Miles iPhone and Apple Watch
Best Running Apps for iPhone and Apple Watch
Start with what's already on your wrist. Apple's Workout app is accurate, free, and gets better with every watchOS release. Everything below is something you add on top of it: a feed, a plan, or a coach. So the real question isn't which app tracks best. It's which job you want an app to do.
Comparison
| App | iPhone | Apple Watch | Price (US) | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Apple Workout + Fitness |
Yes | Yes | Free | Accurate tracking, nothing else |
 Strava |
Yes | Yes | Free; $11.99/mo or $79.99/yr | Community, segments, routes |
 Nike Run Club |
Yes | Yes | Free | Guided runs, free plans |
 Runna |
Yes | Yes | $19.99/mo or $119.99/yr | Race plans, workouts on the wrist |
 Miles: AI Running Coach |
Yes | Yes | Free; Pro $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr | Adaptive plan, live pace coaching |
Apple Workout: start here
For most people who just want distance, pace, heart rate and splits, the built-in app is enough. Recent watchOS versions added custom workouts, so you can build intervals by hand, plus running power and form metrics on supported watches. Data goes into Apple Health, which every app below can read.
What it won't do is plan. It doesn't know you have a 10K in eight weeks and it won't change Thursday because you were sick on Tuesday.
Use it if you want numbers and nothing else.
Strava: for the people
Strava on iPhone is excellent, and it pulls runs in from Apple Health, so you can record with Apple Workout and still post to Strava. Segments, local leaderboards, clubs and the route builder are the reasons to be here. The paid tier adds deeper analysis and route features.
Its biggest gap is that it has no training plans. Runna, now owned by Strava, is the coaching side, sold as a $149.99 a year bundle in the US.
Use it if friends and clubs keep you running.
Nike Run Club: best free coaching
NRC is still the best free coaching on iPhone. Guided runs with Nike coaches, plans from a 4-week starter up to a 12-week marathon, and no paywall at all. The audio guided runs are the standout. They're what people mean when they say NRC "got them into running."
Its biggest gap is pace guidance: nothing tells you when you're running too fast, which can lead to injury. The plans are also fairly fixed. Miss a week and you'll be adjusting on your own.
Use it if you're new or don't want to pay.
Runna: best for leaving the phone at home
Runna sends structured workouts to the Apple Watch, so you can run intervals from your wrist with the targets in front of you. It also works with Garmin, COROS and Fitbit if you ever switch watches. It has the most polished plans here and the biggest price.
Use it if you want a race plan, run with the watch alone, and the cost doesn't bother you.
Miles: AI Running Coach, built for iPhone
Miles was built for iPhone first, and it has an Apple Watch app. It reads heart rate, distance and pace through Apple Health, pairs with any Bluetooth heart rate strap, syncs runs to Strava, and also works with COROS watches.
What it does differently is coach while you run. It gives live audio pace cues outdoors on GPS and on the treadmill, tells you when you've drifted off target or gone out too hard, and calls each rep in an interval session. The plan covers 5K to marathon and reflows when you miss runs. After every run you see planned against actual, training load and a readiness read.
The free tier tracks runs and previews your plan. Pro is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a 7-day trial on annual.
Where it falls short: iPhone only for now, and no plans beyond the marathon yet.
Use it if you want a coach that adapts and talks pace, for less than Runna.
A setup that works
You don't have to pick one. A common iPhone setup:
- Record with whichever app is coaching you, or Apple Workout.
- Post to Strava automatically. Miles and Apple Health both feed it.
- Coach with one plan app, either Miles, Runna or NRC. Not two. Two plans fight each other.
Keep Apple Health as the hub. It's where your history lives if you switch apps later.
Things to check before you commit
- Treadmill runs. If you run indoors in winter, check the app handles them well. Miles coaches pace on the treadmill. Apple Workout has an indoor run mode.
- Phone-free runs. If you want to leave the phone at home, the watch app has to work on its own with GPS and audio. Test it once before you rely on it.
- Battery. Long runs with GPS, heart rate and audio cues drain the watch. Do a long run before race day with the same setup.
- Heart rate accuracy. Wrist heart rate is fine for easy runs and shakier for intervals. A chest strap fixes that, and Miles pairs with any Bluetooth one.
Try Miles on iPhone
A 5K to marathon plan built from your current fitness, reflowed when runs get missed, with live audio pace cues while you run. Free to download.
