Comparison

Vert vs Bluubird

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

Head to head
About

Vert

This app provides personalized training plans and expert coaching for trail and ultra runners, from 5K to 100+ miles. It adapts to your life and terrain, offering features like elevation tracking and seamless device syncing.

Highlights
  • Personalized trail training plans
  • Human coaching and real support
  • Elevation and terrain-focused training
  • Adaptable workout schedules
  • Seamless device syncing
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

YOUR TRAIL RUNNING COACH, IN YOUR POCKET Train for any trail — 5K to 100 miles — with world-class coaching and adaptive training plans built for real life. Vert.run is the training app made by trail runners, for trail runners. Whether you're running your first trail 5K, targeting a 50K, or preparing for a 100-mile mountain ultra, Vert.run gives you expert-designed plans, real human coaches, and the first AI coaching engine built specifically for trail and ultra running. Trusted by trail runners in 100+ countries. WHAT'S NEW IN VERT PRO 2.0 - A completely rebuilt training engine with smarter plan algorithms - A redesigned dashboard that shows exactly where you stand, every day - The VERT AI Coach: daily insights and real-time workout advice based on your energy, training history, and goals - ITRA integration: connect your race history and performance index - Groups: find your people — runners who share your goals, terrain, and mindset WHY TRAIL RUNNERS CHOOSE VERT.RUN 1. Personalized Trail Training Plans Science-backed plans tailored to your race distance, terrain, elevation gain, and weekly availability. From a trail 5K to 100-milers — we've got you covered. 2. Real Human Coaches + AI Precision Message real expert coaches, not bots — and get daily guidance from the first AI coach built for the trails. The best of both worlds. 3. Built for the Mountains Train for vert, technical terrain, and long days out with tools like our exclusive Mountain Index, vertical gain tracking, and terrain-focused workouts. 4. Smart Race Adaptation Add a new race anytime — even mid-block — and your entire plan instantly restructures around your A, B, and C races, with the right taper for each. 5. Adaptable to Your Life Life happens. Swap workouts, add recovery weeks, or log cross-training like skiing, cycling, and swimming. Your plan moves with you, not against you. 6. Seamless Device Syncing Connect Strava, Garmin, Suunto, COROS, and Apple Watch to log workouts automatically and track your progress in one place. MORE THAN A TRAINING PLAN - Race-specific plans: vertical K, skyrunning, stage races, backyard ultras, and everything in between - Strength training designed for trail runners — build durability and prevent injury - Post-race and injury recovery plans - Progress tracking with weekly volume and elevation goals - A global community of trail runners across 100+ countries VERT.RUN PRO - Unlimited personalized training plans (5K to 100 miles) - The VERT AI Coach: daily insights and real-time plan adjustments - Smart race adaptation across your full season - Strength training and injury-prevention workouts - Mountain Index: optimize how much vert to run in every workout - Full workout flexibility and custom sessions - Real-time syncing with your GPS watch VERT.RUN COACHING - Everything in Pro - 1:1 onboarding call with your personal coach - In-app chat with your coach throughout the week - Real human feedback, motivation, and expert adjustments to your plan APPLE HEALTH Vert.run integrates with Apple Health to track heart rate, distance, and performance during your workouts. Trail-tested. Coach-backed. Built for every mountain runner. Download Vert.run and start training today. Privacy Policy and EULA: https://vert.run/eula/ Terms of Use: https://vert.run/terms-of-use/

About

Bluubird

This app helps athletes make informed gear decisions by providing real-world reviews from other runners and hikers. Connect your activity tracker to log gear usage and see how equipment performs based on your specific sports and conditions.

Highlights
  • Activity-linked gear reviews
  • Social feed of user experiences
  • Gear usage tracking
  • Garmin activity sync
  • Performance based on athlete and environment
Features
Read full description

The hardest part of your sport shouldn’t be figuring out what gear actually works. Bluubird is where athletes can access gear feedback from real people doing real things in the real world. Make better gear decisions. Have better experiences. How it works Connect your Garmin, add your gear, and review it based on real use - not guesses. Then explore how gear performs for athletes like you. Key features Activity-linked gear reviews See how gear performs based on the athlete, activity, and environment. Social feed Learn from real experiences shared by other runners and hikers. Gear tracking Track mileage, usage, and time to understand how your gear holds up. Garmin integration Sync your activities, including pace, distance, routes, and conditions.

Screenshots

Vert4 screens
Bluubird4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bluubird at 5.0 against Vert's 4.4. Bluubird also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). Vert's advantage is ratings volume (75 vs 7). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. Vert sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Bluubird asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bluubird holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Vert has 75 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Vert's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bluubird's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Vert ships an update weekly, Bluubird every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Vert versus Bluubird: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVertBluubird
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (75 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings75 — better7
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 11 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size108 MB75 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVertrun INCBluubird

Customer experience

Vert

All ratings75 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative10.7%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive77.4%
Neutral6.5%
Negative16.1%

Bluubird

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Vert

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App crashes frequently during use
  • Login errors with Apple and Google authentication
  • Training plans fail to load or display
  • Workout times show different values in week vs day view
  • Strava integration sends duplicate activities
Show 6 more
  • iOS app cannot transfer workouts to Garmin
  • Plan restart feature doesn't function
  • Challenges don't pick up Strava data
  • App freezes and becomes unresponsive
  • Date of birth year selection requires tedious scrolling
  • App shows 'Join now' buttons after login

Requested features

8 requests
  • Calendar integration like competitor apps
  • More comprehensive nutrition and diet content
  • Better device integration (Garmin, Suunto)
  • Improved year selection for date of birth input
  • Better workout recording options (partial completion tracking)
Show 3 more
  • More articles and educational content
  • Advanced analytics and performance metrics
  • Ability to modify activity visibility to Strava

Bluubird

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Vert

Subscriptions10
  • Pro: Trail Training Plans7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • [Legacy] Vert lite7 Days trial$24.991 Month
  • [Legacy] Vert coaching lite7 Days trial$29.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • 1:1 Trail Running Coaching$44.991 Month
  • Vert Pro Annual Upgrade Offer$99.991 Year
  • Pro Annual: Ultra Training7 Days trial$119.001 Year
  • [Legacy] Vert coaching 6m7 Days trial$154.996 Months
  • Premium: one to one coaching$199.991 Month
  • 12 months of coaching$309.001 Year
  • Personal Running Coach Annual$390.001 Year
None

Bluubird

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Vert free?
Vert is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bluubird free?
Bluubird is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Vert or Bluubird?
Bluubird is rated higher. Vert averages 4.4 out of 5 from 75 ratings, while Bluubird averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Vert or Bluubird have ads?
Vert shows ads; Bluubird does not.
Which is updated more often, Vert or Bluubird?
Vert ships an update weekly, and Bluubird every 11 days. Most recently, Vert was updated on October 25, 2026 and Bluubird on October 24, 2026.

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