The smartphone market has changed the way we look at things, mostly because now we have the option to choose whatever we like and don’t have to settle for one thing or another – like when choosing which platform we can order food delivery from, or deciding whether to wait for the ladbrokes bonus code to become active so we can use it when betting on sports, or use a bonus from another provider. That makes our life a lot easier. Your app got an update and it became unusable or they changed something that annoys you to hell and back? Just download a new app and you’re good to go. The good thing about such a competitive market is that app developers try really hard to convince you that their app is better than the competitors’.
Today, we will be looking at two very popular running apps, Strava and Runkeeper. Which one is better or rather, which one is better for you, is what we will try to find out.
Strava – The Social Media of Running Apps
Strava is a great running app. It allows you to track various metrics about running and other things, mostly related to cycling. The app is pretty good when it comes to tracking your goals and overall route. You can map your route from the phone application and you are good to go.
Strava has a very active social media part, where you can join groups for cycling or running and find friends and people to run or cycle with. They can also support you while you are on the go. You can share your location and photos with them, which some people actually think is a privacy risk.
However, some features are locked behind a paid subscription and you can’t purchase the app with a single payment. Paid features include the above mentioned route planning, heat maps, beacons on all sorts of devices, goal setting and many more details. The price is 6 dollars per month or 4 for an annual payment.
Runkeeper – A Beginner’s Best Friend
Most people see Runkeeper as a beginner app, or rather, a great app to have if you are a beginner runner. It is a great app that has plans for all sorts of races, from 5K, 10K, half marathons to a full marathon. The plan is interactive anc changes according to your performance.
The app is developed by ASICS, and they know something about running. This app also tracks the wear and tear on your shoes based on how much you ran, which is often a good reminder when you should be looking for a new pair of shoes.
Runkeeper doesn’t care about social media, though you can tag your buddies and give them a notification that you’re out running. Runkeeper Pro comes in at 40 dollars annually, which translates to personal plans, a complete analysis of your history as well as weather updates and detailed reports on how elite athletes prepare for their races.
Which App Is the Right One?
Well, neither, really. You would have to try both of them to see if either of the two work for you. When you get an application, you have to try it and go through its paces if you want to know what it does and what it does not do. Both apps renew their subscriptions automatically, which is a huge pain for those who weren’t planning on it and they do that on the last day of the month, so as you know.
However, both apps have advantages and disadvantages. Runkeeper makes route mapping a bit harder to do if you want to do it from the phone, while Strava complicates things with its social media features, which most deem unnecessary for a running app.
Whichever app you choose, know that there are more running apps and that you don’t have to settle for either if they are not the right ones for you.