Most modern football cleats come in one of two outsole designs - hard molded or detachable stud:
Football cleats come in a variety of cuts and styles, which describe the height of the upper and where it sits on the ankle. This does not determine how wide the football cleat is. Each style offers different benefits to the player, and your choice should depend on personal preference, position, style, and foot and ankle health:
Football cleats can range from a fairly affordable $45 to a pro-level $140. But what exactly are you getting for the price? Should you only look for expensive cleats, to avoid poor-performance or low-quality?
The first thing to take notice of, when buying new cleats, is the brand. Trusted football cleat brands like Under Armour, Nike, and New Balance have been developing and designing cleats for years, and are trusted by players of all ages and skill levels. Even their most affordable cleats are still high-quality products that will last. That being said, there are certainly differences between the cleats at different price ranges, and these are designed for different types of players.
More affordable cleats provide great lightweight performance and solid acceleration for youth, high school, and some college players and typically feature:
Higher end cleats are generally designed for more advanced high school, college, and pro players, these cleats deliver pro-level speed, maneuvering, and performance and feature: