7 Best Rollerblades for Every Skating Level

Rollerblade Zetrablade Inline Skates are our top choice for beginners

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Verywell / Sabrina Jiang

Rollerblades mean different things to different people. For some, rollerblading is a sport. Whether you’re speed skating, slalom skating (performing technical tricks), or aggressive skating (doing tricks like grinds and jumps), you need skates optimized for performance. For others, rollerblading is a way to have fun, get around, or work out. “Rollerblading is a fun activity, but it still targets muscles and improves balance and coordination,” Cristian Plascencia, NSCA-CSCS, sports and performance coach at 1AND1 LIFE, says. If you fall into this category, you really just need comfortable skates.

Reviewed & Approved

Our top pick, Rollerblade Women's Zetrablade Inline Skates are stable, durable, and good for beginners. And Rollerblade’s Men’s Zetrablade Inline Skates are just as sturdy and lined with performance padding.

Finding the right rollerblades for you depends on your skating style and skill level. Athletes need snug skates that offer control, while casual skaters need comfortable padding. Beginners need supportive skates that don’t cost a fortune, while advanced skaters may want to invest in quality. And everyone needs skates that fit. 

To determine the best rollerblades, we spent hours researching top-rated options, considering skate style, comfort, support, and value. We also spoke to four experts about different skating styles and what to consider when buying rollerblades.

According to our research, here are the best rollerblades for every skill level.

Best Women's Overall: Rollerblade Women's Zetrablade Inline Skates

4.8

Courtesy of Dick's Sporting Goods

Pros
  • Stabilizing shell and cuffs

  • Low center of gravity

  • Cushioned with memory foam

Cons
  • Best for entry-level skaters

  • Limited range of motion

We picked Rollerblade’s Zetrablade Women’s Inline Skates as our top women’s pick because they’re comfortable, durable, and easy to use—an ideal combination for recreational skating. The skates have a low center of gravity, supportive high cuffs, and a durable composite shell. These features will stabilize your ankles and feet as you skate, making it easy to maintain your balance.

To keep you comfortable, the skates are lined with plush memory foam. This padding will adjust to your feet over time, so your fit will start snug and become more personalized as you skate. These features, combined with easy-to-fasten buckles and grippy wheels, make these rollerblades great for recreational skaters who need rollerblades that win on convenience and comfort.

Shell Material: Composite | Level: Beginner | Padded: Yes

Best Men's Overall: Rollerblade Men's Zetrablade Inline Skates

4.8

Courtesy of Amazon

Pros
  • Soft boots

  • Stabilizing frame and cuffs

  • Lined with performance padding

Cons
  • Best for entry-level skaters

  • Limited range of motion

Rollerblade’s Men's Zetrablade Inline Skates are perfect for the casual skater. Designed with soft boots and durable composite frames, the skates are comfortable but supportive, which is why we chose them as our top men’s pick. Their low center of gravity will help you stay balanced and in control as you skate. And their sturdy high cuffs will provide even more support.

The skates are lined with plush performance padding, which will cushion your feet and keep you comfortable as you skate. This makes the skates great for beginners who need as much padding as they can get. The skates also boast other useful features, like easy-to-tie laces, quick-fasten buckles, and durable wheels.

Shell Material: Composite | Level: Beginner | Padded: Yes

Best Budget: Roller Derby AERIO Q-60 Women's Inline Skates

Courtesy of Amazon

Pros
  • Comfortable, soft boots

  • Supportive high cuffs

  • Cushioned with memory foam

Cons
  • Best for entry-level skaters

  • Limited range of motion

Looking for a great deal on recreational rollerblades? We recommend Roller Derby’s AERIO Q-60 Inline Skates for a value buy. The skates are designed with soft boots, lightweight frames, and supportive high cuffs. This combination makes the skates comfortable and supportive, which is what casual skaters need from their rollerblades. 

The skates are lined with plush memory foam padding, which will cushion your feet to keep you comfortable as you skate. And they’re equipped with convenient closures—like laces, buckles, and velcro straps—which make it easy to lock in a snug fit. Another perk? While many budget-friendly rollerblades are one-size-fits-all, these are available in specific sizes (currently, sizes 5–10). So you can score a pair that securely fits your feet.

Shell Material: Synthetic textiles | Level: Beginner | Padded: Yes

Best for Beginners: LIKU Black Professional Inline Skates

Courtesy of Amazon

Pros
  • Stabilizing shell and cuffs

  • Low center of gravity

  • Removable memory foam liner

Cons
  • Limited range of motion

When you’re learning to skate, you need support and comfort. And LIKU’s Black Professional Inline Skates offer both. Designed with a stable aluminum frame and a sturdy outer shell, the skates are durable and supportive. We like that they’re designed with other beginner-friendly features, too, like supportive high cuffs and a low center of gravity. All these sturdy details will protect and stabilize your foot, making it easier for you to balance.

Though these LIKU skates may not look as cozy as skates with soft boots, they don’t skimp on comfort. The skates come with removable memory foam liners, which will cushion your feet as you get used to your skates. The skates are also lined with breathable vents to keep your feet from overheating. 

