Comparison

Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® vs RunIntervals

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

Head to head
About

Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K®

This app offers a 20-week training program designed for beginners aiming to complete a marathon. It utilizes a run-walk method to reduce impact and injury risk, guided by an audio coach. Features include run mapping, health app integration, and community forums.

Highlights
  • 20-week run-walk marathon training program
  • Audio coach and alerts
  • Map your run
  • Health app integration
  • Community forums
  • Light and dark modes
Features
Read full description

■ The Official Marathon Trainer App by C25K® ■ Official partners and the ONLY C25K (Couch to 5K) app featured on FITBIT and SAMSUNG smart watches! ■ Featured on The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, Men's Fitness, Forbes, Mashable, Glamour Magazine, Popsugar Fitness, CBS News, NBC News, Macworld, Cosmopolitan, Lifehacker, WebMD, and many more! From the same makers of the #1 C25K® Trainer app, Marathon Trainer follows the same successful recipe to create an easy simple 26.2 (42k) program. Ideal for first-time marathoners and those who are new to running. The program uses a blend of running and power walking in training and racing. You’ll soon be able to run-walk the entire marathon. ≈ Free Trial ≈ ◉ Train the first week for free! ◉ Train to complete a full 26.2 (42k) marathon using a RUN/WALK ratio See thousands of real success stories and race photos of your fellow runners using these running program at Facebook.com/c25kfree This proven 20 week plan is designed for beginners. The run/walk breaks help make the full marathon less grueling and reduces the overall impact and risk of injury. Don’t think that just because walking is involved that your time will be slower or that you'll be accomplishing less. Many veteran runners have posted personal best times after switching to this run walk method! Using a ratio of running and walking will better manage your fatigue and give you the muscle resource and mental confidence to handle the later parts of the race. Turn on our award winning music and just press start! Our audio coach will guide you through your run! It's that easy! ≈ Less is More ≈ ◎ Easy to learn. Just press start! ◎ Ideal for beginners. ◎ 20 weeks total. ≈ Features ≈ ◉ Proven 20 week marathon training run-walk program (1st week free) ◉ Convenient audio coach and alerts ◉ Map your run at the end of your workout! ◉ Light and dark modes ◉ Health app integration ◉ Free iPad integration for indoor treadmills ◉ Integrated with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram ◉ Access to our forums with thousands of veterans and newcomers starting the app. Join the community and meet other runners! ≈ NEW Zen Unlimited Pass - Try it for free! ≈ ◉ Award winning music curated from top DJ's! ◉ Scientifically proven to increase motivation by 35% ◉ Unlimited access to all pro features across ALL Zen Labs Fitness running apps ◉ Unlock calories, distance, Apple watch integration, and more ◉ Full access to C25K, 10K, 13.1, and 26.2 programs ◉ 4 apps for the price of 1! One subscription, multiple apps! Questions/comments? Email us at contactus@zenlabsfitness.com or visit us at www.zenlabsfitness.com. ≈ Connect ≈ Facebook: @C25Kfree Twitter: @C25Kfree Instagram: @officialc25k Hashtag: #C25K Zen Labs is a proud supporter of the National Breast Cancer Coalition. breastcancerdeadline2020.org Subscription pricing and terms: The subscription will automatically renew unless turned off in your iTunes Account Settings at least 24 hours before current period ends. You can go to your iTunes Account settings to manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew. Your iTunes Account will be charged when the purchase is confirmed. If you subscribe before your free trial ends, the rest of your free trial period will be forfeited as soon as your purchase is confirmed. Privacy Policy & Terms of Use: https://www.zenlabsfitness.com/privacy-policy/ Apple Standard Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Legal Disclaimer This app and any information given by it or by Zen Labs LLC are for educational purposes only. You should always consult your healthcare provider before beginning any fitness program. C25K® is a registered trademark of Zen Labs LLC

About

RunIntervals

Set custom interval timers with voice or tone alerts. This app seamlessly integrates with your existing audio and fitness apps, pausing or lowering music volume to ensure you never miss an alert.

