Li-Ning matches the big three closely where it matters most: the Feidian 6 racers and Red Hare 9 trainers have clear Nike, Puma and Adidas equivalents, and in Australia they usually cost less. Below that tier the matches get weak, the specs get thin and most shoes are import-only. Buy the racers and trainers on the evidence; treat the trail, stability and lifestyle lines as guesswork.
The Li-Ning Feidian 6 Elite is the closest thing to a like-for-like rival to the Nike Alphafly 3, Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 and Adidas Adios Pro 4 — and at A$299.95 in Australia it is A$40–A$90 cheaper than all three. That is the headline. The rest of this page maps every current Li-Ning running shoe to its nearest equivalent from each brand, and says how good each match is.
This is a spec-and-source comparison, not a wear test. The matches are made on function — category, foam, plate, stack, drop and weight — with price considered last. Lab figures are credited to whoever measured them.
For the brands’ history and how Li-Ning and Anta got here, start with Li-Ning and Anta vs Nike, Adidas and Puma.
For the shoe-by-shoe detail against one brand at a time:
Decoding Li-Ning’s names
Li-Ning sells the same shoes under Chinese and English names, which makes searching for them harder than it should be.
| Chinese name | English name | What the line is |
|---|---|---|
| Feidian (飞电) | Feidian | Carbon-plated racers |
| Chitu (赤兔) | Red Hare | Trainers and super trainers |
| Chaoying (超影) | Super Shadow | Light up-tempo trainer |
| Yueying (越影) | Yueying | Cushioned daily and entry shoes |
| Jueying (绝影) | Shadow | High-stack lifestyle runners |
| Dilu (的卢) | Dilu | Trail |
| Liejun (烈骏) | Liejun | Support and stability |
The foam names matter too. BOOM is Li-Ning’s PEBA-based supercritical foam, in the same family as Nike ZoomX, Puma Nitro Elite and Adidas Lightstrike Pro. Super BOOM is the newer, more premium version, and a Super BOOM Capsule is a sealed pod of it added for extra bounce. Cheaper models use EVA-type foams.
The Wade and “Wade Shadow” shoes are basketball shoes, so they are left out.
The full match table
| Li-Ning | Category | Nike | Puma | Adidas | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feidian 6 Ultra | Marathon super shoe, specialist | Alphafly 3 | Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 | Adios Pro Evo / Adios Pro 4 | Good |
| Feidian 6 Elite | Marathon super shoe | Alphafly 3 | Deviate Nitro Elite 4 | Adios Pro 4 | Strong |
| Feidian 6 Challenger | Budget carbon racer, tempo | Zoom Fly 6 | Deviate Nitro 4 | Boston 13 | Good |
| Red Hare 9 Ultra | Max-stack super trainer | Vomero Plus | MagMax Nitro 2 | Evo SL (lower stack) | Moderate |
| Red Hare 9 Pro | Versatile daily trainer | Pegasus 42 | Velocity Nitro 5 | Adizero SL2 | Good |
| Chaoying Pro (Super Shadow) | Light up-tempo trainer | Pegasus Plus 2 | Velocity Nitro 5 | Evo SL | Good |
| Yueying 6 Pro | Max-cushion daily | Vomero 18 | MagMax Nitro 2 | Supernova Rise 2 | Moderate |
| Red Hare 9 / Yueying 6 | Entry trainers | Winflo 11 | Velocity Nitro 5 | Duramo SL 2 | Weak |
| Dilu 2 / Dilu 2 PRO | Trail / carbon trail racer | Pegasus Trail 5 / Ultrafly | Fast-Trac Nitro 4 | Terrex Agravic range | Weak |
| Liejun 8 | Stability trainer | Structure 26 | ForeverRun Nitro 3 | Supernova Solution | Weak |
| Liejun 8 Pro, Dilu 2 CTRL, Jueying 4 | Carbon support, lifestyle | None | None | None | No match |
“Strong” means an independent lab has tested the two shoes head to head. “Weak” means the match is my judgement from category and foam type, because Li-Ning publishes little or nothing for that shoe outside China.
