Whether you鈥檙e looking for a simple way to track your workouts, find new routes, or recover more efficiently,听there鈥檚 a running听app for you. We rounded up our favorites for every type of athlete, from the ultracompetitive to the total newbie.
Best Running Apps for: Training

MapMyRun (Free or $6 per month for MVP subscription)
is a simple run tracker and a great option for beginners. Just press start听when you hit the road, and the app will record your route and pace听and estimate how many calories you burned. You can create basic training plans to help you ease into running and听join motivational in-app clubs and group challenges. The MVP听subscription includes features like heart-rate analysis, live tracking, and the ability to export training files to other software like .听The mapping system relies heavily on Google maps, so this is best for road runners.
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Strava (Free or $6 per month for all three Summit Pack subscriptions)
Like MapMyRun, 听makes recording runs, creating routes, and discovering new loops听easy,听but it really excels at听post-run analysis. If you run in a popular location, you can see听how听you stack听up against听thousands of other users, as well as听how your times compare to your previous runs. It鈥檚 a great way to听tap into your competitive side without signing up for races. Beyond the free version, there are three subscriptions available听called Summit Packs. Analysis, Safety, and Training include extras like heart-rate analysis, live tracking, and training plans. Compared with听MapMyRun, Strava鈥檚 trail maps are superior, making it the听app of choice for many off-road runners.
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Interval (Free)
allows you to create your own customized workout by setting times for high听and low听intervals plus the听total number of sets, as well as alloting a warmup and cooldown. Once you start your programmed interval session, it vibrates and beeps your phone as you move through your customized workout, so听you know exactly when to push it and when to back off听without having to look at your screen. The program听runs in the background, which means it听won鈥檛 get in the way of music, podcasts, or mapping apps. Interval training isn鈥檛 just听for elite athletes鈥攊f you鈥檙e new to running or recovering from an injury, use the app to do a run-walk session and keep track of your time jogging versus strolling.
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Trailforks (Free)
was originally designed for mountain bikers, but it鈥檚 a helpful tool for runners looking for new trail systems. While apps like Strava have some good intel on trails, Trailforks听goes听in-depth on what to expect, including live user updates about conditions.听Going way off the grid? You can download the area map so it鈥檚 available even when you鈥檙e out of service听range.
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Best Running Apps for: Recovery and Wellness

Sleep Cycle (Free or $29.99 per year for Premium subscription)听
There is no cheaper recovery technique听than getting enough sleep. monitors your patterns using your iPhone鈥檚 accelerometer to detect movement, which indicates restful versus restless sleep and crunches that data into a graph showing the quality of your z鈥檚. (Don鈥檛 worry, your phone doesn鈥檛 have to be strapped to your chest. Placed on the corner of your mattress is fine.) Over time, you鈥檒l be able to track how your daily activities鈥攕ay, running at night or opting for a second beer鈥攊mpact your sleep patterns.听The alarm feature is designed to wake you up while you鈥檙e sleeping lightly within a preset time frame, so you鈥檙e ready to hit that early morning run feeling energized. Premium users have the ability to record more听subjective data, like your mood in the morning听and how you felt by the end of the day.听
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HRV4Training ($10)
In recent years, heart-rate variability鈥攖he space between your heart beats鈥攈as become a popular and 听indicator of recovery among endurance athletes, and is one of the easiest and 听ways to track yours. The app records your HRV using your phone鈥檚 camera flash to take your pulse via fingertip (a method that was 听in a study published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance). It听asks subjective questions about your fatigue levels and crunches the data to recommend whether you should push it or go easy that day.
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Clue (Free or $0.99 per month for Premium subscription)
For some women, nothing derails听a workout quite like a painful period. Others perform their best during menstruation. Regardless of how your cycle impacts your fitness, it鈥檚 nice to know what to expect and when to expect it, and period tracking has never been easier, thanks to听. You can track symptoms and start to understand how your hormones impact your running, which is useful when you鈥檙e writing a training schedule.
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MyFitnessPal (Free or $9.99 per month for Premium subscription)
听is the natural choice for runners focusing on nutrition. The user-friendly app, which has thousands of foods in its database, makes it easy to record what you eat throughout the day. In the free version, you鈥檒l get a rough听caloric breakdown of how what you ate stacked up against your caloric burn for the day. Premium users get daily macronutrient breakdowns听as well as the ability to export data and set custom goals. It鈥檚 a solid way to ensure that you鈥檙e getting enough post-workout protein and hydrating throughout the workday.听Plus, it syncs up neatly with MapMyRun, since they鈥檙e both operated by UnderArmour.
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Best Running Apps for: Motivation听

Charity Miles (Free)听
It sounds too good to be true, but you can earn money for charity . When you create a profile, you鈥檒l choose charities鈥攍ike听the World Wildlife Federation, the ASPCA, and the Wounded Warriors Project鈥攜ou鈥檇 like to support. The app tracks your runs, and each mile听earns money from Charity Miles鈥檚 corporate sponsorship pool. You won鈥檛 get a lot of run data, since the app doesn鈥檛 save workouts and relies on a pedometer-style tracking method, but you鈥檒l feel extra good about logging miles.
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Rock My Run (Free or $5 per month for Premium subscription)
The Rock My Run app senses your running cadence and creates a playlist with tempo-appropriate tunes, adjusting as you tick off miles. You can opt to sync your music to your pace or your heart rate.听Slow down and听the jams chill out. Speed up听and the app kicks the perfect track to get you psyched. Premium subscribers can听skip ads and have playlists longer than 45 minutes.
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