High Ride Cycle vs RunningBuds
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
High Ride Cycle
Experience high-intensity indoor cycling classes that sync with the music. Instructors lead you through 45-minute workouts incorporating various movements for a full-body challenge. Enjoy a motivating atmosphere with music, lighting, and energy.
- Music-driven cycling classes
- 45-minute high-intensity workouts
- Full-body strengthening movements
- Instructor-led guidance
- Motivating atmosphere
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At High Ride, we ride to the beat of the music. Our instructors will guide you through a 45-minute high-intensity cycling class. We incorporate different movements with each class, including push-ups, tap backs, side-to-sides, and four corners (and much more!) to isolate and strengthen specific muscle groups for a full body workout. A combination of the music, the lighting and the energy help create a positive, rewarding and HARD experience for each rider. Come sweat with us!
RunningBuds
This app allows you to talk with a friend over your AirPods while listening to your own music. It uses advanced audio technology for high-quality conversations and music playback, with end-to-end encryption for privacy. Only the host needs a subscription to start a call.
- Listen to music and talk simultaneously
- High-quality conversation audio
- End-to-end encrypted calls
- Voice activity detection
- No account sign-up required
- Host subscription model
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Please note that RunningBuds requires an iPhone running iOS 26 or later and Apple AirPods with the H2 chip (for example, AirPods 4 or 5, or AirPods Pro 2 or 3). It will also work with most wired headphones that have a mic. Your friend needs the same setup - an iPhone on iOS 26 and H2-chip AirPods or wired headphones with a mic. WHAT DOES IT DO? Have you ever been out for a run, a ski day, or a ride with a friend and had to make a choice between talking to each other or listening to music? Maybe you just find it hard to hear what your friend is saying because you're not right next to each other. RunningBuds is the answer! With RunningBuds you simply put in your AirPods, pair your phones, fire up your music, and start chatting! RunningBuds is private. There are no accounts to sign up for, and your conversation is encrypted between you and your buddy's phones. RunningBuds uses the latest audio technology to provide a high-quality conversation experience. It provides an on-phone voice activity detection system to only send your voice when you're talking, so your buddy doesn't hear background noises or heavy breathing as you run up that hill. If you've ever tried doing something like this over a phone call or with other apps, you've probably noticed that your music goes from high quality to sounding like hold music. RunningBuds fixes this with its custom audio engine, so your music and conversation remain at full quality! RunningBuds works online and offline. Whether you’re within cell coverage or out in the wilds, you can keep the conversation going. WHAT IT DOESN'T DO Please note that RunningBuds is NOT a music-sharing service. You listen to your music on your phone, and your buddy listens to their music on their phone. The only thing that gets shared between phones is your conversation. SUBSCRIPTION RunningBuds offers a one-week free trial, a monthly subscription, and an annual subscription. Only the host (the person that creates the call) requires a subscription. Anyone joining a call can use it for free. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. You can manage or cancel your subscription through the app or your App Store account. Privacy Policy: https://www.runningbuds.app/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://www.runningbuds.app/terms.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: High Ride Cycle at none against RunningBuds's 2. High Ride Cycle also leads on ratings volume (650 vs 5) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). RunningBuds's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and device support 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
Both are free to download. RunningBuds sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. High Ride Cycle asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for High Ride Cycle against 5.0 for RunningBuds. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: High Ride Cycle has 650 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
High Ride Cycle ships an update every 3 weeks, RunningBuds weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | High Ride Cycle | RunningBuds |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (650 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 650 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | High Ride Cycle LLC | Codelous, LLC |
Customer experience
High Ride Cycle
RunningBuds
In-app purchases
High Ride Cycle
No in-app purchases
RunningBuds
- RunningBuds Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- RunningBuds Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year









