iPhone Running App Review: Runmeter vs Nike+ GPS vs RunKeeper vs MapMyRun
| Product | Runmeter | Nike+ GPS | RunKeeper | iMapMyRun+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Abvio | Nike | FitnessKeeper | MapMyFitness |
| URL | www.runmeter.com | www.nikeplus.com | www.runkeeper.com | www.mapmyfitness.com |
| Version | 6.0 | 3.2.1 | 2.4.8.0 | 4.0.6 |
| Price (US) | $4.99, no subscription fees | $1.99, no subscription fees | Free, $19.99 per year for additional reports and tracking. Training classes start at $5. | $1.99, Free version removes features and includes advertising. Subscription costs are $0, $30, $60, and $100 per year. Additional charges for training plans and printed maps. |
| Compatibility | iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S | iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, iPod touch (Does not support iPhone 3G) | iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S Also Android (free, reduced features), Windows Phone 7 |
iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S Also Android, Blackberry |
| Languages | English, French, German, Japanese, Italian | English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish | English | English |
| Model | iPhone-centric (Everything you need is on your iPhone, all data stored on iPhone. Posts to Facebook, Twitter, dailymile.) |
Web-centric (Requires login and use of companion site) |
Web-centric (Requires login and use of companion site) |
Web-centric (Requires login and use of companion site) |
| User Rating as of 2011 September 6 | 5.0 Stars | 3.5 Stars | 3.5 Stars | 4.0 Stars |
| Route Management and Ghost Running | ||||
| Routes | Yes On iPhone |
Yes | Yes On website only |
Yes Downloaded from website |
| Real-Time Ghost Running | Yes Shown on maps, and heard through voice announcements |
No | No | No |
| Post-Run Leaderboard | Yes Best, Better, Median, Worse, Worst comparisons per route. |
Can only display record distance, time, pace, 1k time, 1 mi time, or compete against very last run. | No | No |
| Announcements (Audio Status Updates) | ||||
| Number of Statistics | 120 | 3 | 10 | 6 |
| Configurable Announcements | Yes On/Off and Order |
Yes On/Off |
Yes On/Off |
Yes On/Off |
| TTS Voices for superior understandability | Yes | No | No | No |
| Announce on Time- and Distance-based Intervals | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Announce On Passing Events (Ghost Running) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Out Of Target Range Announcements | Yes (Pace, Speed, Heart Rate, Bike Cadence) | No | No | No |
| Remote Control | ||||
| Start/Stop using Earphone Remote | Yes | Yes (Only when music stopped) |
No | No |
| On-Demand Announcements using Earphone Remote | Yes | No | No | No |
| Map, Graphs, Calendar, Reporting | ||||
| Pace Graph | Yes, on iPhone | Website Only | Website Only | Website Only |
| Map Color-Coded by Pace | No | Yes | No | No |
| Elevation Graph | Yes, on iPhone | Website Only | Website Only | Yes, on iPhone |
| Calendar | Yes, on iPhone | Website Only | Website Only | Website Only |
| iOS Calendar Sharing (Share your calendar online) |
Yes | No | No | No |
| External Reporting | External reporting done through export to spreadsheets | Nikeplus.com | RunKeeper Elite (distance by day of week, etc) for $19.99 / year | On Website |
| Totals by Week, Month, Year | Yes, on iPhone | Website Only | Website Only | Website Only |
| Editable Run Information | Yes, on iPhone | No, all data must be entered by Nike+ apps. | Website Only, does not sync back to iPhone | Website Only, does not sync back to iPhone |
| Records Fastest (Maximum) Speed | Yes | Yes, Website Only | No | No |
| ANT+ Sensor Support | ||||
| Heart Rate Monitor | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Speed/Cadence Sensor | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Footpod | No | No | No | Yes |
| Powermeters | No | No | No | Yes |
| Announcement of Sensor Data | Yes (Dozens of stats may be announced, including average, current, max, and for splits and intervals for heart rate, speed and cadence) |
No | Yes (Announces average and max heart rate only) |
No |
| Display of Sensor Data | Yes (Dozens of stats may be displayed, including average, current, max, and for splits and intervals for heart rate, speed and cadence) |
No | Yes (Only displays average and max heart rate) |
Yes (Only displays average and max heart rate) |
| Target Alerts (When outside a target range) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Graphing of Sensor Data | Yes (On iPhone, in real-time) |
No | Yes (Heart rate only, on website only) |
Yes (website only) |
| Zone Analysis of Sensor Data | Yes (On iPhone, and exportable) |
No | No | No |
| Interval Training | ||||
| Time-Based Intervals | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Distance-Based Intervals | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Location-Triggered Intervals | Yes | No | No | No |
| Infinite Intervals (Wait for Lap Button) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Target Alerts | Yes (Announces when speed/pace, bike cadence, or heart rate are outside a given range for an interval) | No | No | No |
| Number of Announcements | Infinite (Uses text-to-speech engine for announcements, just enter what you want announced) | No | 3 Only (Slow, Steady, Fast) | No |
