© Martinmark | Dreamstime.com
Picking the right iPhone or Android app to run with can be a little daunting these days – a search in the iPhone’s App Store for something as simple as “running apps” produces dozens upon dozens of results, way more than anyone can evaluate on their own.
So, I didn’t exactly try them all out – I’d be doing nothing but running for days or weeks if I tried to do that – but I did test out five of the most popular apps that I and my friends have found to be among the best.
Here’s what I liked, what I didn’t, and which one(s) are probably right for you:
| Garmin Connect | MapMyRun | Nike+ Running | RunKeeper | Strava | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic App | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Premium App | N/A | $5.99/month or $29.99/year | N/A | $9.99/month or $39.99/year | $5.99/month or $59.99/year |
| Basic Features | Dashboard for activities; LiveTrack for Facebook or Twitter; can manually add activities | GPS tracking; lifetime stats; goal tracking; mapped routes | GPS tracking; PowerSongs; real-time cheers via Facebook; challenges; training programs | GPS tracking; 5K-marathon training plans; challenges; adjustable audio cues | GPS tracking; challenges; compare similar workouts; gear tracker |
| Premium Features | N/A | Live Tracking; interval training; audio coaching; ad-free; heart rate analysis | N/A | Customizable plans; compare similar workouts; premium 5K-marathon training plans | Live; segments; quantifiable heart rate data; pacing analysis; race analysis |
| Best For | Garmin GPS watch users who don’t want to carry their phone (unless LiveTracking) | Newbies & experts alike – those who want to track everything | Basic tracking and stat-keeping | Simplicity seekers | Numbers junkies; runners & cyclists |
| Cons | Must own a Garmin GPS watch | Is there such a thing as too many features? | For runners and running only | Must use third-party apps to sync GPS watch data | App doesn’t include many of the desktop features |
