A few days ago, I wrote an in-depth article on step counter or pedometer apps for Android smartphones. Walking is just part of the equation. True cardio means an activity which increases your heart beats considerably. There are numerous benefits of cardio exercises as has been proven by medical science time and again. This is why running is a far better workout than walking 10,000 steps in a day.
The Journal of American College of Cardiology found that there is a good chance of increasing your life span by several years if you run for just 10 minutes a day. It doesn’t have to be high-intensity either. However, experts note that the more you run, the better it is. According to the study I shared above, the sweet spot is 2.5 hours of running every week. We even promote running in Team TechWiser.
Now, all we need is a solid running app for Android smartphone to record our runs, find new trails, stay motivated and build a habit of running on a daily basis. Let’s see what our options are.
Best Running Apps for Android
1. Nike Run Club
Nike Run Club, popularly known as NRC, is an app for those who want voice-guided running sessions to help them understand the concept of running. It is an excellent app for beginners who don’t know how to breathe, continue running, build momentum, and not break the chain. You can connect with friends and view their runs too or cheer them.
Nike Run Club is free with no ads and comes with 3 different plans designed to help begin running or prepare for marathons. You can set your runs by distance, time, HIITs or even dates in case you are preparing for an event. Some of their coaches are professional athletes.
Pros:
- Beginner to advance
- Voice-guided runs
- Coaching from experts/athletes
- Gamification
- Free, no ads
Cons:
- No social media integration, only contacts
- No way to discover new trails
2. Zombies, Run
While most running apps for Android use challenges, trophies, and badges as a form of gamification to help motivate users run, none of them does it better than Zombies, Run app. Here is the storyline. There has been a zombie outbreak, an apocalypse if you will, and you have to run for your life, collecting supplies along the way. If you slow down, first, you will hear their breath, screams, and rattling groans behind you. If you stop, you die!
Zombies, Run has more than 300 stories to pick from and is a very cool and interesting take on regular running apps. Nothing motivates us to run faster than death itself. There are also plans for 5K, 10K, and marathon runs along with interval training. It will cost you $2.99/month, however, the free version comes with enough stories to begin.
Pros:
- Gamification
- Fun, intuitive
- Voice-guided runs
Cons:
- Not for athletes or serious runners
3. Charity Miles
Charity Miles is an app that is supported by a number of sponsors. These sponsors will support and donate money to a charitable organization of your choice every time you run. Your every run is sponsored by a different company and you can choose where all the money you earned by running goes. Run, run for a cause. I chose Autism and there is an option to change whom you support before every run.
You can join teams and run together for a common cause or charity too. Some big name brands like Johnson & Johnson and Humana are part of the sponsor roaster. This gives you a sense of purpose, something greater than us. You are doing something good while still improving your health. It cannot get better than this. There are more than 40 charities to choose from. This running app for Android is completely free to use and integrates with Strava.
Pros:
- Gamification
- Social integration
- Donation to charities
- Free, no ads
- $0.10-0.25 per mile
Cons:
- None
Also Read:Â 8 Best Android Apps to Gain Weight the Healthy Way
4. Weight Loss Running
Losing weight is one of the most common reasons why people begin with walking and then eventually running. Part of the equation is diet. Running alone, though a great way to burn calories, cannot help with losing weight and staying fit. Weight Loss Running will help with this by offering over 400 recipes designed to provide essential nutrients while still being healthy.
It will log your runs with metrics like distance, pace, calories and you can add pics when you are done. You can listen to music too. Then comes with meal plan with a daily intake of water, breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes. There is also a shopping list in the pro version to buy groceries for your meals.
The app will cost you $49.99/year and unlock meal plans and recipes plus training plans for running.
Pros:
- Meal plans &Â recipes
- Training plans
- Water logger
Cons:
- None
5. Decathlon Coach
Decathlon is a sports brand that has made a name for itself by selling quality yet affordable sports products panning a variety of sports. Just like their products, their app is also a quality one. It comes with a number of training plans for different activities including running. There are a number of programs for beginners as well as advanced runners with voice-guided instructions.
You will learn how to approach running, alternate running, adopt a suitable lifestyle with a proper diet that will continue over a number of weeks. Decathlon Coach is completely free with no ads. You can also track other activities.
Pros:
- Free
- Guided training
- Track other activities
- 3rd party apps, devices
Cons:
- None
Also Read:Â Best Weight Tracker App to Stay Fit and Healthy
6. Endomondo
Endomondo is one of the more popular fitness and running apps for Android. You can track more than 40 activities with a single app and it still manages to do it amazingly well without feeling cluttered. Like other running apps, you will get audio feedback on distance, speed, time, etc. at regular intervals.
Endomondo syncs and works with a number of wearable devices and third-party apps which makes it ideal for people and athletes who use such products like fitness bands and smartwatches. Some notable apps include S-Health, MyFitnessPal, and Google Fit. Connect your social media profiles to follow your friends and their stats, comment, and add pics or even videos. The premium plan, at $5.99, will provide guided training sessions, advanced stats, remove ads, show weather, HIITs training, and more. You can create personal schedules and set goals.
Endomondo is suitable for both beginners and advanced users and even if you are an athlete, it will serve you well.
Pros:
- Guided training
- Gamification
- Social integration
- Track multiple activities
- App & device integration
Cons:
- None
7. Strava
Strava is another popular running app for Android which is designed beautifully with advanced runners and competitive athletes in mind. If you like to discover new trails for running, compare your runs across a number of circuits, and keep track of your performance on the same trail, Strava is your app. It has one of the largest social circles with runners around the world sharing new trails to tread on. Map your route and share it with the world. It not only tracks your run, time but if you have an HRM (Galaxy watch or Apple Watch) it will track that too.
The best thing about Strava is that they are completely open and take data from nearly any other running app or device.
Another area where Strava shines is analytics where you will see Suffer Score which will tell you how hard you have run, Summit which will tell you how better you were compared to last time on the same trail or lap, Power Meter to understand second-by-second breakdown, and race analysis. Like I said, built with athletes and pro runners in mind. Most features in Strava are free except Summit which will cost you $2.99 each. There are three.
Pros:
- Integrates with apps, devices
- Training programs
- Discover new trails
- Advanced analytics
- Gamification
- Social integration
Cons:
- None
8. Runtastic
Runtastic offers a suit of apps that you can use to track a slew of activities. Runtastic Running app for Android is designed for runners but the pro version will also monitor biking, kayaking, and more. Track your runs or challenge your friends for a weekly burnout, Runtastic got you covered. Like Endomondo, it connects with a number of 3rd party apps and fitness devices.
The Runtastic Pro version, priced at $49.99/year, will offer guided training, ability to discover new routes or add your own, set goals and track them, and more. One fun element is the Google Earth integration. You can actually see your running sessions on Google Earth app. Fun and unique! You can stream music from Spotify and Pandora which not many apps offer.
Pros:
- Spotify, Pandora support
- Google Earth integration
- 3rd party apps, devices support
- Guided training
- Track other activities
- Social integration
Cons:
- None
Best Running Apps for Android
We have covered a number of running apps for Android here with different types of users in mind. There are running apps for people who want to lose weight, who are just beginning their journey, who are pro runners and athletes, and runners who love their zombies! There is also a running app for people who have a heart of gold and like to donate money to charity, do their bit for society.
Which running app are you using and why?
