Comparison

RUN interval vs Custom Running Intervals

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

RUN interval

This app simplifies interval and Fartlek running by allowing you to set custom targets for time or distance during hard, easy, and rest efforts. It offers detailed post-run summaries, audio and visual feedback, and an Apple Watch app for enhanced training.

Highlights
  • Customizable interval sessions
  • Time and distance targets
  • Distance Goal option
  • Audio and visual feedback
  • Detailed run summaries
  • Apple Watch app
  • Strava sharing
Features
Read full description

Easily set up and record your Interval and Fartlek running sessions. With the flexibility of using time and/or distance as interval targets for your "Hard", "Easy" and "Rest" efforts. The simple but highly configurable interface on your phone and watch will have you running sooner. Now with a Distance Goal option for your session. Along with great audio and visual feedback, detailed post-run summary, share your runs to Strava, and a full-featured Apple Watch app. You can also record your regular runs with voice-over calling out distance and pace feedback. Key Features: • Easily create flexible custom interval sessions. • Utilize three effort targets "Hard", "Easy" and "Rest" in each set, targeting time or distance (meters or miles). • You can "Skip" any of the three efforts to create flexible sets, like building a progressive intervals session. • NEW: Set a Distance Goal for your session, that repeats the sets from the start until the distance has been reached. • Set a Warm-Up and Warm-Down timer or distance around your session. • Clear and easily glanceable visuals and audio prompts, including vibrations. • Voice-over prompts to save you from looking at the screen, great for iPhone or headphone users. • Voice-over prompts include the upcoming intervals effort and time/distance amount, and your last intervals average pace and heart rate. • Full-featured Apple Watch App! • Heart Rate Zones! (see description below) • Indoor Mode, no GPS, for treadmill running. • Sound Mode, for normal, discrete or silent audio prompts on your watch. • Vibration feedback on both the phone and watch. • Detailed run summary, showing pace for hard and easy efforts. • The run summary also includes interval breakdown, distance breakdown and heart rate details. • Play music or podcasts while running and still hear the audio prompts. • Sharing. Share a summary photo with your friends. • Private data. We don’t send any of your data to a server or share it with anyone. Session Types: • Normal Run – Record a normal run, long or short. • Record Intervals – If you run with a group or do an undefined session, then use the Record Interval option. It allows you to manually change between "Hard" and "Easy" reps, allowing you to record your session. • Custom Intervals – Our fully flexible intervals that allow you to use time and/or distance for the efforts. Add multiple intervals sets together to create the session you want. Sharing: From the summary screen, you can share your runs with friends or across social media. If you want to share directly with friends or across other social media, you can share a summary image with the details of your run. Heart Rate Zones: (Apple Watch Only) Zones are displayed as grouped percentages of your maximum heart rate. Giving you an indication of your current work rate based on your current heart rate. Just enter your maximum workout heart rate into our Settings screen and they will display on your Watch the next time you run. Zone 1: Very Light Effort 50-60% (Gray) Zone 2: Light Effort 60-70% (Blue) Zone 3: Moderate Effort 70-80% (Green) Zone 4: Hard Effort 80-90% (Yellow) Zone 5: Maximum Effort 90-100% (Red) Privacy: We don’t want to know where you have run, that's for you to worry about. We don’t send any of your data to a server or share it with anyone you don't want too. We keep your running records safe in Apple Health so you have control. Apple Heath gives you the control over who accesses your data. We only write and read the data we record from your running. Feedback: And because we don't send any data to a server, we need you to send us feedback and suggestions. Hit the Support link below or visit our website to contact us.

About

Custom Running Intervals

Create custom running workouts with flexible intervals based on time or distance. Track progress, build training plans, and analyze past runs with detailed results. Your data is private and stored securely on your device or iCloud.

