Free alternatives to Runna
Runna is the best-known training plan app, and $119.99 a year. Here's what it costs, what you get without paying, and the free and cheaper apps that do the same job.
What Runna costs
Runna is $19.99 a month or $119.99 a year in the US, and £15.99 or £99.99 in the UK. New users get a 7-day free trial, two weeks with a referral code, and up to 30 days through Strava, which bought Runna in 2025. Without a subscription you get the first week of any plan; everything after that needs Runna Premium. Its beginner plans, including Couch to 5K style plans and Path to parkrun, moved behind the subscription in June 2026.
It's a good app, and for many runners worth the money. But a training plan is mostly well-understood maths: your current fitness, a gradual build, an easy-hard balance and a taper. Plenty of apps do that for less, or for nothing.
The alternatives, compared
Each app shows whether it's free, has a free trialbefore it's paid, and whether you need an account. Prices are US prices, checked in October 2026.
Moonstride
- Free beta
- No account
- iPhone + Apple Watch
Reads the runs you record with Apple's Workout app from Apple Health, so it starts with your whole history. Plans to race day, a pace guide in your ear that eases off on hills, personal bests found inside every run, and recovery from sleep and HRV. Nothing leaves your iPhone.
Good for: Apple Watch runners who want a coach without handing over their data.
Watch out: iPhone and Apple Watch only, and in beta for now.
Runna
- 7-day trial
- $19.99/mo or $119.99/yr
- Account needed
- iPhone, Android, most watches
The best-known plan app, now owned by Strava. Structured plans from 5K to marathon that sync to Apple Watch, Garmin, COROS and others. Without a subscription you get the first week of a plan.
Good for: Runners who want a polished, structured plan and don't mind the price.
Watch out: Its beginner plans moved behind the subscription in June 2026.
Coopah
- 7-day trial
- $14.99/mo or $79.99/yr
- Account needed
- iPhone, Android, most watches
Adaptive plans from 5K to ultra, with chat to real coaches. The official training app of the London Marathon.
Good for: Runners who want a human coach to ask, for less than Runna.
Watch out: No free tier once the trial ends.
Nike Run Club
- Free
- Account needed
- iPhone, Android, Apple Watch
Free audio guided runs with Nike coaches and athletes, and basic plans. Records runs itself rather than reading the Workout app's.
Good for: Beginners who like a voice in their ear and want to pay nothing.
Watch out: Plans are basic and don't adapt much to how your running is going.
The Running Genie
- Free
- Signs up through Apple Health
- iPhone
Adaptive plans built on Jack Daniels' VDOT, set up from your Apple Health history. No Strava account needed.
Good for: Apple Health users who want a free plan built from their history.
TrainAsONE
- Free tier
- $9.99/mo or $101.99/yr
- Account needed
Algorithm-led plans that update after every run. Works with Apple Watch through a connected service.
Good for: Runners happy to follow the algorithm and sync through another app.
Garmin Coach
- Free
- Account needed
- Garmin watches only
Free adaptive plans inside Garmin Connect, from 5K to the half marathon.
Good for: Anyone who already runs with a Garmin.
Watch out: Of no use with an Apple Watch.
Which one to pick
- You run with a Garmin: start with Garmin Coach. It's free and already on your watch.
- You run with an Apple Watch: Moonstride or The Running Genie, both free and built from your Apple Health history, so they know your fitness from day one. Moonstride adds a voice in your ear and keeps everything on your iPhone.
- You want a human coach to ask: Coopah, the cheapest paid option with real coaches.
- You're just starting out: Nike Run Club's free guided runs are a friendly way in.
- You want the most polished structured plan and don't mind paying: Runna.
What a free plan should still do
Whichever you choose, a good plan does a few things, free or not:
- Starts from where you are, from your recent runs, not a guess.
- Keeps most of your running easy, about four runs in five. See how slow easy runs should be.
- Builds gradually, without sudden jumps in weekly distance.
- Adapts when a week goes wrong, rather than carrying on as if it hadn't.
- Tapers before race day.
You can check a plan's paces yourself with the race time predictor: enter a recent race and it gives the easy, tempo and interval paces most plans use.
Prices and trials checked October 2026: Runna's subscription help, Is Runna free? (the5krunner), What running coaching apps cost in 2026 (Run-Motion), Runna alternatives (iTechGuides). They change often, so check the app before you subscribe.
Questions
Is Runna free?
No. Runna has a 7-day free trial, longer with a referral code or through Strava, then costs $19.99 a month or $119.99 a year in the US. Without a subscription you can see the first week of a plan.
What is the best free alternative to Runna?
It depends on your watch. With a Garmin, Garmin Coach is free and built in. With an Apple Watch, Moonstride and The Running Genie both build a free plan from your Apple Health history, and Nike Run Club has free guided runs.
What's the cheapest paid alternative?
Coopah, at $79.99 a year, with chat to real coaches. TrainAsONE has a free tier and a paid one at $9.99 a month.
Do I need an account?
Almost every plan app needs one, because your runs and plan live on their servers. Moonstride doesn't: it reads your runs from Apple Health and keeps everything on your iPhone.