Comparison

Runner's Shadow vs Running Mate

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

Head to head
About

Runner's Shadow

This app acts as a comprehensive companion for outdoor runners, consolidating run history from various sources. It helps track personal records, analyze courses, manage laps, and journal run experiences. Additionally, it offers shoe mileage tracking and photo integration for a complete running log.

Highlights
  • Consolidated run history from any supported app
  • Course tracking and personal bests
  • Interval lap management
  • Journaling for run reflections
  • Shoe mileage and lifespan tracking
  • Integration with Apple Health/Activity
  • Apple Watch app for on-the-go tracking
Features
Read full description

Follow your runs like your shadow follows you. What Is Runner's Shadow? A runner's companion. A fantastic app for all outdoor runners to augment their kit. Runner's Shadow is an iOS Activity and Health-based app for the purpose of augmenting, tracking, logging, and understanding your outdoor runs, regardless of source; regardless of when the run took place. And it includes an Apple Watch app to get out and run with. Why Try Runner's Shadow? Run History A history of all of your runs, from any supported App. The run history is all your runs, grouped by week, month, year, and all-time. It has graphs, logs, journals, and more (like courses). Courses Which routes you've run. Do you tend to run the same routes repeatedly? Why not keep track of those as courses? This app keeps track of all of your courses; and your personal records for each course. Personal Records What's my personal best? Accurate and complete PRs. What is the best I've done so far at this distance? This course? This week? This month?. Runner's Shadow PR keeps my goals in perspective and my motivation on-point. This app finds and keeps your bests. Laps Keep and Recall interval laps. With a tap of a button in the Shadow Runner's watch app (included), you can set your laps. In the iPhone app, you can see how you did for them. What was the lap distance? Pace? Gain? It's all there. Journaling What are my thoughts after a run? How was the run? What do I find interesting about this course? Who did I run with? What did we laugh about? The journals are for these and/or anything else you want to write there. Labeling Tag runs for later retrieval. Label the people you ran with. Or label which runs were races. Or label which runs were your favorites. Tag runs with labels any way you'd like. Shoe Tracking Keep track of your running shoes. You may have heard that running shoes should be replaced between 300-500 miles or in 3-6 months. But how do you keep track of that? Simply add your shoes to the app, then tap on which ones were worn after a run. We'll keep track of how many run, miles, and days you've put on the pair. Photos Find photos taken near the time of your run. Want to find those shots you get before and after a run a year and a half later? Well, you just go to that run and click the 'camera' button, and there they all are. Graphs? Yes. Numbers? Of course. Maps? You bet. Running app for your Apple Watch? Yeah, that too. Watch Laps? Uh huh. Open to suggestions? We listen. What you'd expect? We try to be more than that. You can run with this or any other app that supports Apple Activity; we'll take it from there. ---- The data comes from Apple Health/Activity. That means that any outdoor running app that works with Apple Health/Activity will work with this one. The data goes nowhere. We don't take it. We don't keep it. We don't track it. We don't track you. We're not interested in all of that. We're just runners who want to enhance all of our running experiences. Contact us: support@alumra.ltd

About

Running Mate

This app tracks your runs, helping you discover new routes and celebrate achievements with virtual badges and exclusive rewards. It focuses on individual progress and personal bests, allowing you to set your own pace and soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Run tracking
  • Route discovery
  • Milestone badges
  • Exclusive rewards
  • Personal best focus
  • Customizable soundtrack choice
Features
Read full description

Run smarter, not harder. Whether you are training for your first 5K, walking for daily fitness, or logging marathon miles, Running Mate is the lightweight, hyper-accurate GPS distance tracker built for ultimate reliability. With a deeply integrated Apple Watch companion app, your workout data syncs automatically to your iPhone the moment you finish. No lost runs, no manual syncing—just pure performance tracking. SEAMLESS APPLE WATCH INTEGRATION • Leave your phone at home: Start, pause, and finish workouts directly from your wrist. • Automatic syncing: Your route, pace, and heart rate data instantly populate on your iPhone. • Apple Health integration: Workouts automatically contribute to your daily rings. PRECISION GPS & ROUTE TRACKING • Track distance, active pace, elevation, and calories burned in real-time. • Highly accurate GPS mapping for outdoor runs, walks, and hikes. • Indoor mode available for treadmill tracking. TRAINING & METRICS • Set custom goals for distance, time, or calorie burn. • Audio cues keep you updated on your split times and current pace without breaking your stride. • Review detailed post-run analytics, including heart rate zones and elevation changes. SHARE YOUR MILESTONES • Crush a personal best? Easily export and share your completed routes, times, and achievements with friends, family, or your favorite social platforms directly through the standard iOS share sheet. RUNNING MATE PREMIUM Running Mate is free to download and explore. Free users can comfortably navigate the app, view historical data, and access ad-supported features. To actively record, track, and log new runs or walks, an active Running Mate Premium subscription is required. Premium completely removes all ads and unlocks the full tracking suite. YOUR DATA, YOUR PRIVACY • We believe your health data belongs to you. Running Mate uses standard Apple HealthKit protocols to ensure your data remains private and secure on your device. --------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIPTION PRICING & TERMS Running Mate Premium is available as a weekly, monthly or annual auto-renewable subscription. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Terms of Service: https://www.wpexpertservices.com/mobile-application-end-user-license-agreement/ Privacy Policy: https://www.wpexpertservices.com/privacy-policy/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Screenshots

Runner's Shadow4 screens
Running Mate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Runner's Shadow at none against Running Mate's 3. Runner's Shadow also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 29 months). Running Mate's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Running Mate sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Runner's Shadow asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Runner's Shadow against 5.0 for Running Mate. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Runner's Shadow ships an update every 6 weeks, Running Mate every 29 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Runner's Shadow versus Running Mate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRunner's ShadowRunning Mate
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 29 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlumra LtdAppMaven, LLC

Customer experience

Runner's Shadow

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Running Mate

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Runner's Shadow

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Running Mate

Subscriptions3
  • 7 Days Subscription3 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Runner's Shadow free?
Runner's Shadow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Running Mate free?
Running Mate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Runner's Shadow or Running Mate?
Runner's Shadow and Running Mate are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Runner's Shadow or Running Mate have ads?
Running Mate shows ads; Runner's Shadow does not.
Which is updated more often, Runner's Shadow or Running Mate?
Runner's Shadow ships an update every 6 weeks, and Running Mate every 29 months. Most recently, Runner's Shadow was updated on November 3, 2026 and Running Mate on November 3, 2026.

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