Highlights
  • Configurable time or distance intervals
  • Repeatable interval blocks
  • Training plan calendar
  • Historical run analysis
  • Apple Watch monitoring
  • iCloud synchronization
  • Data privacy
Features
Read full description

This is a flexible custom interval timer and training scheduler with historical analysis, and you are the only one who has access to your data! As a runner, I’ve had challenges finding a running timer that can manage my more involved interval combinations. Custom Running Intervals allows you to build variable activities with repeatable blocks of intervals. Intervals can be by time or by distance with 3 intensities - walk, steady, and fast. You can repeat your intervals a specific or indefinite number of times, for a defined amount of time, or for a given distance. With an inexpensive upgrade, you can create as many combinations of repeatable sets in the variations you choose, build a training plan on a calendar, see results of past runs, and export results to other apps. Also, your data is only available to you - even I can’t see it. Your data will only exist on your phone, or in your own iCloud storage if you choose. If you save your data to iCloud (by default), you can view the results on any other iPhone or iPad that shares the same iCloud account. Features: 1. Configurable intervals - distance (miles, kilometers), time (hours, minutes, seconds). 2. Configurable repeat blocks of intervals - # of times (or until stopped), distance, time. 3. Clone activities (use an existing activity - repeats and intervals - as a basis to create a similar activity). 4. Apple Watch monitoring and control and heart rate (iPhone app must be started). 5. Configurable settings. 6. Audio cues by voice, tone, or both (in Settings). 7. Pause, Resume, or Stop an activity, Skip repeat blocks. 8. View current elapsed time, distance, interval progress, overall pace. 9. End an in-progress repeat block (and proceed to the next). 10. Results by interval and repeat block, as well as default distance unit (each mile or kilometer). 11. Results (including steps, time, distance, and pace) available immediately after run. 12. Map view to verify GPS location prior to starting run. 13. Map view of running route in results including markers by mile/kilometer and pauses. 14. Helpful on-screen guide when creating first activity and configuring. 15. Activities and results stored in iCloud for synchronization across devices and data loss prevention. Apple Watch If you have an Apple Watch, you can also start, pause, and stop an activity in progress from the watch. NOTE: the Apple Watch app (included with your iPhone download) communicates with the iPhone app, so the app must be started on both the watch and phone to use the watch app. Apple Watch Features: 1. View existing activity configurations. 2. Start an activity (if iPhone app is started). 3. Pause, Resume, or Stop an activity. 4. View current elapsed time, distance, interval progress, overall pace. 5. End an in-progress repeat block (and proceed to the next). Available Full Features (In App Purchase) 1. Configure an activity with multiple repeat blocks for more complex intervals (standard version allows one repeat block) 2. Add planned training runs on a Training Calendar for a selected custom interval (free version allows up to 5). 3. View and filter a graph of your pace over time for activities (free version allows up to 5 past runs). 4. View the results of your runs on the Training Calendar including a map of the route. weather conditions, elevation, pace, and heart rate. 5. Create repeatable training plans to easily add planned runs to the Training Calendar. 6. Sort your past results by date, total time of run, distance, and pack. 7. Export your results (current or history) in GPX format for importing to other trackers. 8. Fix GPS for anomalies. 9. Import results in GPX format from any tracker app. 10. Track miles run on your pairs of shoes. 11. Manually enter results for a run if you forget to track. 12. Manually edit the time and distance for a run. 13. Share a run with photo to social media and other apps. 14. Track a run on a cruise ship.

Screenshots

RUN interval4 screens
Custom Running Intervals4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: RUN interval at 77% against Custom Running Intervals's 0%. RUN interval also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (1K vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. RUN interval sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Custom Running Intervals sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RUN interval holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RUN interval has 1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of RUN interval's written reviews are positive against 0% of Custom Running Intervals's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
RUN interval versus Custom Running Intervals: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRUN intervalCustom Running Intervals
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1K ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews77.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCAN YOU HEAR ME SOFTWAREJohn Mallonee

Customer experience

RUN interval

All ratings1,003 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews191 reviews
Positive77.5%
Neutral5.2%
Negative17.3%

Custom Running Intervals

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

RUN interval

One-time2
  • The full RUN interval$1.99
  • The full RUN interval$3.99
1 purchases

Custom Running Intervals

One-time1
  • Full Capabilities$0.99

Questions

Is RUN interval free?
RUN interval is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Custom Running Intervals free?
Custom Running Intervals is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, RUN interval or Custom Running Intervals?
RUN interval is rated higher. RUN interval averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Custom Running Intervals averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do RUN interval or Custom Running Intervals have ads?
Neither RUN interval nor Custom Running Intervals shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RUN interval or Custom Running Intervals?
RUN interval ships an update every 3 months, and Custom Running Intervals every 3 months. Most recently, RUN interval was updated on October 12, 2026 and Custom Running Intervals on October 9, 2026.

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