Tried two different running apps for a month and the free one crushed the paid one

I was using Strava Premium for like 3 years and then my buddy suggested I try RunKeeper's free version just to see. I laughed it off but gave it a shot last month. After 30 days of tracking the same 4 mile loop I run near the river, RunKeeper's free version actually had way better audio cues and the pacing data was more accurate to what my watch showed. Strava Premium kept telling me I was going faster than I actually was. I cancelled Premium yesterday. Anybody else have a free app that outdid a paid version in a big way?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_oliver1d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, 3 years on Strava Premium? Dang, that's a lot of money. That pacing thing you mentioned is wild. I had the same issue with Strava where it said I ran a 7:30 mile on my normal route but my Garmin watch showed a solid 8:15. So it was basically lying to me for months. Maybe I'm just bitter but it's crazy how a free app can just show the real numbers while the paid one is out here making up fantasy times.

bailey.jennifer20h ago

Three years of Premium is steep, yeah. But just a heads up, Strava doesn't actually track your pace itself. It just shows whatever data your watch or phone sends it. So if your Garmin said 8:15 and Strava said 7:30, the problem is probably in how your Garmin synced the GPS data or maybe you had auto-pause turned off on one device. I've seen it happen where my watch records a 9:00 mile but Strava smooths the route and shaves off a few seconds because it recalculates the distance differently. Not saying Premium isn't overpriced for what it does, but the pacing glitch is usually a device mismatch thing, not Strava making stuff up.

fiona_kim9722h ago

lol my buddy paid for premium for a year and his buddy's free app was more accurate the whole time.