Running route planners compared
Whether you want a new loop from your door or a race course on your watch, there's a planner for it. Here's what each costs and what it's good for.
What to look for
- Loops: can it make a loop of a set distance, or do you draw every point?
- Paths, not roads: does it prefer footpaths, parks and trails over busy roads?
- Hills: does it show the climbs, and does the estimated time allow for them?
- Getting it onto your wrist: GPX export, or turn-by-turn directions while you run.
- Price and sign-up: many good ones are free, and some don't even need an account.
The planners, compared
Free, free trial andpaid, with US prices checked in October 2026.
Moonstride route planner
- Free
- No account
- Web, any device
Loops from your door sized for the run you're doing: flat for tempo, rolling for a long run, a proper climb for hills, and no doubling back. Every hill coloured by gradient, a time that allows for them, GPX download and share links.
Good for: Matching the route to the session, and seeing the hills before you get there.
Watch out: Turn-by-turn directions are in the Moonstride app, which is iPhone only.
Strava
- Free tier
- 30-day trial
- $11.99/mo or $79.99/yr
- Account needed
The social network for runners. Route Builder, with suggestions from where people actually run and turn-by-turn navigation, is part of the subscription.
Good for: Runners who want popular routes, segments and friends' activity.
Watch out: Building and following routes needs the subscription.
Footpath
- Free tier
- 1-week trial
- $3.99/mo or $23.49/yr
- Account needed
Draw a route with your finger and it snaps to paths. Five saved routes free; Elite adds turn-by-turn, offline maps and unlimited routes.
Good for: Quickly measuring a route you already have in mind.
Komoot
- Free planning
- Premium $59.99/yr
- Account needed
Detailed planning for hiking and cycling, with surfaces and community highlights. Sending routes to a watch needs Premium for new users.
Good for: Trail runs that overlap with hiking routes.
Watch out: Made for hiking and cycling first.
Runplanner
- Free
- No account
- iPhone, Android, web
A free loop generator and route planner with turn-by-turn in its app, GPX export and a set of free calculators.
Good for: A free loop of a set distance, on any phone.
LoopMaker
- Free
- No account
- Web
A free web loop generator: road, mixed or trail, flat or hilly, with GPX, TCX and FIT export for Garmin.
Good for: Garmin runners who want a loop as a course file.
Which one to pick
- A new loop from your door, free: Moonstride's route planner, Runplanner or LoopMaker.
- Routes other runners actually use: Strava's heatmaps, with the subscription.
- Measuring a route you already know: Footpath, or draw it in any of the free planners.
- Long trail days: Komoot.
- A course file for a Garmin: LoopMaker's FIT export, or a GPX from any of them.
Why hills matter for the route
A flat 10 km and a hilly one aren't the same run. Up a 5% climb, the same effort runs about 18% slower, so a hilly loop can take several minutes longer than its distance suggests, and pull an easy run into a hard one. That's why the Moonstride planner picks flat loops for tempo runs, rolling ones for long runs and a proper climb for hill sessions, and why its time allows for every hill. The hill pace calculator shows the sums, and how to pace hills what to do with them.
Opening a race course
Most race websites have the course as a GPX file. Open it in the GPX viewer to see its climbs before race day, or in the route planner to change it.
Prices and trials checked October 2026: Strava pricing (Motera), Footpath on the App Store, Komoot's paywalls (DC Rainmaker). They change often, so check the app before you subscribe.
Questions
Is Strava's route builder free?
Not fully. Building, saving and following routes with turn-by-turn navigation is part of Strava's subscription, $11.99 a month or $79.99 a year, with a 30-day free trial.
What's the best free running route planner?
For a loop of a set distance from your door, the free loop generators: Moonstride's route planner, Runplanner and LoopMaker. Moonstride's also matches the hills to the run you're doing and shows every one coloured by gradient.
How do I get a route onto my watch?
Download it as a GPX file and import it into your watch's app: Garmin Connect, COROS or Suunto. On an iPhone, Moonstride opens it straight from the planner and talks you round it, turn by turn.
Can a route planner make a loop for me?
Yes. Strava's subscription suggests routes, and the free loop generators build a loop of the distance you ask for from wherever you start.