8 Best Affordable, Vegan, Minimalist Barefoot Shoes

By Alex Assoune Apr 01, 2024

The best barefoot and minimalist shoes for walking or running are cheap, eco-friendly, cruelty-free, and ethically made from natural, organic, or recycled materials.

The best footwear companies make sustainable, versatile, durable, and affordable minimalist shoes that keep your feet healthy and protect the planet.

It's very encouraging to see more shoe brands add ethical, vegan, budget-friendly, and barefoot options to their collections that help you feel the ground and strengthen your lower body.

The best barefoot shoes have a thin sole for minimal support and a good ground feel. Thin soles are ideal for lightweight, zero-drop footwear without raised heel bed or padding around the arch.

Whether you enjoy running, hiking, or wearing lightweight, flexible shoes, here is our selection of the best affordable, vegan, sustainable, minimalist, barefoot shoes.

We've got you covered if you also need eco-friendly, vegan, minimalist barefoot sandals.

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1. Vivobarefoot Primus Trail Knit FG

Category: Sneakers, boots, shoes, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: London, United Kingdom
Values: Natural, vegan, B Corp, give back
Prices: $110-$180

Vivobarefoot is a British minimalist running shoe company founded in 1997. It creates outdoor, active, and everyday barefoot shoes for women, men, and kids using an increasing amount of natural materials.

Vivobarefoot offers many vegan options made with plant-based or recycled materials such as recycled plastics and bio-based polymers to reduce its reliance on petroleum products.

Its minimalist, barefoot shoes are perfect for running and everyday wear with responsive foot control and an adaptive fit. They offer maximum sensory feedback, durability, and functionality.

SHOP VIVOBAREFOOT

2. Xero Shoes Prio Running

Category: Shoes, sandals, flats, boots, sneakers, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: Boulder, Colorado, United States
Values: Recycled, vegan, give back
Prices: $60-$90

Xero Shoes is a shoe brand that makes naturally comfortable, lightweight, barefoot, minimalist shoes. It designs its footwear for walking, running, and athletics with thin and flexible soles that are contoured to the shape of the human foot.

Xero Shoes let you enjoy everything you love about being barefoot, plus the perfect amount of comfort and protection. It offers affordable, super comfy, versatile, Earth and vegan-friendly shoes for women, men, and kids.

SHOP XERO SHOES

3. Ahinsa Chitra Barefoot Running Shoes

Category: Shoes, sneakers, sandals, flip flops, flats, boots, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Prague, Czech Republic
Values: Natural, minimalist, vegan
Prices: $120-$160

Ahinsa is a vegan barefoot shoe brand that makes minimalist footwear for running, hiking, walking, or relaxing. It offers 100% cruelty-free shoes with many health and rehabilitation benefits.

Ahinsa's unique minimalist running shoes are ideal for on-road and offroad activities. They are lightweight, breathable, flexible, and made from high-end materials.

SHOP AHINSA

4. Lems Shoes Primal 2

Category: Clothing, shoes, sneakers, boots, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Boulder, Colorado, United States
Values: Natural, recycled, vegan, minimalist, give back
Prices: $70-$110

Lems Shoes is a footwear brand from Colorado specializing in minimalist footwear that mimics the natural shape of the human foot and designed using the bare minimum.

Lems Shoes makes eco-friendly, vegan, comfortable trainers for women and men from natural and recycled materials. Its minimalist barefoot shoes are lightweight, flexible, with a wide toe-box and thin soles.

Lems Shoes partners with Soles4Souls to put unwanted shoes and clothing to good use, breaking the cycle of poverty, creating jobs, and reducing waste.

SHOP LEMS SHOES

5. Feelgrounds Original Mesh Shoes

Category: Shoes, sneakers, sandals, boots, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Larnaca, Cyprus
Values: Recycled, vegan, minimalist
Prices: $70-$110

Feelgrounds is a German barefoot shoe brand that makes 100% vegan sneakers, boots, and sandals for women and men. Its minimalist barefoot shoes make no compromise between functionality and style.

Feelgrounds provides the most natural walking experience with best-fitting barefoot shoes for a large variety of feet. Its mission is to make barefoot shoes popular and widespread.

Feelgrounds offers eco-friendly, vegan, minimalist shoes that are super soft, zero-drop, breathable, flexible, lightweight, and have a thin sole as well as a wide toe-box.

SHOP FEELGROUNDS

6. Merrell Vapor Glove 5

Category: Clothing, shoes, sneakers, sandals, boots, flats, flip flops, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: Rockford, Michigan, United States
Values: Recycled, vegan, minimalist
Prices: $70-$80

Merrell is an American manufacturer of footwear, clothing, and accessories for the whole family. It offers eco-friendly, vegan, barefoot minimalist shoes for walking and running.

Merrell makes barely-there minimalist shoes with an improved fit and increased resistance. It uses vegan-friendly, recycled materials that provide high comfort and keep the foot in a natural position.

Merrell strives to inspire everyone to explore the outdoors and keep a healthy home environment. It wants to provide the best possible product while preserving the Earth for future generations.

SHOP MERRELL

7. Vibram FiveFingers CVT-Hemp Shoes

Category: Shoes, sneakers, sandals, boots, flats
For: Women, men, children
From: Albizzate, Italy
Values: Natural, vegan, minimalist
Prices: $70-$100

Vibram is an Italian footwear company that makes high-performance, high-comfort minimalist barefoot shoes for women, men, and kids. It offers casual, breathable, sustainable shoes with a barefoot feel.

Vibram also creates running, training, fitness, and outdoor shoes with high flexibility and wet traction. It balances lightness and durability, stability, and comfort.

SHOP VIBRAM

8. Unshoes Terra Vida

Category: Sandals, flip flops, flats
For: Women, men
From: Cedar City, Utah, United States
Values: Natural, minimalist, vegan, made in the USA
Prices: $50-$80

Unshoes is a small but growing American shoe brand that makes footwear that allows you to move naturally. It offers barefoot, minimalist shoes manufactured in the USA.

Unshoes creates stylish, flexible, vegan, zero-drop shoes for women and men. They are very versatile and ideal for feeling the ground under your feet.

SHOP UNSHOES

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About the Author: Alex Assoune

Alex Assoune (MS) is a global health and environmental advocate. He founded Panaprium to inspire others with conscious living, ethical, and sustainable fashion. Alex has worked in many countries to address social and environmental issues. He speaks three languages and holds two Master of Science degrees in Engineering from SIGMA and IFPEN schools.

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