Sports tracking giant Strava has announced it has bought Runna, a U.K.-based app that provides AI-powered training plans to its users.
No further details on the deal have been published, and for now nothing is set to change in how you use either app, with them remaining separate entities with separate subscription options.
For now nothing is set to change in how you use either app, with them remaining separate entities with separate subscription options.
As a keen runner who uses Strava daily, it’s easy to imagine how Strava can benefit from this deal, because the app doesn’t offer personalized training plans for users, while Runna gets significant investment and a chance to tap into the biggest user base of any fitness app.
“We are delighted to become part of Strava as we continue to focus on bringing the world the most customized and personalized training plans available,” said Dom Maskell, co-founder and chief executive officer at Runna.
“We have spent many hours together with Strava senior management and we couldn’t be more excited to be on the same team.”
“I have been deeply impressed with Dom, Ben and the Runna team,” said Michael Martin, chief executive officer at Strava, “our plan is to keep the apps separate for the foreseeable future, to invest in growing the Runna team and further accelerate the development of the Runna app.”
Two of the biggest fitness apps
Runna was started in 2021 and has grown rapidly, picking up an additional $6.3 million in funding since it launched. It offers AI-powered training plans for runners targeting events like 5Ks or marathons. In fact, we awarded it the title of best running app in last year's Tom's Guide Fitness Awards.
Both Strava and Runna are on iOS and Android and the apps link up easily with each other as well as the best sports watches from all major brands, including Garmin and Apple.
You can use Strava for free but subscribing to Strava Premium for $11.99 a month or $79.99 a year unlocks a raft of extra features, while Runna costs $19.99 a month or $119.99 a year for its coaching plans.
What will change for users?
As of now, nothing will change for users of either app. The apps and subscriptions will remain separate, but as the apps integrate more closely in the future I’d expect training plans to become a feature offered within the Strava app.
How much that will cost users is the key question, and one that won’t be answered imminently. The recent introduction of subscription services from Garmin and Polar have made users concerned that more and more fitness features will be locked behind paywalls in the future.
Runna has always been a subscription-based service, but even so the two apps will need to move forward carefully to avoid a backlash from both of their user bases as a result of the deal.
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
