Running is a popular form of exercise that provides numerous health benefits. With the rise of technology, many individuals have turned to running apps to track their progress, set goals, and stay motivated. This article will explore some of the best running apps available for Android and iOS devices. The apps will be evaluated based on features such as GPS tracking, personalized coaching, social sharing, and compatibility with wearable devices.
We have compiled a list of 7 Best Running Apps For Android & iOS for your consideration, which have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation by our team of experts.
Table of Contents
7 Best Running Apps For Android & iOS
1. Nike+ Run Club
The Nike Run Club app offers various features to support running, including expert coaching, training plans, pace tracking, GPS distance tracking, and a running log. It also provides access to a community of runners for motivation and guidance. Users can create and share challenges with friends, track their personal records, and benefit from the shoe tagging functionality. The app also offers training advice, wellness tips, and community stories in its feed. Nike Run Club has Guided Runs that feature coaches and Nike legends, along with Audio Guided Runs that include motivation and inspiration from Nike coaches, elite athletes, and entertainers. The app syncs with Android OS supported devices to provide constant connection for activity tracking. It also works with Google Fit and can record heart-rate data. The app is available for download in various countries, and training plans are available in the US, UK, JP, CN, and BR. However, continued use of GPS running in the background can decrease battery life.
2. Pacer
The Pacer App is a free health counter that allows users to track their steps, walking, and weight loss. The app syncs steps and calories with MyFitnessPal and Fitbit, providing users with a comprehensive overview of their fitness progress.
The app features a pedometer, step counter, and health tracker. Users can track their walk distance and calories burned with 24/7 step counting. The app is designed to turn the user’s phone into a personal health and weight loss tracker.
Pacer’s guided fitness plans and activity tracking help users lose weight and get fit. The app encourages community engagement, allowing users to join health, fitness, and walking groups.
To use Pacer, users simply download the app and start walking. The app tracks steps automatically if the phone is with the user. Pacer offers four main features: “Trends” which tracks complete activity history, “Explore” which offers groups and challenges, “Me” which tracks weight and habits, and “Plan” which provides daily exercise plans.
For better accuracy, users can adjust the Pedometer mode in “Pedometer Preferences,” add the app to their cleaning tool’s “ignore” list, and adjust the step counter sensitivity if needed. However, some phones may not accurately track steps if the screen is off or locked.
The Pacer App does not require any additional tracker hardware and is free. Users can count their steps just using their phone without any website login needed.
3. Pumatrac
PUMATRAC is a fitness app that provides users with access to over 120 free premium workouts for all skill levels. It can be used wherever and whenever, and no equipment is required to use the app. Users can get personalized training recommendations to help them achieve their fitness goals.
This app offers over 3,000 minutes of unique video-guided drills from world-class Trainers and PUMA Athletes, delivering specific workouts on HIIT, Strength Training, Pilates, Boxing, and Running. Users can also connect and compete with the PUMATRAC community, share their progress, and measure their stats.
The app’s smart learning engine serves personalized workouts from its library of performance-based training and running content. The more users train with the PUMA Fit Collective, the better it curates the right workouts for helping them get stronger, move faster, and go further. Users can also workout with PUMA’s Global Athletes and World-Class Trainers, learning how the pros train.
PUMATRAC offers various workout types, including Pilates, Running, HIIT, Strength Training, Flexibility & Mobility, Ballet, and Boxing workouts to get users in shape. The app also provides warm-up and cooldown routines and a scheduler to help users slot the right workouts into their daily routine.
Additionally, PUMATRAC allows users to access their Spotify playlists and stations, enabling them to work out to their own beat. They can also connect their favorite social networks, share their training, and engage in healthy competition.
PUMATRAC uses Google Fit to enrich user profiles and provide more accurate burnt calorie calculations. Users can also save their workouts & activities in the Google Fit App. For Android Watch users, PUMATRAC for Wear OS enables tracking of distance, pace, elevation, and calories burned.
However, the continuous use of GPS running in the background can decrease battery life.
4. Runkeeper – Run & Mile Tracker
The Runkeeper app offers users the ability to track their workouts in real-time using GPS technology. It allows users to set goals and provides personalized routines to fit into busy schedules. The app also offers a variety of features to keep users motivated and engaged in their fitness journey.
Running groups can be created to invite friends and track each other’s progress. The app also features audio cues that can be customized to relay pace, distance, and time. Training plans can be created to help users make progress, and the app offers the ability to save, discover, and build new routes using GPS.
