Run vs Runna: which running coach app suits a beginner?

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

Pick Runna if you want a full coaching app that can take you from your first 5K all the way to a marathon or ultra, with strength sessions and support for Garmin and COROS watches, and you’re happy to pay a subscription. Pick Run if you’re on iPhone, you’re starting from zero or coming back after a break, and you want a gentle walk-run plan that adjusts to how each run felt. Runna covers more ground; Run does one job, for one kind of runner.

How do Run and Runna compare?

Runna is a coaching app for every level, from beginner to ultramarathon; Run is made only for beginners and people coming back.

Checked October 2026, on Runna’s website and the Runna App Store page.

	Run	Runna
What it is	Beginner running app with an adaptive plan and full run tracking	Running coach app with training plans from 5K to ultramarathon, plus strength work
Devices	iPhone (iOS 15+) and Apple Watch	iPhone (iOS 17+), Android, Apple Watch; works with Garmin and COROS
Plan for beginners	19-level walk-run ladder: 25 min non-stop (5K) at level 12, 60 min (10K) at level 19	Couch to 5K plans “for novices or those returning post hiatus”
Adapts to how you feel	Yes: rate each run 1–10 and the next runs change	Its website says plans “adapt to your performance”
Price model	Free tracking and first plan workout; rest of the plan is part of optional Run Premium	Subscription (monthly or yearly) after a 7-day free trial
Apple Watch	Yes (watchOS 8+), with interval guidance and live heart rate	Yes (watchOS 10+)
Android	No	Yes

What is Runna?

Runna is a running coach app that builds training plans for your goal. Its App Store page lists plans for 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon and ultramarathon, Couch to 5K plans for beginners and people returning after a break, strength and conditioning routines, recovery plans after a race or injury, and even running plans for triathletes. Its website says the plans adapt to your performance.

Runna is owned by Strava; the App Store lists Strava, Inc. as the seller, and Strava sells a Strava + Runna bundle. On its US pricing page Runna costs $19.99 a month or $119.99 a year, after a 7-day free trial. Prices differ by country.

What does Runna do better?

Runna does more, and for a lot of runners that’s exactly the point. If you dream of a half marathon or marathon one day, Runna can take you there in the same app. Run can’t: once you can run for 70 minutes or you’re training for a marathon, Run gives you tracking only.

Runna also includes strength training, which many runners skip but benefit from. It works with Garmin and COROS watches as well as Apple Watch, and it’s on Android, which Run isn’t. If you already know running is your thing and you want a coach for the long haul, Runna is a strong choice.

What does Run do better?

Run is built around the hardest part for most beginners: the first few weeks. It starts you exactly where you are. Walking for 30 minutes puts you at level 1: one minute of running and two minutes of walking, repeated up to seven times. Being able to run 10 minutes puts you at level 6. A past injury or being 50 or older starts you one level lower, just to be safe.

Then it listens. After each run you rate how tiring it was from 1 to 10, and at the end of the week you rate any pain. A very tiring run (8 or more) makes the next run lighter right away. Pain of 6 or more makes the next week easier. A tough week means you repeat the level; a good week moves you up. You can see the full idea on how it works.

It’s also simpler. You run two or three times a week: an Easy Run one level below yours, a Challenge Run at your level with one extra interval, and, if you run three times, a Recovery Run two levels below. There are no paces to hit. Every run is a walk-run you can do at a pace where you can still talk. If you’re curious why that matters, read easy runs vs hard runs.

How do the beginner plans compare?

Both apps take you from walking to running 5K. Runna lists dedicated Couch to 5K plans; Run uses a single ladder of 19 levels that goes from your first one-minute run to 25 minutes non-stop (the 5K goal) and on to 60 minutes non-stop (the 10K goal, 6.2 miles).

The difference is in the kind of feedback each plan uses. Runna’s website talks about adapting to your performance. Run adapts to how you feel: how tiring each run was and whether anything hurts. For a beginner, “that felt awful” is often more useful information than a pace on a watch. Most people go from zero to 5K in 8 to 16 weeks with Run; our 5K plan shows the steps, and the 10K plan shows where it goes next.

Which should you choose?

It mostly comes down to where you are now and how far you want to go.

1. You’ve never run, or you’re coming back after a long break. Run. It’s made for exactly that.
2. You want a half marathon or marathon plan. Runna.
3. You’re on Android, or you train with a Garmin or COROS watch. Runna.
4. You want strength sessions built into your plan. Runna.
5. You want to try a plan for free first. Both let you start without paying: Run’s first plan workout is free, and Runna has a 7-day free trial.
6. You keep quitting because plans get too hard. Run, since it eases off as soon as you say a run was tough.

You don’t have to choose forever: you could use Run to get from zero to 10K, then move to a coaching app like Runna for bigger goals. If you’re also weighing up Strava, read Run vs Strava.