Runked vs Polar Flow
Runked is a running app that tracks on your phone and needs no watch: every run earns trophies scored on effort, your trophy total places you in a league from Bronze to Olympian, and a first-5K plan, 5K to marathon training plans and race predictions come in the same subscription. Polar Flow is the companion app for Polar watches and heart rate sensors: it syncs, analyzes and stores the activity, training load, recovery and sleep data they record, on iPhone, Android and the web. Polar workouts reach Runked through Apple Health, so some runners keep both.
Runked vs Polar Flow at a glance
| Runked | Polar Flow | |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking/progression | Rank earned in trophies, Bronze→Olympian across 20 leagues; can fall | Running Index, a score estimated from your runs that Polar compares with people of your age and gender. No league or ladder between users on Polar's Flow page |
| Competition | Trophy Road: one ladder of every ranked runner, trophies scored on effort, a weekly goal per league above Bronze | None described on Polar's Flow page |
| Training plans | First-5K plan and personalized 5K–marathon plans, included | Polar Running Program for 5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon, with targets on a compatible Polar watch; also the paid Polar Fitness Program add-on |
| Race predictions | Included | Running Index report estimates finish times for different running distances, on compatible Polar watches |
| Tracking | GPS run tracking on the phone | Training analysis with heart rate, speed, pace and power from Polar devices; sessions can also be recorded with the phone's GPS |
| Hardware needed | None | Designed to work with Polar watches and heart rate sensors |
| Device sync | Garmin Connect and Apple Health (Apple Watch runs arrive through Apple Health) | Polar devices; shares workouts, heart rate and steps with Apple Health; connects to Strava, TrainingPeaks, Adidas and Komoot |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 17+) | iOS (17+), Android, web |
| Languages | 11 languages | 22 languages |
| Price | $59.99/yr after a 7-day free trial, or $11.99/wk. One subscription, everything included | App free; Polar Fitness Program $8.99 in-app on the US App Store listing, billed monthly |
| Free tier | None. 7-day free trial on the yearly plan | The app, including activity, training load, recovery and sleep tracking |
What Runked does that Polar Flow doesn't
Runked gives you one number to move, and it needs no hardware. Every run earns trophies, and your trophy total is your rank, on a ladder of 20 leagues from Bronze I to Olympian. Trophies score effort (how long the run was and how hard it was for you), so a beginner's hard week earns more than a faster runner's easy one. Each league above Bronze has a weekly trophy goal that comes off your total every Monday, which means the rank has to be held by running and can fall if you stop. Connect Garmin or Apple Health and Runked places you from your running history; with none, your rank appears after your first tracked run.
Everything else is in the one Runked PRO subscription, at $59.99 a year: a first-5K plan for someone who cannot run yet, 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon plans personalized from your ability and available days, race-time predictions, Runner DNA, and fitness and fatigue charts. None of it depends on a watch.
What Polar Flow does that Runked doesn't
Polar Flow runs on Android and the web as well as iPhone, and it is free to download. It collects data from Polar watches and sensors: heart rate, training analysis with speed, pace and power, training load and recovery, and sleep stages and quality. It connects to Strava, TrainingPeaks, Adidas and Komoot, and it supports 22 languages. Its Running Program builds an adaptive plan for 5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon with targets sent to a compatible Polar watch, and its Running Index report estimates finish times for different running distances. Polar's paid Fitness Program adapts a weekly plan from the data of a compatible Polar watch; Polar lists it for the USA, Canada, the UK and much of Europe, among other countries. Runked reads no Polar data directly, tracks no sleep and has no web version. It is a subscription app for running, on iPhone.
Checked on October 8, 2026 against Polar Flow's App Store listing, Polar's Flow page, its Apple Health support article, its article on recording with the Flow app, its Fitness Program FAQ, and its Running Program and Running Index pages.
Which should you pick
- Pick Runked if you run on iPhone, want to start without buying a watch, and want a rank that moves with every run, a first-5K or race plan, and race predictions in one subscription.
- Use both if you wear a Polar watch: Polar Flow writes workouts to Apple Health and Runked reads runs from Apple Health, so a Polar run can add trophies to your rank. See how Runked syncs with Garmin and Apple Health.
- Stay with Polar Flow alone if you want sleep and recovery data from a Polar watch, need Android or the web, or want a free app.
Find out where you stand
Runked is free to download and starts with a 7-day free trial on the yearly plan. Connect your watch or track your first run, and meet your Runk.
Download on App StoreFrequently asked questions
Is Polar Flow free?
Runked is free to download but has no free tier: it costs $59.99 a year after a 7-day free trial, or $11.99 a week, and that one subscription includes the rank, training plans, race predictions and load analytics. The Polar Flow app is free to download, and Polar says Flow comes free with a Polar device. Its US App Store listing shows one in-app purchase, the Polar Fitness Program, at $8.99, which Polar charges monthly.
Do I need a Polar watch for Polar Flow?
Runked needs no watch: it tracks runs with the phone's GPS and also syncs from Garmin Connect and Apple Health. Polar describes Flow as designed to work with Polar watches and heart rate sensors, and says its Fitness Program uses data from a compatible Polar watch. Flow can also record a session using the phone's GPS.
Can I use Runked with Polar Flow?
Yes. Polar Flow can write workouts to Apple Health, including workout type, duration, distance and start and end times, and Runked reads runs from Apple Health. Switch on the Apple Health toggle in Polar Flow's settings and a run recorded on a Polar watch can add trophies to your Runked rank. Runked has no direct Polar connection.
Which is better for a first 5K?
Runked builds a first-5K plan as ten stages of run and walk intervals that grow into continuous running, ranks a new runner after the first tracked run, and needs no watch. Polar's Running Program covers 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon and sends each day's target to a compatible Polar watch, so it needs one.