Runked vs TrainingPeaks
These serve different moments in a runner's week. TrainingPeaks is the coach's desk: pro-grade training-load analytics (CTL/ATL/TSB on the Performance Management Chart), a marketplace of 1,500+ human coaches, multi-sport planning across running, cycling and triathlon, and a full web/desktop app, for $134.99/year or $19.95/month (14-day trial). Runked is the same class of fitness/fatigue science built into a phone app you'll actually open every day — free tracking, a Bronze→Olympian rank and effort-scored weekly leagues, plus PRO training plans, race predictions and Runner DNA for $59.99/year. If you're self-coached or coached, train multiple sports, and want the raw dashboard, pick TrainingPeaks. If you want that same load model translated into plain language, cheaper, and wrapped in something that motivates you to open it daily, pick Runked.
Runked vs TrainingPeaks at a glance
| Runked | TrainingPeaks | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, or PRO $59.99/yr (7-day trial) · $11.99/wk | Premium $134.99/yr (~$11.25/mo) or $19.95/mo, 14-day trial; human-coached plans on top run $149–$359/mo |
| Free tier | GPS tracking, running rank, weekly leagues, streaks, device sync | Basic (free): workout upload, device sync, workout summaries, limited planning — no Performance Management Chart (CTL/ATL/TSB) |
| Platforms | iPhone only (iOS 17+) | iOS, Android, and a full web/desktop app |
| Tracking | Built-in GPS run tracking, plus Garmin/Apple Health import | No built-in GPS or accelerometer tracking — pairs with 100+ watches, bike computers and apps (Garmin, Wahoo, Polar, Coros, Suunto, Zwift and more) to record or import workouts |
| Training plans | Personalized 5K–marathon plans, generated automatically, included in PRO | Workout-by-workout plan builder and a training-plan marketplace across running, cycling, triathlon and more; self-built or delivered by a marketplace/coached-tier coach, not auto-generated |
| Race predictions | Included in PRO, across 5K to marathon | Not a built-in feature — forecasting typically comes from a coach's read of the Performance Management Chart, not an in-app prediction |
| Ranking/progression | Skill rank, Bronze→Olympian across 20 tiers; can fall | No rank. Fitness, Fatigue and Form (CTL/ATL/TSB) trend lines instead, meant to be read by the athlete or a coach |
| Leagues/competition | Weekly leagues scored on effort, fair to beginners | None — no comparative leaderboard or league system of any kind |
| Social | League leaderboards only; no public feed | Coach-athlete messaging and shared calendars; no public feed or leaderboard |
| Device sync | Garmin Connect, Apple Health | 100+ devices and apps, including Garmin, Wahoo, Polar, Coros, Suunto, Apple Health, Zwift and Strava |
| Languages | English only | Available in multiple languages beyond English (varies by platform — includes French, German, Italian, Japanese and Portuguese) |
Where TrainingPeaks wins
TrainingPeaks is the tool serious, already-training athletes already use, and it earns that reputation. Its Performance Management Chart plots Fitness, Fatigue and Form using CTL/ATL/TSB — the acute/chronic training-load model that a large share of professional and age-group coaching is actually built on — as raw trend lines you or a coach can read at any zoom level, not a simplified summary. It's multi-sport by design: running, cycling, triathlon, swimming, strength and more share the same calendar, which matters for anyone training across disciplines rather than running alone. Its coach marketplace is a real one — over 1,500 certified coaches searchable by sport, location, language and ability level, plus a Coach Match service that hand-selects one for you, with coached tiers bundling that human coaching on top of Premium. And it runs everywhere: iOS, Android, and a full web/desktop app, so nothing is locked to one phone platform. Garmin acquired TrainingPeaks on July 22, 2026; it still operates as its own platform and, for now, still syncs evenhandedly with Wahoo, Polar, Coros and Suunto alongside Garmin's own watches. For a self-coached athlete who wants the raw numbers, or anyone working with (or shopping for) a human coach, that combination is hard to match.
Where Runked wins
Runked tracks the same class of load science — a chronic training load (fitness), an acute training load (fatigue), a training balance (fitness minus fatigue) and a load ratio flagging injury-risk spikes — but reads it out in plain language (Novice to Elite, Rested to Intense, Productive to Peaking) instead of asking you to interpret raw CTL/ATL/TSB numbers yourself. Where TrainingPeaks expects you to build or buy a plan, Runked PRO generates a personalized 5K-to-marathon plan automatically and includes race time predictions TrainingPeaks doesn't offer as a built-in feature. It's also built-in GPS from the first run, no pairing required, and priced well under half of TrainingPeaks Premium: $59.99/year against $134.99/year. The bigger difference is what makes you open the app. TrainingPeaks is a dashboard you consult; Runked adds a running rank that rises or falls with every run and weekly leagues scored on effort, so a beginner's honest week can outrank someone else's easy one — a motivation layer TrainingPeaks has no equivalent of. Same underlying science, translated into something you'd actually check on a Tuesday.
To be fair about where Runked falls short: it's iPhone only (iOS 17+, no Android, no web dashboard), English only, and a considerably younger app than TrainingPeaks, which has well over a decade of coaching-industry data and integrations behind it. If you're on Android, need a browser dashboard, need TrainingPeaks in another language, or train multiple sports at once, TrainingPeaks is the safer bet regardless of price or the rank/league layer.
Which should you pick
- Pick TrainingPeaks if you're self-coached and want raw CTL/ATL/TSB numbers, you're working with (or shopping for) a human coach, you train multiple sports, or you need Android or a web dashboard.
- Pick Runked if you're training for one distance and want the same load science translated into plain language, an automatic plan instead of a builder, race predictions included, and a rank/league layer to keep you consistent — and you're on iPhone.
- Think about who reads the data. TrainingPeaks assumes you (or your coach) will interpret the chart. Runked interprets it for you and turns the result into a rank. Pick based on whether you want to read the dashboard or just be told where you stand.
Find out where you stand
Runked is free on the App Store. Connect your watch or track 3 runs, and meet your Runk.
Download on App StoreFrequently asked questions
What does TrainingPeaks Premium cost?
$19.95 a month, or $134.99 a year (about $11.25/month, roughly 44% cheaper than monthly), with a 14-day free trial. There's also a free Basic tier for uploading and syncing workouts, but the Performance Management Chart (CTL/ATL/TSB) is Premium-only. Human-coached plans on top of Premium run separately, from about $149 to $359 a month.
Does Runked track training load?
Yes. Runked PRO tracks the same fitness/fatigue model TrainingPeaks built its Performance Management Chart on — chronic load (fitness), acute load (fatigue), and training balance — but labeled in plain language instead of raw CTL/ATL/TSB numbers, plus a load-ratio injury-risk warning.
Which for self-coached runners?
Depends how much you want to build yourself. TrainingPeaks gives you the raw dashboard and a plan builder, or a marketplace of 1,500+ coaches to hire. Runked PRO builds a personalized plan automatically and translates the same load science into plain language, at under half the price.
Overkill for a 5K runner?
For most, yes. TrainingPeaks is built for multi-sport athletes and coached training blocks over a full season. A runner training for one 5K is more likely to get what they need from Runked's automatic plan, race prediction and rank/league layer at $59.99/year — unless a human coach or multi-sport tracking is specifically the point.