZuZu if:
Choose an alternative if:
The right ZuZu sandal turned out to be the Drift for me and the Groove for Mrs. M.
Get 10% Discount at ZuZu Barefoot With Coupon Code ROUNDUP10
