# Mesa Marathon vs The Program by Bandit Running

Mesa Marathon and The Program by Bandit Running both sit at 4.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of The Program by Bandit Running's written reviews are positive against 0% of Mesa Marathon's. The Program by Bandit Running also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (112 vs 3). Mesa Marathon's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.2 vs 16.4). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for Mesa Marathon against 3.9 for The Program by Bandit Running. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Program by Bandit Running has 112 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 0% of Mesa Marathon's written reviews are positive against 75% of The Program by Bandit Running's.

Mesa Marathon ships an update every 4 months, The Program by Bandit Running every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mesa Marathon | The Program by Bandit Running |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mesa-marathon/id1607004369/reviews)** | [3.9 (112 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-program-by-bandit-running/id6505125026/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **112** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **75.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 92 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.2** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Brooksee, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1190989001) | [Bandit Running](https://appshunter.io/developer/1755262308) |

## What reviewers say

### Mesa Marathon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mesa-marathon/id1607004369)

This app offers real-time race day tracking for runners and their loved ones. It also features a loyalty program to earn and redeem points for discounts on future events and merchandise.

**Highlights:** Real-time race tracking, Progress monitoring for friends and family, Points-based loyalty program, Earn rewards points, Redeem points for discounts, Event and merchandise offers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### The Program by Bandit Running

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-program-by-bandit-running/id6505125026)

This app offers a free guided training experience for marathon and half marathon runners. It generates personalized training plans based on your race, goal time, and weekly mileage. Get instant answers to training questions with the integrated coach feature.

**Highlights:** Free guided training plans, Marathon and half marathon focus, Personalized plan generation, Interactive training schedule, Instant coach answers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent training program
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🎉 Customizable to user goals
- 🎉 Helpful insights and advice
- 👍 Clean and simple interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Account creation issues
- 🐛 Blank screen on launch

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
- Account creation problems

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mesa Marathon free?

Mesa Marathon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Program by Bandit Running free?

The Program by Bandit Running is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Mesa Marathon or The Program by Bandit Running?

Mesa Marathon is rated higher. Mesa Marathon averages 4.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while The Program by Bandit Running averages 3.9 from 112 ratings.

### Do Mesa Marathon or The Program by Bandit Running have ads?

Neither Mesa Marathon nor The Program by Bandit Running shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mesa Marathon or The Program by Bandit Running?

Mesa Marathon ships an update every 4 months, and The Program by Bandit Running every 2 weeks. Most recently, Mesa Marathon was updated on June 1, 2026 and The Program by Bandit Running on September 26, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*