New Balance 550 vs 740: Which Retro Sneaker Should You Buy

Buy the 550 if you want New Balance's basketball-court silhouette for everyday wear and you're not putting real miles on it. Buy the 740 if you want something closer to an actual training shoe, with a lower stack and an upper built to flex instead of a stiff leather panel. Both are New Balance reissues, but they come from opposite ends of the brand's catalog, and right now we only have them in specific, non-overlapping sizes, which matters more than the spec sheet.

The 550 Is a Basketball Shoe Wearing Streetwear Clothes

The 550 started life in 1989 as an on-court basketball shoe. New Balance pulled it from the lineup for years, then brought it back around 2020 as a lifestyle sneaker after it started showing up on celebrities and resale sites. The shape still reads like a basketball shoe: a chunky, slightly boxy low-top profile, mixed leather-and-suede panels, and a wide platform meant for lateral cuts on a court rather than forward motion on pavement. That's exactly why it pairs well with straight-leg denim or cargo pants and looks awkward with running shorts.

We have two builds in stock in the BB550FLV green-and-grey colorway: a men's size 12 at $111.87 (New Balance 550 BB550FLV Green Grey Men's Size 12 Retro Sneaker) and a men's size 9.5 at $94.92 (New Balance 550 BB550FLV Green Grey Men's Size 9.5 Retro Sneaker).

The 740 Skews Toward Actual Running

The 740 sits in New Balance's budget retro-runner tier. It's built and sized more like a training shoe than a basketball reissue: a lower stack height, a mesh-and-suede upper with more give through the forefoot, and cushioning aimed at absorbing a heel strike rather than surviving a hard cut to the basket. It reads as a shoe you'd actually wear to walk a few miles, not a shoe you buy to be seen in.

Right now we carry one build, the U740CG2 in purple and white, listed as a size 4.5 in men's or a 6 in women's, at $86.45 (New Balance 740 Purple White Size 4.5 Unisex (Women 6) U740CG2).

The Size Run Decides This More Than the Shoe Does

Here's the part most comparisons skip: these two shoes aren't actually interchangeable options for the same shopper right now. The 550 is only in stock in men's 9.5 and 12. The 740 is only in stock in a women's 6, equivalent to roughly a men's 4.5. If your foot sits anywhere between a men's 10 and 11, neither one currently fits you, and no amount of styling preference changes that. This isn't a case where you weigh cushioning against looks and pick a winner. You're picking based on which size range matches your foot, and only then thinking about which silhouette you'd rather wear.

If you do land in one of those windows, the fit character still differs. The 550's basketball last runs a touch roomier across the forefoot, which is common on 1980s and 1990s hoop shoes reissued for street wear. The 740's running-shoe last sits closer through the midfoot, so a half-size swap matters more there than it does on the 550.

Which One to Actually Buy

If you wear a men's 9.5 or 12, get the 550. It's the better everyday shoe for jeans, and the leather-and-suede build holds up fine to daily wear even though it wasn't designed for it. If your foot is closer to a women's 6, the 740 is the pick, especially if you want something you'll actually walk in rather than just stand around in. Neither shoe is a performance running shoe in the way a current Fresh Foam model is, so if you need real mileage support and not a work shoe, look elsewhere in the catalog.

On that note, if what you actually need is footwear for standing on concrete all day rather than a retro sneaker, we also have the New Balance Industrial 412 Black Grey Men's Size 11 Slip Resistant Work Shoe at $99.99, which is built for exactly that and isn't trying to double as a lifestyle shoe.

Check your size against what's actually listed before you buy. A great shoe in the wrong size isn't a deal.