Short answer: pick Runna if you are chasing a time or want a plan that adapts to you, and pick Nike Run Club if you want something free that makes running enjoyable. Both apps will get you to a marathon start line. They just take very different routes, and one of them costs nothing.
Every price and feature below was checked against the official Runna and Nike websites, their help centres and the App Store listings in October 2026. Prices change and vary by country, so check the app before you subscribe.
Runna vs Nike Run Club at a Glance
| Runna | Nike Run Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (US) | $19.99/month or $119.99/year | Free |
| Free option | 7-day trial, then Week 1 of any plan | Everything |
| Training plans | Personalised, 5K to ultra, 8 to 26 weeks | 5K, 10K, half and full marathon (8 to 18 weeks) |
| Adapts to you | Yes, to your performance | Start point and days per week |
| Coaching style | Structured workouts with pace targets | Audio Guided Runs |
| Watches | Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit, COROS and more | Apple Watch app, Garmin and COROS as partners |
| Strava | Connects, and Strava owns Runna | Connects as a partner app |
| Owner | Strava | Nike |
Price and Free Tier
Nike Run Club is free. The App Store listing shows no subscription and no in-app purchases. The one catch is geography: Nike says Training Plans are available in the US, UK, Japan, China, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, and Guided Runs in select countries.
Runna is a subscription. According to its pricing page, it costs $19.99 a month or $119.99 a year in the US, and £15.99 a month or £99.99 a year in the UK, after a 7-day free trial. The billing period matters more than usual: a monthly subscriber sees the next four weeks of their plan, while an annual subscriber can see the whole plan up to race day.
Without a subscription, Runna still works as a basic app. Its help centre says free users keep Week 1 of any plan, run recording, activity imports and their completed workouts, but cannot follow planned workouts beyond Week 1. In practice, the free tier is a taster, not a training app.
If you already pay for Strava, look at the Strava + Runna bundle: $149.99 a year (US pricing) for both premium apps, sold annually only and through Strava rather than Runna.
Training Plans and How They Adapt
This is where the two apps differ most. Runna builds a plan from your goal, your race date, your current fitness and the days you can train. It covers everything from Couch to 5K to ultra marathons, lets you train over 8 to 26 weeks, and says the plan adapts to your performance. You can also move sessions around your week and add a secondary race without breaking the plan.
Nike Run Club offers fixed plans for the classic distances: 8 weeks for 5K and 10K, 14 weeks for the half, and 18 weeks for the marathon. You can join the marathon plan anywhere between 18 and 8 weeks out, and run 3, 4 or 5 days a week. Workouts are set by time and relative effort, such as intervals at your 5K pace, rather than pace numbers calculated for you.
Bottom line: Runna gives you a plan built around you, with paces to hit. Nike Run Club gives you a good, well-structured plan that you fit yourself into.
Coaching and Guided Runs
Guided Runs are Nike Run Club's signature feature. You put in your headphones and a Nike coach or athlete talks you through the run, from a first 10-minute jog to long runs and speed sessions, with voices including Eliud Kipchoge. The marathon plan is built from these runs, alongside mindset, nutrition and recovery tips and strength workouts from Nike Training Club. If you find solo runs boring, this is the best reason to choose NRC.
Runna coaches through structure rather than a voice. Its plans are written by elite coaches, including former Olympians, and every session comes with clear instructions and pace targets. Premium subscribers can also message Runna's support team for guidance on their plan, and the app includes strength and conditioning routines designed to sit around your running.
Watch and Strava Integration
Runna lists Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit and COROS among its supported devices, and syncs your workouts to the watch so you can follow the session from your wrist. It also connects with Strava, which is no surprise: Strava announced it was acquiring Runna in April 2025, and Runna is now published by Strava on the App Store. Strava said at the time it would keep the two apps separate, and they still are.
Nike Run Club is at its best on the Apple Watch, where it has its own app. For everything else, Nike's help centre describes connecting partner apps and devices such as Strava, Garmin and COROS from Settings, then Partners, to share your workout data. Which partners you see depends on where you live.
Who Each App Suits
Your first marathon
Both work. Nike Run Club's 18-week marathon plan, built from Guided Runs, will get you to the finish for free, and the coaching voice helps on the long runs. Choose Runna if your schedule is messy or your race is on an awkward date, because it builds the plan around both and adjusts as you go.
A time goal
Runna, clearly. Chasing a sub-4 or a Boston qualifier is about hitting specific paces week after week, and that is exactly what Runna is built to prescribe and adjust. With Nike Run Club you would be working out your own paces from effort cues.
The casual runner
Nike Run Club. If you run a few times a week to stay fit, a paid plan is overkill. NRC tracks your runs, keeps you company with Guided Runs, and adds challenges with friends, streaks and shoe mileage tracking, all for nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Runna better than Nike Run Club?
It depends on your goal. Runna is better if you want a paid plan built around your race date, your fitness and your schedule, with pace targets that adapt to how you run. Nike Run Club is better if you want a free app with audio Guided Runs and fixed training plans.
Is Nike Run Club really free?
Yes. Nike Run Club is listed as free on the App Store. Training Plans are available in the US, UK, Japan, China, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, and Guided Runs in select countries.
How much does Runna cost?
In the US, Runna costs $19.99 a month or $119.99 a year after a 7-day free trial. In the UK it is £15.99 a month or £99.99 a year. Strava also sells a Strava + Runna annual bundle for $149.99 (US pricing).
Does Runna work with Garmin and Strava?
Yes. Runna syncs with Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit, COROS and more, and connects with Strava.
Is Runna owned by Strava?
Yes. Strava announced its agreement to acquire Runna on April 17, 2025, and Runna is now published by Strava, Inc. on the App Store. Runna remains a separate app.
The Verdict
Runna is the better training tool. If you have a race and a goal, its personalised, adaptive plans and pace targets are worth the subscription, and the free week is enough to know whether it suits you.
Nike Run Club is the better free app. For beginners, casual runners and anyone who wants a coach in their ear, it is hard to beat, and it is worth keeping for easy days even if you move to a paid plan.
What Neither App Does
Both apps now help you find a race: Nike Run Club has a Race Finder and Runna has a separate site called Races by Runna. But both are search tools for picking a race, and neither tells you the day a marathon ballot or registration opens. For races like the London Marathon, the Berlin Marathon or the NYC Marathon, missing that window means no race to train for.
That is the one job BibsAlert does: it watches the official race sites and emails you when entry opens. We covered why training apps leave this gap in does Runna notify you about marathon lotteries.