Is Nike Run Club really free?

Its App Store listing shows it as free, and the listing doesn’t mention a subscription. Training plans are only offered in some countries, so check what’s available where you live.

Can I use Nike Run Club and Run together?

You can, though it’s simpler to record each run in one app so your history stays in one place. Recording the same run in both apps at once can also be confusing, so pick one as your main app.

Do I need Nike shoes to use Nike Run Club?

No. The app works with any shoes. It can keep count of the miles on whatever pairs you add, which is handy for knowing when to replace them.

Which app is better for a complete beginner who has never run?

Both can work. Run starts from walking 30 minutes if that’s where you are and adjusts as you go. Nike Run Club’s 4-Week Get Started plan is a good free option if it’s offered in your country.

Run vs Nike Run Club: which app is better for beginners?

We make Run, so read this with that in mind.

Pick Nike Run Club if you want a completely free app with lots of audio-guided runs, training plans up to the marathon, and an Android version. Pick Run if you’re on iPhone, you’re starting from zero or coming back after a break, and you want a plan that changes by itself when a run felt too hard or too easy. Nike Run Club is broader; Run is narrower and focused on getting beginners to 5K and then 10K.

How do Run and Nike Run Club compare?

Nike Run Club is a big, free running app for every level; Run is built only for beginners and people coming back.

Checked October 2026, on Nike’s website and the Nike Run Club App Store and Google Play pages.

	Run	Nike Run Club
What it is	Beginner running app with an adaptive plan and full run tracking	Nike’s running app with run tracking, audio-guided runs, training plans and challenges
Devices	iPhone (iOS 15+) and Apple Watch	iPhone (iOS 18+), Apple Watch and Android
Plan for beginners	19-level walk-run ladder: 25 min non-stop (5K) at level 12, 60 min (10K) at level 19	4-Week Get Started plan, plus plans up to a 12-week marathon plan (in some countries)
Adapts to how you feel	Yes: rate each run 1–10 and the next runs change	Not stated
Price model	Free tracking and first plan workout; rest of the plan is part of optional Run Premium	Free
Apple Watch	Yes (watchOS 8+), with interval guidance and live heart rate	Yes (watchOS 10+)
Android	No	Yes

What is Nike Run Club?

Nike Run Club is Nike’s free running app. It records your runs (pace, distance, GPS route, elevation and heart rate) and keeps your history. Its best-known feature is Guided Runs: audio sessions where a Nike running coach talks you through the run, from treadmill runs and speed intervals to mindful runs. It also has training plans, challenges and badges, shoe mileage tracking, and you can send or receive cheers during a run.

Two things to know. Its App Store page says training plans are available in the US, UK, Japan, China, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, and guided runs are “available in select countries”. And the listing doesn’t say the plans adjust to how your runs feel.

What does Nike Run Club do better?

Nike Run Club gives you a lot for free, and that’s a real strength. You get tracking, guided runs and training plans without paying anything. Run’s tracking and first plan workout are free, but the rest of its plan is part of the optional Run Premium subscription.

It’s also on Android, which Run isn’t. It covers far more ground: once you’re a confident runner, Nike Run Club has plans for half marathons and marathons, while Run stops coaching after 10K and gives tracking only. And the guided runs are fun. A friendly coach in your ear can turn a dull loop of the park into something you look forward to.

How is Run’s plan different?

Run’s plan is a ladder of 19 levels that moves up or down depending on how your runs feel. You start by telling it what you can do today. Walking for 30 minutes puts you at level 1: one minute of running and two minutes of walking, repeated up to seven times. Each level shrinks the walking breaks until level 11, which is 20 minutes non-stop, and level 12, which is 25 minutes non-stop, the 5K goal.

After each run you rate how tiring it was, from 1 to 10. If it was very tiring (8 or more), your next run gets lighter straight away. At the end of the week you rate any pain; 6 or more and next week is easier. Good weeks move you up a level, very easy weeks up two. If you take a 2 to 8 week break, Run eases you back in at a lower level. That’s the core difference: the plan follows you, rather than you trying to keep up with the plan. You can see it all on how it works.

How do they compare for tracking runs?

Both apps track the basics well: GPS route, pace, distance, elevation and heart rate. Both work with Apple Watch and both track how far you’ve run in each pair of shoes.

Run also shows cadence (steps per minute), calories, splits and the weather, has auto-pause, and offers an audio coach with a male or female voice. It supports treadmill runs, manual runs and goal runs by distance, time, calories or steps. On iPhone you get widgets, a Live Activity and the Dynamic Island. Its Apple Watch app gives you interval cues on your wrist, so you can run without looking at your phone.

Nike Run Club has the edge on social features: challenges, cheers and, on an Apple Watch with a cellular plan, sharing your live location during a run.

Which should you choose?

Think about where you are today and what usually makes you stop.

You’re on Android. Nike Run Club. Run isn’t available for you.
You want everything free, forever. Nike Run Club.
You’ve never run, or you keep giving up after a few weeks. Run, because it slows down for you when a run feels too hard.
You love a voice cheering you on. Nike Run Club’s guided runs are hard to beat.
You want a clear path from zero to 5K and then 10K. Run; see our 5K plan for what the first weeks look like.
You’re aiming for a marathon one day. Nike Run Club has plans for it; Run doesn’t.

Whichever you pick, run slowly enough that you could still chat. Most beginners go too fast; our guide on how slow you should run explains why easy really is better. For more options, see the best running apps for beginners.