How Apex compares
Different, on purpose.
A fair look at Apex next to Strava, Runna, Nike Run Club and Garmin Connect, as of October 2026. Every competitor detail comes from their own website or help pages, linked below. Where we couldn't confirm something, we say so instead of guessing.
What makes Apex different
Free, all of it
No ads, no subscription, no in-app purchases. Every plan, story and feature is for everyone.
Stories, not just stats
Run to each other: Couples across Verona, or Duo with a friend along the Cinque Terre. A new hand-drawn chapter for each week at your shared goal.
Made for women first
Protective choices are the defaults: route ends trimmed, live sharing off until you start it, private segments, invite-only clubs.
Private clubs
Up to 50 people you invite. A feed, not a chat, and a weekly board on a 2-hour delay.
On-device AI
The coach runs on your iPhone with Apple's own model. No cloud AI.
EU data, no ad trackers
Your account is stored in the EU. No analytics or advertising tools in the app.
Side by side
As of October 2026. Scroll sideways on a phone.
| Feature | Apex | Strava | Runna | Nike Run Club | Garmin Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (UK) | Free. No subscription, no in-app purchases | Free tier. Subscription £8.99 a month or £54.99 a year | Week 1 of any plan free. Premium £15.99 a month or £99.99 a year | Free | Free. Connect+ £6.99 a month or £69.99 a year |
| AI features | AI coach that runs on your iPhone (Apple Intelligence iPhones), free | Athlete Intelligence, for subscribers | AI Workout Insights, for Premium | Not listed | Active Intelligence, for Connect+ |
| Training plans | 33 running plans, Couch to 5K to 100K, and 50 cycling plans, all free | Running and cycling plans, for subscribers | Adaptive plans from 5K to ultra, for Premium | 6 free plans and about 300 audio guided runs | Free adaptive Garmin Coach plans (5K, 10K, half) |
| Story mode | Couples and Duo (friends and family) stories for two, a chapter for each week at your shared goal | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Partner features | Couples and Duo: first name and weekly minutes in 5-minute steps. Location only if you start a live share and pick them | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Private groups | Invite-only clubs, up to 50 people, no public feed | Clubs can be invite-only | Community feed by goal; private groups not confirmed | Friend challenges | Groups; privacy settings not confirmed |
| Live location sharing | Opt-in, off by default. A private link, or your partner and club friends in the app. Ends by itself (6 hours at most), positions deleted 24 hours later | Beacon, free in the app | Not listed | Share your run live with a link | LiveTrack, free |
| Segments and leaderboards | Segments from your own runs and rides, private by default. Boards for you, your private clubs and your partner. Public boards are opt-in | Segment leaderboards, for subscribers | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Routes and heatmaps | Route builder (snaps to paths, loops, GPX export, follow with an off-route alert) and a personal heatmap drawn on your phone. No global heatmap, on purpose | Route creation, suggested routes and Personal Heatmaps, for subscribers | Not listed | Not listed | Courses, free. Garmin Trails offline download with Connect+ |
| Devices | Apple Health; Bluetooth heart-rate straps, foot pods, bike sensors, power meters, smart trainers and treadmills; workouts sent to Apple Watch. No direct Garmin cloud link | Garmin, Apple Watch, Wear OS, COROS, Polar, Suunto, Wahoo and more | Apple Watch, Garmin, COROS, Suunto, Amazfit, Fitbit, Wear OS, Bluetooth heart-rate monitors | Apple, Garmin and COROS watches | Garmin devices |
| Where account data is stored | EU (Ireland) | United States | Mainly UK and EEA, also the US | USA and other countries | US, UK and/or Australia |
“Not listed” means we didn't find it on the company's official pages on 7 October 2026, not that it doesn't exist. Prices are the UK prices shown on their websites and can change; some apps price differently in the App Store. Runna is now part of Strava. adidas Running isn't included because its paid tier is being phased out and we couldn't confirm its current features.
Where others are stronger
- Device sync. Strava, Runna and Garmin sync straight from the cloud accounts of many watches and bike computers. Apex has no direct Garmin cloud link: Garmin workouts come in through Apple Health only.
- A huge public segment community. Strava has public segment leaderboards with a very large community, and a global heatmap. Apex segments start private and public boards are opt-in, so there are far fewer people to race. Apex has no global heatmap, on purpose: its heatmap shows only your own activities.
- Coaching from people. Runna offers coaching support with Premium, and Garmin adds coach guidance with Connect+. Apex's coach is an on-device AI and the plans themselves.
- Live tracking alerts. Strava Beacon, Garmin LiveTrack and Nike Run Club's live sharing do the same job as Apex's, and Garmin Connect+ adds text notifications to your contacts. Apex sends no texts or push alerts to the people you share with: you send the private link yourself.
- Android. Apex is iPhone only.
Curious how Apex works inside? Read the science.
Sources and small print
Strava, Runna, Nike Run Club, Garmin Connect and the other names on this page are trademarks of their owners. They're used only to identify those apps. Apex isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them. Details change often, so please check their websites for the latest.
- Strava: strava.com/pricing, strava.com/subscribe, support.strava.com/en-us/articles/15402044-strava-subscription-features, support.strava.com/en-us/articles/15401629-athlete-intelligence-on-strava, support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/216918347-Clubs-on-Strava, support.strava.com/en-us/articles/16312772-compatible-devices-and-apps-on-strava, strava.com/legal/privacy
- Runna: runna.com/pricing, support.runna.com/en/articles/8112247-managing-your-runna-subscription, support.runna.com/en/articles/10494265-what-are-workout-insights, runna.com/features, support.runna.com/en/collections/17889220-connected-apps-watches, runna.com/legal/privacy-policy
- Nike Run Club: nike.com/nrc-app, about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-run-club-app-new-features
- Garmin Connect: garmin.com/en-GB/p/1565777, garmin.com/en-GB/blog/which-adaptive-training-plan-is-right-for-you, garmin.com/en-GB/privacy/connect/policy
All accessed on 7 October 2026.