Runked vs Strava
Runked is a running app built around a rank: every run earns trophies scored on effort, your trophy total places you in a league from Bronze to Olympian, and 5K to marathon training plans, race predictions and load analytics come in the same subscription. Strava is a social network for logging activities across many sports: a feed, kudos, clubs and segment leaderboards, on iPhone, Android and the web. Both read the same Garmin or Apple Health data, so some runners keep the two side by side.
Runked vs Strava at a glance
| Runked | Strava | |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking/progression | Rank earned in trophies, Bronze→Olympian across 20 leagues; can fall | No overall rank. Leaderboards per segment of road, and kudos |
| Competition | Trophy Road: one ladder of every ranked runner, trophies scored on effort, a weekly goal per league above Bronze | Segments and challenges ranked on pace or distance, not adjusted for fitness |
| Training plans | Personalized 5K–marathon plans, included | Structured running and cycling plans, Premium only |
| Race predictions | Included | Performance predictions, Premium only |
| Tracking | GPS run tracking on the phone | GPS tracking for running, cycling, swimming, hiking and other sports |
| Device sync | Garmin Connect and Apple Health (Apple Watch runs arrive through Apple Health) | Most GPS watches and fitness platforms |
| Social | Leaderboards and profiles. No feed, no kudos, no followers | Feed, kudos, comments, clubs, following |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 17+) | iOS, Android, web |
| Languages | 11 languages | 24+ languages |
| Price | $59.99/yr after a 7-day free trial, or $11.99/wk. One subscription, everything included | Free tier, or Premium $79.99/yr (30-day trial) · $11.99/mo |
| Free tier | None. 7-day free trial on the yearly plan | Activity tracking, social feed, clubs, basic routes, top-10 segment leaderboard |
What Runked does that Strava doesn't
Runked gives you one number to move. 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. A segment leaderboard ranks by time over a stretch of road, with no adjustment for fitness. 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.
Training plans, race predictions, Runner DNA and fitness and fatigue charts are all in the one Runked PRO subscription, at $59.99 a year. Strava keeps its plans and predictions in Premium, at $79.99 a year. Runked has no feed, so there is nothing to post and nobody to keep up with.
What Strava does that Runked doesn't
Strava runs on Android and the web as well as iPhone, and it logs cycling, swimming, hiking and other sports next to running. It has a social feed with kudos, comments and clubs, segment leaderboards for stretches of road, and route building and heatmaps in Premium. Strava also has a free tier. Runked has none of those: it is a subscription app for running, on iPhone. For what Strava's paid tier adds over its free one, feature by feature, see is Strava Premium worth it.
Which should you pick
- Pick Runked if you run on iPhone and want a rank that moves with every run, competition scored on effort instead of pace, and training plans, race predictions and load analytics in one subscription.
- Use both if you also want a social feed: both read the same Garmin or Apple Health data, so nothing gets tracked twice.
- Stay with Strava alone if you need Android or the web, or you mostly ride or swim. Runked is a running app for iPhone.
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 Runked a Strava replacement?
For the running itself, yes: Runked tracks your runs, turns each one into trophies toward a rank, builds your training plan and predicts your race times. For the social side, no. Runked has no feed, kudos or clubs, so runners who want those keep Strava next to it.
Can I use both?
Yes. Runked syncs from Garmin Connect and Apple Health, both of which Strava can also read from, so one run can post to a Strava feed and add trophies to your Runked rank without being tracked twice.
Which is better for beginners?
Runked, if pace is what puts you off. Strava's segment leaderboards rank by pace, with no adjustment for fitness. Runked scores effort: every run earns trophies for how long and how hard it was for you, Bronze has no weekly goal to defend, and a beginner's hard week earns more trophies than a faster runner's easy one.
Which is free?
Strava has a free tier: activity tracking, the social feed, clubs and a top-10 view of segment leaderboards. Its training plans and performance predictions need Strava Premium, at $79.99 a year or $11.99 a month. Runked 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.