And they’re equipped with shock-absorbing bearings, which smooth out any bumps in the road.

Shell Material: Composite | Level: Beginner | Padded: Yes (removable)

What the Experts Say

“The first step in learning to skate is to stay on your skates,” Alex Shulgan, professional slalom skater and partner at InMove Skates, says. He recommends that beginners look for stabilizing features, like sturdy shells and supportive cuffs.

Best Intermediate: K2 LT Trio 100 Urban Inline Skates

Courtesy of Walmart

Pros
  • Flexible, soft boots and cuffs

  • Speed-friendly, 3-wheel design

  • Padded with foam

Cons
  • Not supportive enough for beginners

  • Not tailored to a specific skating style

Comfortable, fast, and versatile, K2’s Trio LT 100 Inline Skates are an upgrade from entry-level skates. Equipped with soft boots made of mesh and synthetic leather, the skates are less restrictive than beginner skates with sturdy shells. And we love that their flexible cuffs will support your ankles without feeling stiff or uncomfortable. Each skate is also lined with three big wheels instead of four small wheels, letting you pick up more speed than you could on beginner rollerblades.

These upgrades are great. But you don’t have to say goodbye to all your favorite entry-level features: The soft skates are padded with foam, just like your beginner skates were. And their convenient laces should make it easy to find a fit that feels snug and comfortable.

Shell Material: Mesh, synthetic leather | Level: Intermediate | Padded: Yes

Best Advanced: Powerslide Swell Nite 125 Rollerblades

Amazon

Pros
  • High-quality parts and materials

  • Customizable cuffs (cuff spacers)

  • Lined with adaptive padding

Cons
  • Not supportive enough for beginners

  • Not tailored to a specific skating style

  • Expensive

For advanced skaters who want to invest in quality, we recommend Powerslide’s Swell Nite 125 Rollerblades. The sleek skate boots are made from glass fiber reinforced plastic. And they’re lined with 3DAP, a type of padding made from casted polyurethane. Since this padding is seamless, it’s more durable than traditional padding. And it’s designed to mold to your feet for a personalized fit.

Comfort and durability are important, but it’s the little details that make these skates so special. Integrated air vents keep your feet from overheating. Waxed laces are unlikely to come untied mid-skate. 

Cuff spacers make it easy to lengthen or shorten your cuffs, depending on preference. And reflective accents increase your visibility in low-light conditions.

Shell Material: Glass reinforced plastic | Level: Advanced | Padded: Yes

Best for Commuting: Rollerblade Twister XT Inline Skates

Amazon

Pros
  • Light but durable shell

  • Control-friendly, 4-wheel design

  • Padded liner, plus added shock-absorbing foam

Cons
  • Expensive

Commuters need durable city skates that are easy to control. And Rollerblade’s Twister XT Inline Skates fit the bill. Designed with an aluminum frame and hard outer shell, the lightweight skates are sturdy enough to withstand wear and tear without weighing you down. We like that the skates are lined with four small wheels, instead of three big wheels. This swap makes the skates easier to control, so you can accelerate or stop whenever you need to.

To keep you comfortable, the skates are cushioned with a padded liner and equipped with extra shock-absorbing padding in their heels. And they also come with a footboard sizer, which you can use to customize your skates until they fit your feet perfectly.

Shell Material: Composite | Level: Intermediate | Padded: Yes

Best for Slalom Skating: Flying Eagle F5S Eclipse Pro Inline Freeskates

Amazon

Pros
  • Supportive shell with adjustable cuffs

  • Removable padded liner

  • Rockerable frame

Cons
  • Tailored to slalom skating and freeskating only

Slalom skaters perform technical tricks around lines of cones. So they need support, control, and some pretty specific features. For these types of skaters, we recommend Flying Eagle’s F5S Eclipse Skates. The freeskates have an ultra-supportive hard shell made from molded plastic. And their cuffs are adjustable, so you can tighten them to get the snug support you need. The skates also come with a detachable padded liner, which you can leave in for comfort or remove to get a more responsive fit. 

The skates are also equipped with high-rebound wheels and a rockerable frame—two features that are great for slalom skates. (Rockered frames are frames where the first and fourth wheels are smaller than the second and third wheels. They’re big in slalom skating, because they make it easier to turn and transition between tricks.)

Shell Material: Molded plastic | Level: Intermediate and advanced | Padded: Yes (removable)

Best for Aggressive Skating: Rollerblade Blank Inline Skates

Rollerblade

Pros
  • Streamlined but durable shell

  • Low center of gravity

  • Small performance wheels

Cons
  • Tailored to aggressive, park, and street skating only

  • Expensive

Aggressive skaters need performance skates that can handle tricks like grinds and jumps. And with their low center of gravity and small wheels, Rollerblade’s Blank Inline Skates are up to the task. Designed with a glass reinforced nylon frame and a molded shell, the skates are streamlined but durable. And their small performance wheels make landing jumps much easier.