Highlights
  • Customizable interval durations
  • Voice and tone alerts
  • Music volume lowering
  • Spoken audio pausing
  • Works with other apps
  • No user data collection
Features
Read full description

Just pick your interval durations and click GO! "Plays well with others," so if you have favorite apps for audio or fitness tracking it will work well alongside those. Audio voice alerts or tones will momentarily lower the volume of your music or briefly pause spoken audio just long enough to hear the alert, then let you get right back to listening! This app does not track or collect any user data.

Screenshots

Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K®4 screens
RunIntervals2 screens

Verdict

The call

Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® and RunIntervals both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 91% of RunIntervals's written reviews are positive against 47% of Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K®'s. RunIntervals also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (11.3 vs 14.0). Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K®'s advantage is ratings volume (1.7K vs 146) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and RunIntervals sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® against 4.7 for RunIntervals. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® has 1.7K ratings behind it against 146, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 47% of Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K®'s written reviews are positive against 91% of RunIntervals's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® ships an update every 6 weeks, RunIntervals every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® versus RunIntervals: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K®RunIntervals
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.7K ratings)4.7 (146 ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.7% of reviews90.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.7K — better146
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS14.011.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size319 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZen LabsRobotic Jam LLC

Customer experience

Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K®

All ratings1,659 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral2.7%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews105 reviews
Positive46.7%
Neutral7.6%
Negative45.7%

RunIntervals

All ratings123 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral2.4%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews129 reviews
Positive90.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.2%

User reviews

Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K®

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great progression & motivation
  • 👍 Easy and fun to use
  • 👍 Helpful for first-time marathoners
  • 👍 Keeps user accountable and motivated

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes, freezes, and malfunctions
  • 💰 Subscription model changes after initial purchase
  • 💰 Requires additional purchases for full functionality
  • 🔋 Drains battery when screen is locked
  • 👎 Run/walk intervals not suitable for all users

RunIntervals

From 146 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Perfect app
  • 🚀 Great app
  • 🚀 Simple and effective
  • 🚀 Straightforward and easy to use
  • 🚀 Does exactly what it needs to

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Does not work
  • 🐛 Tones fail
  • 🐛 Alerts don't work
  • 🐛 Stops randomly
  • 🐛 No sound on watch

Bugs and requests

Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K®

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Workouts not syncing properly
  • Notifications and audio cues not working consistently
  • App crashing after recent updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to customize training plan
  • Option to view past workout stats
  • Standalone Apple Watch app functionality
  • Volume control for audio cues
  • Integration with other fitness apps

RunIntervals

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Interval tones not working with podcast/music
  • Interval tones not working on Apple Watch
  • App randomly stops during workouts

Requested features

7 requests
  • Ability to swap run/walk intervals
  • Option to start with walking
  • Ability to set number of repeats
  • Vibration alerts
  • Longer interval options (up to 30/60/120 mins)
Show 2 more
  • Repeat feature for intervals
  • Total time limit for workout

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K®

Subscriptions4
  • Zen Unlimited Pass Monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Unlock Your Potential7 Days trial$29.993 Months
  • Unlock Your Potential1 Month trial$29.993 Months
Show 1 more
  • Zen Unlimited Pass Annual7 Days trial$74.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlock Workout List$0.99
2 purchases

RunIntervals

One-time2
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Big Tip$2.99

Questions

Is Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® free?
Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RunIntervals free?
RunIntervals is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® or RunIntervals?
RunIntervals is rated higher. Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while RunIntervals averages 4.7 from 146 ratings.
Do Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® or RunIntervals have ads?
Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® shows ads; RunIntervals does not.
Which is updated more often, Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® or RunIntervals?
Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® ships an update every 6 weeks, and RunIntervals every 3 months. Most recently, Marathon 26.2 Trainer by C25K® was updated on November 3, 2026 and RunIntervals on November 2, 2026.

Other comparisons