Strava vs Runna — same owner, different jobs

The quick answer

• You want to log runs and see your friends’ runs: Strava (the free tier is enough for most people).
• You have a race date and want a plan: Runna.
• You want plans and Strava’s extra stats and routes: the Strava + Runna bundle.
• You just want to keep running, without a plan or a feed: you may not need either. A free tracker is enough.

What each app actually does

Strava is a tracker and a social network. You record a run (or a ride, swim or hike), it lands in your friends’ feeds, they give kudos, and your run is checked against segments for leaderboards. The paid subscription adds things like route building, deeper stats and segment analysis.

Runna is a coach in an app. You pick a goal (5K, 10K, half, marathon or ultra) and a race date, and it builds a week-by-week plan with easy runs, intervals, tempo runs and strength sessions. If you miss a session or go on holiday, the plan shifts. Runna pushes workouts to your watch and can send finished runs to Strava.

The simple way to remember it: Strava looks back, Runna looks forward. Strava shows what you did. Runna tells you what to do next.

Strava vs Runna side by side

Strava vs Runna price (US, UK, Australia)

Here are the App Store prices as of October 2026. Runna costs more than Strava on its own. The bundle costs only $30 more a year than Runna alone in the US, and that $30 includes a full Strava subscription.

A few rules worth knowing before you pay:

• Runna free = Week 1 only. Without a subscription you can record runs and do Week 1 of any plan. Everything after that is paid.
• Beginner plans are paid now. New to Running, Return to Running and Path to parkrun moved behind the subscription on 5 June 2026. This hits UK and Australian parkrun beginners the most.
• Trials differ by where you buy. 7 days on Runna’s own app or site, 14 days if you buy Runna inside the Strava app (new users), and 30 days on the bundle for new Strava users.
• The bundle is annual only. There is no monthly bundle, and it is not part of Strava’s Family Plan.
• Connect the accounts. If you buy the bundle, link your Strava account inside Runna, or Runna will still treat you as a free user.

For the full breakdown, see how much Runna costs and whether Strava Premium is worth it.

Not ready to pay for a plan?

Run&Grow is a free iPhone run tracker. Every run grows a plant in your garden. Skip a week? Your garden waits.

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Free on iPhone · Also on Android

Why Strava stopped making training plans

Strava announced it was buying Runna on 17 April 2025. Since then the two have been slowly joined up, but not merged:

• July 2025: the Strava + Runna bundle launched at $149.99 / £119.99 a year.
• By October 2026: Strava no longer lets runners create new running training plans on its website. New plans come from Runna instead.
• July 2026: Strava’s race discovery started using Runna’s race database.

So if you used to search “Strava training plan”, the honest answer in 2026 is: that plan now lives in Runna, and it is not included in a normal Strava subscription.

Which one should you pick?

Pick Strava if…

• Your friends or running club already post there.
• You like segments, leaderboards and seeing your times on the same hills.
• You also ride, swim or hike and want it all in one log.
• You do not want to pay. Strava’s free tier still records runs and shows your feed.

Pick Runna if…

• You have a race booked, like a spring half marathon or your first marathon.
• You want someone to tell you what pace and distance to run each day.
• You want strength sessions built into your plan.
• You are happy to pay about $10 a month on the yearly plan.

Pick the bundle if…

• You would pay for Runna anyway and also want Strava’s routes and extra stats. In the US it saves about $50 a year compared with buying both apps separately.

Pick neither (for now) if…

• You are a beginner and your real problem is getting out the door, not pace or plans.

For that last group, a free plan plus something that rewards showing up usually works better. Try our free couch to 5K plan, and read the best gamified running apps if you want running to feel more like a game.

Can you use Strava and Runna together?

Yes, and that is how most Runna users run. Runna sends the session to your watch, you run it, and the finished run can go to Strava so your friends see it. On iPhone, both apps can also work with Apple Health.

That same Apple Health link means you can add a third, free layer for motivation. Run&Grow reads your runs from Apple Health, so a run you record with Runna, Strava or your Apple Watch still grows a plant in your Run&Grow garden. No public feed and no pace shaming, just a garden that fills up as you keep running.

Other options worth a look

If neither app feels right, see our full lists of Strava alternatives and Runna alternatives. Comparing coaching apps? Read Coopah vs Runna (Coopah adds real human coaches) and Runna vs Nike Run Club (NRC is free).

Run for the garden, not the graph

Run&Grow turns every run into a plant, including runs you record in other apps. Free on iPhone, and it works with Apple Health.

Get the free app

Free on iPhone · Also on Android