Aggressive skating can get intense, so we like that these skates are padded strategically to keep you comfortable. Each skate is also equipped with a shock-absorbing liner, which will cushion your heels as you tackle grinds and jumps.

Shell Material: Molded composite | Level: Intermediate and advanced | Padded: Yes

Final Verdict

We love Rollerblade’s Zetrablade Women’s Inline Skates because they offer comfort, support, and durability—all at a reasonable price. Designed with a supportive shell and a low center of gravity, the skates make it easier to stay on your feet. And since they’re padded with memory foam, they’ll keep you comfortable as you skate.

Rollerblade’s Men’s Zetrablade Inline Skates are another great option for recreational skaters. Designed with soft boots and lined with performance padding, the skates are comfortable enough to wear for hours. And thanks to supportive features, like sturdy frames and stabilizing cuffs, they make it easy to maintain your balance and stay in control.

How We Selected the Best Rollerblades

Before recommending any rollerblades, we needed to understand what made great rollerblades great. So we turned to four experts: a personal trainer, a professional slalom skater and skate shop manager, a skating instructor and skate shop owner, and another skate shop manager. These experts walked us through the basics of rollerblading—helping us understand which features make rollerblades great for different skating styles and skill levels.

We kept these insights in mind as we researched dozens of top-rated rollerblades, assessing fan-favorites for quality, silhouette, comfort, support/flexibility, and value. We prioritized comfort and support for beginners, quality and flexibility for experts, and specific performance features for athletes. We also considered value, acknowledging that recreational skaters have different price expectations than athletes.

What to Look for in Rollerblades

Comfort

Comfort is key when shopping for rollerblades. Why? “If your skates aren’t comfortable, you’ll skate less,” Shulgan says. But comfort may mean different things, depending on your skill level. Beginners may prefer supportive skates that are heavily padded with foam. Intermediate skaters may prefer a softer, more flexible skate. And some advanced skaters may want to forgo padding to get a more responsive fit and feel.

Support vs. Flexibility

With rollerblades, support and flexibility are often at odds. High cuffs and hard boots stabilize your feet, whereas low cuffs and soft boots make it easy to move around. Since balancing can be tough when you first start skating, beginners typically need the most supportive skates they can find. Intermediate skaters may want to experiment with more flexible skates. And advanced skaters need the combination of support and flexibility that best suits their skating style. 

Fit

“A pair of rollerblades should fit fairly snug,” Arnav “Sonic” Shah, instructor and owner of Kinetic Expression Skate Shop in New York City, says. With your foot fully flat in the boot, he says that you can check the fit of your skates by bending at the ankle and knees. If your foot remains flat in the boot without any curling or pressure points after ten minutes, you should be good to go. Shah says that, in terms of adjustment for fit, you should ensure that the top strap is fairly tight. Look for features like straps, buckles, and laces, that will help you feel secure in the boots.

Silhouette

If you’re a beginner skater, a boot-shaped rollerblade—that will stabilize your ankle and foot—is a good choice. “Having a skate that isn’t too loose, and ensuring that the top strap is on tight are both important in terms of stabilization,” Shah says. If you’re a performance skater, a rollerblade with a lower-profile boot may be preferable, since it offers a wider range of motion.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How should rollerblades fit?

    For most people, rollerblades should fit a little tighter than your shoes.Your feet shouldn't be able to move around inside the skate,” AJ DeLong, operations manager at Shop Task Skates, says. “It’s OK if your toes have a bit of wiggle room, but the rest of your foot should be snug. This kind of fit will give you good control and support while skating.”

  • What is the difference between rollerblades and roller skates?

    The main difference between rollerblades and roller skates is the number and arrangement of the wheels. Roller skates always have four wheels that are aligned in two rows. The rubber brakes are arranged in front of the wheels. On the other hand, rollerblades may have three, four, or even five wheels on each skate. The wheels are usually thinner than those on roller skates and the rubber brakes are placed in the back, behind the wheels. Rollerblades also have larger wheels than roller skates, so they’re much faster and a better choice for speed skating.
    “Most inline skates use a hard outer plastic shell that comes up above your ankle and that provides a lot of lateral support,” DeLong says. “In contrast, roller skates are usually made of leather and come up just above or even below the ankle, giving the skater more ankle mobility which can be helpful for certain styles of roller skating.”

  • Is rollerblading a good workout?

    Rollerblading is an excellent cardio workout, and it also works a lot of muscles at the same time. “Rollerblading is a really great physical activity,” Plascencia says. “It targets your quads, lower legs, and even your core.”

  • How do you stop on rollerblades?

    Beginner-friendly rollerblades come equipped with heel brakes, which you can rely on when you need to stop. To stop with your heel brake, bend your knees slightly, push one foot forward, and tilt your heel toward the ground. Let your heel brake drag along the ground until you come to a stop. 

    You can also stop on rollerblades by dragging one foot behind you and turning it sideways, with your toes pointed out. In this stop, you want to use the sides of your wheels to create enough friction to stop.

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