The specs that have been measured
Only five current Li-Ning running shoes have independent lab data. Everything here is from RTINGS, which tested men’s US 9 pairs.
| Li-Ning | Heel stack | Drop measured | Drop claimed | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feidian 6 Ultra | 40.7 mm | 9.3 mm | 6 mm | 207.0 g |
| Feidian 6 Elite | 39.7 mm | 5.4 mm | 6 mm | 205.1 g |
| Red Hare 9 Ultra | 46.2 mm | 9.1 mm | 8 mm | 237.2 g |
| Red Hare 9 Pro | 36.0 mm | 7.6 mm | 8 mm | 231.8 g |
| Chaoying Pro | 40.9 mm | 10.1 mm | 7 mm | 222.5 g |
Look at the drop columns. Three of the five measured several millimetres higher than claimed, the Feidian 6 Ultra by over 3 mm. If you are moving from a genuinely low-drop shoe, that difference lands on your calves and Achilles — the drop explainer covers why.
The Feidian 6 Challenger has no lab data I could find. Published stack figures for it disagree between 37 mm and 39.5 mm.
Australian prices, side by side
All prices are the listed price on the brand’s own Australian store, or Running Warehouse Australia for Li-Ning, checked 11 October 2026.
| Tier | Li-Ning | Nike | Puma | Adidas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flagship racer | Feidian 6 Elite A$299.95 | Alphafly 3 A$390 | Deviate Nitro Elite 4 A$340 | Adios Pro 4 A$360 |
| Specialist racer | Feidian 6 Ultra A$499.95 | — | Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 A$380 | — |
| Plated trainer | Feidian 6 Challenger A$219.96 | Zoom Fly 6 A$260 | Deviate Nitro 4 A$260 | Boston 13 A$260 |
| Super trainer | Red Hare 9 Ultra A$239.95 | Vomero Plus A$260 | MagMax Nitro 2 A$280 | Evo SL A$240 |
Sources: Running Warehouse AU, Nike AU, Puma AU, Adidas AU. Checked 11 October 2026.
Two things stand out. The Feidian 6 Elite undercuts every rival flagship. The Feidian 6 Ultra does the opposite: at A$499.95 it is A$120 more than the Puma it most resembles, and Running Warehouse had one colourway in US 9 D only.
Where Li-Ning wins, and where it doesn’t
Racers. RTINGS tested the Feidian 6 Elite against the Alphafly 3 and found the Li-Ning more energetic and more aggressively rockered, the Nike slightly lighter and more stable. Suguru Osako set the Japanese marathon record of 2:04:55 in Valencia in December 2025 in a Feidian 6 Elite, per Runner’s Verdict. The Ultra is not a “better Elite”: it is a narrower tool for fast forefoot strikers, much like the Fast-R.
Trainers. The Red Hare 9 Ultra is the odd one out — a 46 mm heel at about 237 g. Nobody else sells that combination. The trade is stability: RTINGS scored it 6.3 for stability against 9.4 for cushioning.
Fit. RTINGS describes Li-Ning arches as very narrow on the Elite and extremely narrow on the Chaoying Pro. Wide feet should try before buying, or read the wide feet guide.
Availability. In Australia, only the three Feidian 6 racers, the Red Hare 9 range and the Super Shadow are sold by local shops. Everything else means importing, with the costs and risks in the grey-import checklist.
For hybrid racers
None of the carbon racers here belongs on a sled. A stiff plate and tall, soft stack work against you on pushes, lunges and wall balls — see carbon plates in HYROX. The Red Hare 9 Pro is the most sensible Li-Ning for a HYROX block: firm-ish, stable for its class and A$159.99 RRP at Blue Sky Athletics.
How confident is each match?
- Verified: RTINGS lab data for five shoes; Australian prices from the brands’ and retailers’ own pages, checked 11 October 2026.
- Inconsistent between sources: drop on the Ultra, Red Hare 9 Ultra and Chaoying Pro; Challenger stack; weights, which change with test size.
- Chinese-language or reseller only: the Jueying, Dilu, Liejun, Yueying and Super Light lines. Treat their weights and prices as indicative.
- Judgement, not testing: every match rated Weak or No match above.