| Warmup and Cool Down | Configurable | No | Fixed – 5 minute only | No |
| Lap Button | ||||
| Includes a Lap Button | Yes (Records an interval) |
No | No | No |
| Map Display | Yes (Shows icon on map where Lap button was pressed) |
No | No | No |
| Stats Recorded Between Lap Button Presses | 12 different stats, from speed/pace to average or max heart rate | No | No | No |
| Twitter Support | ||||
| Tweeting After a Run | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tweeting on Starting a Run | Yes | No | Yes (RunKeeper Elite only) | Yes |
| Tweeting During a Run | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Configurable Tweets | Yes | No | No | No |
| Text-To-Speech Announcements of Tweets from Coaches, Friends, Family | Yes | No | No | No |
| Includes Twitter Client for Displaying and Composing Tweets | Yes | No | No | No |
| Does Not Store Your Twitter Password. Uses Oauth for Safer Login. | Yes | Yes | Yes, on Website | Yes |
| Facebook Support | ||||
| Posting After a Run | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Posting on Starting a Run | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Posting During a Run | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Text-To-Speech Announcements of Posting from Coaches, Friends, Family | Yes | No | No | No |
| Includes Posting Client for Displaying and Composing Posts | Yes | No | No | No |
| Does Not Store Your Posting Password. Uses Oauth for Safer Login. | Yes | Yes | Yes, on Website | No, stores Facebook password |
| Import | ||||
| GPX Import to create routes and import workouts | Yes | No | No | No |
| KML Import to create routes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Sharing/Export/Reporting | ||||
| Export Runs to GPX & KML | Yes From iPhone as email attachment or URL |
No (NikePlus.com is a closed system.) |
Yes From Website Only |
Yes From Website Only |
| Export Runs in CSV to Spreadsheets | Yes Data from all your runs can be exported from your iPhone as email attachment or URL |
No | No. RunKeeper is a closed system. It does not allow you to export all your data, just individual runs in GPX or KML. |
No |
| Export Raw Run Data in CSV for Graphing and Analysis | Yes Export raw data on a per run basis, including time, distance, longitude, lattitude, pace, speed, elevation, climb, calories |
No | No | No |
| Email or Tweet Links to Maps | Yes Links to maps.google.com |
No | Yes Links to runkeeper.com |
Yes Links to mapmyfitness.com |
| Supports FourSquare Badges | No | No | Yes | No |
| Includes Fitness Classes / Training Plans | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Live Location Tracking | ||||
| Location Notifications to Friends, Family, and Coaches | Yes (Included) |
No | Yes (RunKeeper Live is only included with Fitness Reports, for $19.99/year) |
Yes |
| Mapping Website | maps.google.com | nikeplus.com | runkeeper.com | mapmyfitness.com |
| Update Interval | Every 5 minutes to reduce battery drain | n/a | ? | ? |
| Email Updates at Start of Run | Yes | No | No | No |
| Email Updates During Run | Yes | No | No | No |
| Email Updates at End of Run | Yes | No | No | No |
| Automatic Stop Detection | ||||
| Supports Automatic Stop Detection | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| GPS Management and Filtering | ||||
| GPS Filtering | Fuzzy Logic, based on apparent speed, distance, GPS accuracy | Accelerometer-assisted | Fixed Threshold based on apparent GPS accuracy | Fixed Threshold based on apparent GPS accuracy |
| iOS 5 Notification Center | ||||
| On Time Intervals | Yes | No | No | No |
| On Distance Intervals | Yes | No | No | No |
| When Statistic Out Of Target Range | Yes (coming in 6.0.1) | No | No | No |
| Miscellaneous | ||||
| Cheers | Speaks comments from friends on Twitter, Facebook, and dailymile | Plays a fixed cheer on demand from friends on nikeplus.com | No | No |
| Tag Gamification | No | Yes | No | No |
| Nutrition Tracking | No | No | No | Yes |
| Pedometer mode for indoor and treadmill running | No | Yes | No | No |
| Offline Mode for Avoiding Data Roaming Charges | Yes | No | No | No |
| Displays Calories | Yes, on device. Includes slope in calculations | Yes | Yes | Website Only |
| Manually Entered Runs | Yes, on device | No | Yes, on device | Website Only |
| Photo Capture | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Supports Withings Internet-Connected Scale | No | No | Yes | No |
| Activity Types | 15 customizable activity types, 7 by default. Running, cycling, walking, skiing, and more | 1, running | 5, not customizable | 9, not customizable |
| Countdown | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Help Documentation Included | Yes, documentation on iPhone and on website | Includes a tour | No | No |
| Maps Supported on iPhone | Street, Satellite, Hybrid | Street Only | Street Only | Street Only |
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About Runmeter, Cyclemeter, Walkmeter:
Runmeter, Cyclemeter, and Walkmeter are all based on the same code base and technologies, but come preconfigured to address the primary activity of the customer. All three of the applications support all of your distance-based exercise activities, including running, walking, cycling, and can be configured for custom activities as well, including rowing, skiing, and more.