Best height increasing insoles 2026: how much taller you can get, which are comfortable and which to buy

Height increasing insoles add 3 to 7 cm of real height, instantly, and nobody can see them. The catch is that a $20 gel shoe lift that shifts around inside your sneaker and a properly engineered height insole you can wear through a ten-hour shift are not the same product. This guide covers what they are, how much taller you actually get, which shoes hide them, what size to order and which ones are worth buying in Australia in 2026.

What height increasing insoles are (and what they are not)

A height increasing insole is an insole with a built-in lift under the heel. It goes inside your shoe, on top of the original insole or in its place, and raises your foot by a few centimetres. The shoe looks exactly the same from the outside; the only difference is that you are standing taller inside it.

You will see them sold under several names, and they do not all mean the same thing:

• Shoe lifts or heel lifts: just the wedge that sits under the heel. The cheapest and oldest option; the problem is that it slides around and concentrates your weight on one spot. In search results "heel lifts" usually means the orthopaedic version, prescribed for a leg-length difference.
• Height insoles or elevator insoles: the full insole, heel to toe, with the elevation built in. This is what most people buy today, because it stays put and spreads the load.
• Insoles to make you taller: the plain-English name for the same thing; if you searched that phrase, this guide is about you.

What they are not: a treatment that makes you grow. They do not change your bone height; they raise you while you wear them, the same way a heel does. The advantage over a heel is that nobody can see it.

How much taller you really get: 3, 5 or 7 cm

This is where the exaggeration lives. You will see adverts promising "+10 cm" or "+12 cm", but above 7 cm your heel lifts out of the shoe, your ankle loses stability and walking gets awkward. The three heights that work in practice are these:

One detail almost nobody mentions: the height you actually gain is slightly less than the height of the wedge, because the material compresses under your weight. A soft foam lift can lose a full centimetre; a structural EVA insole loses millimetres. That is why the material matters, not just the number on the box.

Shoe lifts vs height insoles vs elevator shoes: compared

There are three ways to gain height inside your footwear. Here is the honest comparison:

The verdict: if you want more than 7 cm and do not mind wearing the same pair every day, an elevator shoe makes sense. For everything else, a full height insole wins on price, discretion and freedom of footwear. The long version is in height insoles vs elevator shoes.

Can people tell? Which shoes to wear with each height

The question everyone asks. The short answer: nobody can tell as long as your heel does not show. What gives a lift away is not the insole itself but seeing your heel above the heel counter of the shoe. The practical rule:

• 3 cm: invisible in any closed shoe. Loafers, Oxfords, boat shoes, low-top trainers.
• 5 cm: invisible in mid-top trainers, Chelsea boots, boots and most running shoes. In a low dress shoe about 1 cm of heel may show: wear socks the colour of the shoe.
• 7 cm: high-top trainers or boots. In a Chelsea or a work boot it is completely invisible.

Two more tips: choose insoles in a dark colour (a white or clear lift shows when you take your shoes off or cross your legs), and if the shoe is a tight fit, remove the original insole to free up that space.

Comfort: why some insoles hurt and others do not

This is what separates the insoles that get worn from the ones that end up in a drawer. When you raise the heel, your weight shifts forward and concentrates on a smaller area. A solid gel or hard EVA lift sends all of that load into one point on the heel and into the ball of the foot: after three hours it hurts.

Well-designed insoles solve this in three ways:

• Chambered cushioning: instead of one block, the heel rests on independent cells that give according to pressure. The ExtraCM Soft Pro uses the Bio-Align Pod system, 18 independent foam chambers under the heel and arch that spread the load, and it is the reason it can be worn for 8-10 hours straight.
• Arch support: as the heel goes up, the arch tends to collapse. A full insole with a moulded arch keeps the foot in position; a loose lift does not.
• A base that does not move: an anti-slip film (in ExtraCM, the GripLoc layer) stops the insole shifting inside the shoe, which is the number-one complaint about cheap shoe lifts.

Advice for the first few days: if you have never worn lifts, start at 3 cm for two or three days and go up from there. Your ankles adapt quickly, but going from zero to 7 cm on a ten-hour day is the surest way to end up with sore calves. The real risks and how to avoid them are covered in are height insoles bad for your feet?.

Which size to choose and how to trim them

Order your shoe size, not your foot length. At ExtraCM the sizing is:

If you fall between two sizes, order the larger one: the insoles have trim guides at the toe and take a minute to cut down with scissors. Never trim at the heel, because that is where the lift is. The full walkthrough is in which height insole to choose and how to get the size right.

Which to buy in 2026: what to look for

Before you compare brands, check these five things on any product page. They are what really separates an insole you will wear from one you will return:

1. A full insole, not a loose lift. Heel to toe. If the photo shows only a wedge, it will slide.
2. Real cushioning under the heel. Chambers, cells or variable-density foam. "Gel" on its own usually means a solid block.
3. A fixed, quality height beats stackable layers. The "4-layer adjustable" insoles sell well because they look versatile, but the layers separate, creak and lose height. It is better to pick 3, 5 or 7 cm and have it as one solid piece.
4. A material that does not flatten. Structural EVA or high-density polyurethane. Ask whether it carries a warranty against compression: ExtraCM gives a lifetime one.
5. No-questions returns. This is a product you need to test with your own shoes and your own routine. A 90-day trial is the serious standard; 14 days is not long enough to know.

What to expect to pay

A basic gel shoe lift sells for around $15-20 and tends to last a season. A full height insole with proper cushioning runs between $50 and $70 depending on the height: in Australia the ExtraCM Soft Pro is $50 (+3 cm), $60 (+5 cm) and $70 (+7 cm) AUD, with free shipping on orders over $80 and a 90-day money-back guarantee. The three-height bundle is $140, cheaper than buying the three separately, and it puts the "5 or 7?" dilemma to bed for good.

What an expert says

"The usual mistake is buying the tallest, cheapest lift. Your foot does not complain about height, it complains about pressure: a 5 cm lift with good cushioning is more comfortable than a 3 cm block of solid gel. And a full insole that does not move avoids the rubbing that causes blisters."

— Dr. Marcus Lehmann, orthopaedic specialist, Berlin

Frequently asked questions

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