The Best Strava Alternatives (2026, UK)

What is the best alternative to Strava?

Strava is built around tracking your runs and the social side of training, so the best alternative depends on what you want beyond that. If you want an actual plan that tells you what to do, Edge is a strong pick: one fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility with a real coach to message. Nike Run Club is a good free option for guided runs, and Garmin Connect suits Garmin watch owners who want free tracking.

If you want structured running plans and nothing else, Runna is the most established choice, and it is worth knowing that Strava acquired Runna in 2025. The table below shows where each app fits.

Why look for a Strava alternative?

Strava focuses on two things and does them well: recording your runs and rides with GPS, segments and heart rate, and the community around that, from kudos to clubs and leaderboards. For a lot of runners that is exactly what they want. Nearly a billion runs were recorded on Strava in 2024, so the tracking and social side clearly work.

The gap is that Strava is built to capture what you did, not to tell you what to do next. It shows your pace, your splits and your fitness trend, but it does not hand you a session for Tuesday or reshape your week when life gets in the way. Runners usually go looking for an alternative when they want structure: a plan, clear progression and someone to keep them accountable.

It is also worth knowing that the picture changed in 2025. Strava acquired Runna, a UK running-plan app, and now offers a joint subscription. That adds training plans to the Strava world, but it is still a separate running plan sitting alongside tracking rather than one plan that covers running, strength, HIIT and mobility together.

Best alternative if you want a training plan

If your main frustration with Strava is the lack of a plan, three options stand out.

Edge gives you one fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility, ready within a day, with a real coach you can message anytime. It tells you what to do, not just what you did, and it flexes around your life when work, travel or a bad night of sleep get in the way. That makes it a good fit for runners who also lift or cross-train and want everything in one place rather than juggling separate apps. Edge has more than 18,000 members and starts with a free 7-day trial, then costs from £19.99 per month.

Runna focuses on structured running plans and is the best known app in that space. It builds a running schedule around your goal race and target paces, and since the 2025 acquisition it sits under Strava with a joint subscription option. If running is the only thing you want to plan, it is a strong choice.

Garmin Connect quietly includes one of the best free plan builders around. If you own a Garmin watch, you can set a goal such as a 5K or half marathon and it will build a running plan at no extra cost. Nike Run Club also offers set training plans from 5K to marathon, all free.

Best free alternative for tracking

You do not have to pay to replace Strava's tracking. Nike Run Club is fully free, with GPS tracking, audio guided runs led by real coaches and structured plans, and no premium tier. It is the easiest free pick for most runners.

Garmin Connect is free for anyone with a Garmin watch and covers your full history, live stats, routes, sleep and recovery. If you are already in the Garmin ecosystem, it does much of what Strava does without a subscription.

For complete beginners, the NHS Couch to 5K app is free with no ads or in-app purchases, and takes you from walking to running 5K over nine weeks with audio guidance. Strava itself also keeps a free tier, so you can carry on using it for basic tracking and add a plan-focused app alongside it.

Pricing and free trials

Pricing changes often, so treat these figures as a guide and check the current price in each app before you subscribe.

Strava runs on a free tier plus a paid subscription that unlocks its full analysis and segment features. In the UK this has recently been around £8.99 per month or £54.99 per year, and there is now a joint Strava and Runna bundle. Runna is a paid app, recently around £15.99 per month in the UK, with a free trial and a limited free membership that offers a couple of starter plans.

Nike Run Club, Garmin Connect and the NHS Couch to 5K app are free, though Garmin Connect assumes you already own a Garmin device. Edge offers a free 7-day trial, then costs from £19.99 per month. For that you get one plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility and a real coach to message, rather than a single-sport tracker.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Strava?

Strava is built around tracking your runs and the social side of training, so the best alternative depends on what you want beyond that. If you want an actual plan that tells you what to do, Edge is a strong pick: one fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility with a real coach to message. Nike Run Club is a good free option for guided runs, and Garmin Connect suits Garmin watch owners who want free tracking.

Did Strava buy Runna?

Yes. Strava announced it was acquiring Runna, the UK running-plan app, in April 2025. The two apps are being kept separate for now, and there is a joint Strava and Runna subscription. Runna remains a running-specific plan app rather than an all-round training plan.

Is there a free alternative to Strava?

Yes. Nike Run Club is fully free with GPS tracking, guided runs and training plans. Garmin Connect is free if you own a Garmin watch, and the NHS Couch to 5K app is free for total beginners. Strava also keeps a free tier for basic tracking.

Which Strava alternative gives you a training plan?

Edge gives you one fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility with a real coach to message. Runna and Nike Run Club offer running plans, and Garmin Connect includes a free plan builder for Garmin owners.

How much does Edge cost?

Edge starts with a free 7-day trial, then costs from £19.99 per month. That covers a fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility, ready within a day, with a real coach you can message anytime.