RunWay vs Runna: which coach fits you?

Facts checked on October 23, 2026, from the sources at the bottom of this page. We make RunWay, so we’ve kept to verifiable facts; if something has changed, email dorich@icloud.com and we’ll update it.

If you’re looking for a Runna alternative, it helps to know what each app is built around. Runna, owned by Strava since 2025, is a subscription app known for its structured plans, written by coaches and adjusted by an algorithm. RunWay is a free iPhone app built around a live voice coach that writes what it says from your run and answers questions you ask out loud. Both build plans that adapt; they just put the coaching in different places.

RunWay vs Runna at a glance

Where Runna shines

Runna’s strength is breadth. Its help center lists race and distance plans from 5K to 50 km, parkrun and 5K improvement plans, general training, beginner and return-to-running plans, Hyrox and functional fitness, the run legs of a triathlon, and post-race, post-injury and postpartum plans. Strength training is included.

It also meets you where you train. There’s an Apple Watch app, an Android app, and support for Garmin, COROS and Suunto watches, with audio cues on several of them. In July 2026 it added Adapt for Heat, which recalculates your paces from the feels-like temperature. The app is available in eight languages, French included. If you want a big library of coach-written plans and you train from your watch, Runna is a solid choice.

Where RunWay is different

A coach that talks and listens

Runna’s audio is made of fixed cue types; its help center doesn’t describe an AI voice or questions asked out loud. RunWay’s coach writes each line from your live data and says it at the right moment, lowering your music while it speaks. Hold the mic button and ask “Can I hold this pace?”: the answer comes from your heart rate, pace and plan. You can pick its personality too, from drill sergeant to zen. Here’s how the voice coach in your earbuds works.

Readiness, not just results

RunWay’s plan reads your sleep, HRV and resting heart rate in Apple Health each day and can lighten a session when you’re low. Paces update from your recent runs, and if you report a pain, the plan drops hard sessions and long runs, then brings you back with run/walk steps. More on adaptive training plans and the injury and comeback mode.

Trail, ultra and routes

RunWay has trail and ultra plans from 5 to 200+ km with elevation gain, counts ultra training in hours, and calls out elapsed time and climbing during long runs. It suggests routes for today’s workout with turn-by-turn voice guidance, and imports and exports GPX.

French, natively

Both apps have a French interface. RunWay was written in French first, with tutoiement and French voices, so the coaching in your ears sounds like a French coach, not a translation.

Where RunWay is narrower

RunWay is iPhone only, has no Apple Watch app yet, and doesn’t offer Hyrox, triathlon or postpartum plans. If those matter most, Runna covers more ground.

Pricing compared

Runna costs $19.99 a month or $119.99 a year (€19.99 / €119.99, £15.99 / £99.99), with a 7-day free trial. Without a subscription you keep run recording and week 1 of any plan; its beginner plans became paid in June 2026. A Strava + Runna bundle is sold yearly only ($149.99 or £119.99, per the5krunner).

RunWay is a free app with no subscription and no ads. The coach always talks with built-in phrases and the iPhone voice, for free. The AI coach, with tailor-made cues and natural voices, uses coaching time: you get free hours when you sign up, then you can add an optional pack of 3, 10 or 30 hours that never expires. The App Store shows the price in your currency.

So, is Runna worth it? If you’ll use its plan library and watch apps every week, it can be. If what you want most is a coach in your ears that reacts and answers, without a monthly fee, RunWay is the free Runna alternative to try.

Which one fits you?

• You train with a Garmin or Apple Watch and leave the phone at home: Runna.
• You’re training for Hyrox, a triathlon, or after a pregnancy: Runna has dedicated plans.
• You run with your iPhone and earbuds and want a coach that talks back: RunWay.
• You train for a trail race or an ultra: RunWay has dedicated plans; Runna suggests a hilly distance plan for now.
• You’d rather not pay monthly: RunWay.
• You run in French: both work; RunWay’s coaching was written in French.

Can you use both?

Both apps record your runs, so you’d normally pick one per run to avoid two voices in your ears. Runs you record with a watch can still reach RunWay: if they land in Apple Health, they join your RunWay history.

FAQ