Challenges can be completed to stay motivated, and the app integrates with popular health apps such as Fitbit and MyFitnessPal. Bluetooth connectivity allows for the use of wireless headphones and heart rate monitors, and the app offers social sharing options.
Runkeeper Go provides additional features such as prescribed workouts, progress insights, and live tracking. With a weekly workout schedule tailored to the user, they can see how their runs stack up to each other and get a full view of their fitness journey. On training or race day, live tracking allows the user to share their location with family and friends.
5. Running For Weightloss
The Ultimate Running App by Verv is a running app available on Google Play designed to aid users in improving their overall health and well-being. This app has been featured in several reputable publications, such as the Washington Post, AppleInsider, and Huffington Post.
The app offers a wide range of training plans suited to different fitness goals. These plans include Walking for Well-being, Start Running, Running for Better Health, Run 5K, Run 10K, Half Marathon, and Marathon. Users can choose the plan that best suits their fitness levels and goals.
The app also offers a Free Run option for users who prefer to run without sticking to a specific workout plan. Users can track their runs using smart GPS running tools and an activity tracker.
The app provides users with a meal plan including 4-course meals, step-by-step food recipes, and a shopping list for each meal plan. The smart water tracker serves as a hydration coach and helps users maintain a balance of health and nutrition.
The app features a fitness motivation tool called Body Transformation, which combines before-after pictures in a video to show users their visible progress and motivate them. Users can also choose a personal running coach and workout music from a range of genres.
The app provides tips on how to get fitter quickly and the right way, including information about health goals, choosing shoes and apparel, creating a running route and plan, as well as nutrition and diet tips.
Users can track their workout stats, including pace, calorie count, distance, and time. The app can be synchronized with Fitbit and Runkeeper to make tracking progress even easier.
Users can upgrade to a premium membership with a monthly subscription of $99 or a yearly subscription of $499. The subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto-renewal can be turned off in the user’s Google Wallet account after purchase.
6. Runtastic
Adidas Running by Runtastic is a sports app that offers more than just a run tracker. It provides regular challenges and virtual races to keep users motivated with their favorite sports such as running, hiking, cycling, yoga, and more. Users can keep track of their minutes, miles, and calories burned, as well as view their statistics.
This app offers many reasons to love it, including being free, having built-in GPS tracking, the ability to track duration, distance, calories burned, and monitor heart rate data. It allows users to choose their preferred sport, take on Virtual Races, and set personal goals. Users can also earn activity Records when they hit a new milestone.
Adidas Running by Runtastic offers a way to create a fitness community by staying connected with followers and keeping competitive spirits alive. Users can get motivated through blog posts on fitness topics, followers’ activities, and events around their location. They can also connect with other fitness apps, such as Suunto, Kinomap, Running Heroes, Keller Sports, Zwift, Polar, Coros, Garmin Connect, Nolio, RunMotion Coach, Xhale, TrainasONE, REBO Smart Bottle, My Fitness Pal, and more.
With Premium Membership, users can unlock personalized training plans for races, interval training for running, walking and cycling, personal records, and auto-pause when they stop moving. The app also allows users to earn rewards with the Creators Club loyalty program, which includes points for challenges and activities that can be redeemed for early access to products, free Premium, events, and more.
The Adidas Running app is free to download and use, with some features such as running training plans unlocked only with the purchase of a Premium Membership. The membership renews automatically, and the cancellation of an in-app membership subscription is not permitted. However, users can disable the automatic renewal of Premium Membership in their Google Play account settings.
7. Strava Running & Cycling
Strava is a free activity tracker that allows users to record routes, map favorite bike trails or runs, and analyze their training progress. The app offers various features for fitness enthusiasts, including a distance tracker, mile counter, and training challenges. Users can track their performance over time, including distance, pace, speed, elevation gained, and calories burned. Strava also allows users to connect with friends and followers, share their progress and join clubs, and offers customizable training plans and live feedback through its subscription service.
Strava supports a wide range of sports, including swimming, alpine skiing, hiking, crossfit, kayaking, rock climbing, surfing, yoga, indoor running, indoor cycling, and gym workouts. However, the app relies on GPS for recording activities, and may not function properly on some devices. Strava recommends updating to the most recent version of the operating system to improve GPS accuracy, and restricts installation on devices with consistently poor performance, such as the Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 and the Galaxy Express 2. Further information is available on the Strava support site.