Running Apps

Check out our review of the latest running apps

Running apps are now very much part of the running landscape. Planning routes, developing a training plan and monitoring performance has never been easier. There are many options with new apps being launched on a regular basis. Share your input and take advantage of feedback from others. Some synch with your watch and some don't, while some have much better web versions where you can view progress in detail.

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How do you choose the right one for you?

With so many options available it can be a bit daunting choosing which running app to use. You just have to be clear what you want from it and then it becomes much easier to make the decision.

GPS is a given, to track your runs, but what about rewards within the app when you hit a certain milestone. These little icons can give you a boost when you might need it. Known as gamification, most will have it, but double check. Community is also something most of us look for. Can you share information and talk to others on the app?

What about music and your playlists? Some allow you to sync playlists from your favorite music app. so look out for that, if it's important to you. Do you need the training features? It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or more advanced runner most of the apps available have support for your aspirations, with some aimed more at certain abilities more than others.

What about your watch or 'wearable'. Does the app work with that? Some do for specific brands and others won't. Maybe you just want to use it on your phone and you don't use a watch. That's one less choice to make.

Safety is obviously a key consideration. Double check if the app you're either currently using or thinking about can support you. Some can offer location sharing with trusted contacts.

££ and data

Running apps are big business. Many of the big shoe and apparel manufacturers are getting in on the act and it's little wonder given the size of the market and the opportunity, both for the billions in revenue and the almost limitless data.

You can use running apps in a number of ways. There are free plans that offer a certain level of functionality, including route planning and tracking and additional plans, known as premium, where the user pays a monthly fee to unlock additional features. Often there are two or three premium options. The premium plans obviously generate revenues for the owner of the app, but the free ones aren't a service, they are an incredibly rich source of data for the companies concerned. Imagine being a shoe manufacturer and having access to the running data of tens of thousands of runners, of data that tells you how often they change their shoes and being able to influence their shoe choices. That's what these apps allow them to do. And guess who owns more of these apps than anyone else. Yep, shoe and apparel manufacturers.

So when you're choosing your running app you also need to think about privacy. How much information do you want to share and how do you want it being used? Check the privacy setting if this is a concern to you.

What are the options?

Now that you're ready to look at options, here are some of the best running apps on the App Store (iPhone and Android), for run tracking, route planning and support.

• C25K

  
  

There are many local couch to 5k running apps around the world, but this is the daddy of them all. Developed by US company Zen Labs and launched in 2011, it is used by five million runners around the world. It's perfect for runners looking to run a 5k, whether for the first time or as part of regaining fitness. Laid out in the form of a training plan, the sessions detailed by day for each week. The first week is 3 days and a max of 20 mins a day, split between walking and running. Gradually the time per session increases as you go through the weeks.

The free version includes ads that you can remove if you upgrade to Pro, for a small monthly fee. Once you've done the 5k, you can move to a 10k version, then half marathon and then the marathon.

• Strava

Founded in San Francisco in 2009, Strava has connected over 100 million users. With a tag line on the app of 'track and share with friends' it's obvious how important community is to this app. And it's also very obvious once you sign up, when one of the screens asks who you want to follow from a pre populated list. You can share your runs with others and create groups with others. It's not all about others though. If you just want to remain solo you can change the settings (on the home screen 'choose your privacy settings') so no one knows you're there and you can just use the basic tracking of distance, speed and plotting routes in peace. It also has a shoe tracker, via the website.

There is a premium version, that can be paid for monthly or a one off annual fee, that allows customers extra features such as goal setting, route planning, and advanced activity metrics.

• Runkeeper

  
  

Runkeeper was originally launched in 2008, and was acquired by Asics in 2016. It has over 40 million users and is one of the most popular running apps available. On the free version users can track their exercise, connect with friends, and plan future workouts. and of course there is a shoe tracker, so you'll know when you need new shoes and there's a direct link to the online Asics store where you can buy them! The app is very easy to use and creating routes on the website and storing them for use on the app is straightforward.

The premium version, known as 'Go' offers training plans, tailored motivation, and in-depth insights to help reach your goals. This can be paid monthly or in one hit.

Check out our detailed review of Runkeeper here

• MapMyRun

  
  

Launched in 2007, it was acquired by Under Armour in 2013. It functions well as a simple tracker, and is easy to use. The interface is well designed, and there are a lot of ways to customiSe parts of the app to the way you want it to look. There is of course the shoe tracker, with links to the Under Armour store. There's a social element (not as good as some) and a detailed list of challenges.

A lot of the functions unfortunately are only available in the premium plan, such as the training plans, heart rate, power and cadence analysis. The safety feature, live tracking, is unfortunately only included in premium. That can be paid for monthly or in one payment.

• Nike Run Club

  
  

Launched in 2016 this is Nike's version and one that is great for runners who regularly run with music. You can connect your Spotify or Apple Music to your app and create playlists. Obviously there is a shoe tracker and there are no shortage of recommendations once you reach the point that you need new shoes. Nike Run Club offers three different training plans: Getting Started, 5K, and Half-Marathon. There are also a variety of audio-guided training runs available sorted by distance, time, or goal. These audio-guided runs are led by either Nike’s running coaches or Nike athletes and are aimed more at beginner and intermediate runners.

It's a free tracking and training app; there is no paid tier.

• Runtastic

  
  

This is the adidas offering, launched in 2009 and acquired by adidas in 2015. It's a GPS running tracking app that shows your distance and pace as you run. There are a number of challenges and the option to join with friends who are also using it. There's a live coach feature to encourage you as you run and a shoe tracker. It was reported that Runtastic is being 'retired', so it's likely the Runtastic badge will be removed at some point. It links to all music apps and can be downloaded to most wearables.

It's a free app with no premium features.

• Pumatrac

  
  

This is the Puma version and it's very similar to those offered by Nike and adidas. You can track runs and link to music platforms and there's a shoe tracker of course. There are challenges and you view sessions from the community and also from Puma's trainers. It can be integrated with all the music platforms and with wearables.

As with those from Nike and Adidas there is no premium option.

• Ismoothrun

  
  

This app was launched in 2010 and is independent of the shoe brands. It does have a shoe tracker, but its for information only, not to sell you shoes. As well as all the usual information about your run, like distance, time, steps, weather etc, it also supports run/walk and interval workouts and syncs with a variety of devices. It can also send workout data to other training logs, like runkeeper and you own the data, which is unusual.

It's only available as a paid option, for a small one off fee.

• RoadID

  
  

This is a tracking app with a difference. The difference is the emphasis on safety. It has an eCrumb tracking service, allowing selected people to track you in real-time on a map when you are out running. It also offers a Stationary Alert feature, which sends a notification to the emergency contact if the user being tracked is stationary for more than five minutes.

There is no free version with this app. You either pay monthly or an annual amount.

• Stride

  
  

And now for something completely different! The Stride app allows for traditional tracking of routes but this one had something more. Your location is divided into hexagonal tiles, each representing about 60m across in the real world and the aim of the game is to capture as many of them as possible. It needs lots of users to make it work and that might not always be the case in your location.

This is also a paid only app.

• Google Maps

There is of course the easiest of them all, You can track your runs through your Google account and create your own running routes.