Comparison

Garmin Connect™ vs RaceJoy

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

Head to head
About

Garmin Connect™

Track your health and fitness activities with detailed statistics and personalized insights. Create custom workouts, build courses, and challenge friends. Syncs with compatible devices and other popular fitness apps.

Highlights
  • Activity tracking and health metrics
  • Detailed statistics analysis
  • Custom workout and course creation
  • Personalized home screen
  • Earn achievement badges
  • Sync with other apps
Read full description

The Garmin Connect™ app is your one-stop source for health and fitness data. Whether you’re training for a race, keeping active or just staying on top of your health, Garmin Connect provides the information and inspiration you need to reach your goals. Once you pair your phone(1)with a Forerunner®, Venu®, fēnix® or another compatible Garmin device(2), you can review your tracked activities and health metrics. Plus, you can create workouts, build courses and challenge your friends on the leaderboard. With Garmin Connect you can: - Personalize your home screen, so the most helpful information is instantly visible - Analyze your activities with detailed statistics(3) - Create customized workouts and courses - Review trends in health metrics like heart rate and steps - Earn badges for accomplishments - Sync with other apps like Apple Health, MyFitnessPal and Strava - Get support for Garmin devices and their features Learn more about Garmin devices and how they work with the Garmin Connect app at Garmin.com. (1) See compatibility requirements at Garmin.com/BLE (2) See a full list of compatible devices at Garmin.com/devices (3) See Garmin.com/ataccuracy Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

RaceJoy

Enhance your race day experience with real-time GPS tracking, progress alerts, and motivational cheers for participants and spectators. Offers live tracking for events and training, with features like progress updates and photo sharing.

Highlights
  • Live GPS phone tracking
  • Send-a-Cheer motivational audio
  • NearMe participant alerts
  • MeetUp tool for location sharing
  • Automatic progress postings
  • Scored race results
  • Official race photos
Features
Read full description

RaceJoy is created specifically for running, cycling and triathlon events with a focus on the participant and spectator experience. Features vary by event and include live phone tracking, progress alerts, results, race information, photos, Send-a-Cheer and much more! There are two distinct experiences in RaceJoy: -Featured Events -Training Days Featured Events (shown with the Event Logo): These are events that have contracted with RaceJoy to provide a premium experience for participants and spectators. Features are free and provided by the event or sponsor(s). Features included: -Live GPS, phone tracking on the course map. -Send-a-Cheer! (fun motivational audio clips). -NearMe alerts (spectators and waiting relay teams get an alert when a participant is drawing near). -MeetUp tool for seeing where you are in relation to a participant. -Automatic Progress Postings to Twitter (with your approval, of course!). The following features may be provided by the event: -Scored Race Results within moments of crossing the finish line. -Essential race information like schedules, FAQs, race news, and more. -Your official race photos. -Optional Tracking with Progress Alerts: Some events offer BIBTAG tracking in addition to PhoneTrak. For these events there is no need to carry your phone as this is based on the participant’s BIB/chip as they cross over timing points on the course. Training Days This area enables athletes to have their friends and family track their progress live on a map and send motivational cheers during long training runs or rides. All PhoneTrak features are available in Training Days, along with special motivational cheers to help you through those tough moments. Training Days is a free always available area for your long training days. Based on our privacy policy you must setup a special tracking ID (PIN) with profile name and provide that to friends and family tracking you on your Training Days. Add a Race? If you would like a race to offer the full featured experience with official race progress alerts and results, please let the race director know about RaceJoy. Battery Usage RaceJoy’s live phone tracking feature is ONLY activated during the hours of the event. When using Training Days, the athlete turns on/off tracking as needed. Use of this GPS technology running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. You may disable this under settings at anytime during the event to conserve battery life if needed. Feedback and Support We hope you enjoy using RaceJoy! Please share your experience in the App store to encourage others to try it out. If you have had any issues, or have feedback or ideas, please help us to improve the experience by contacting us at support@racejoy.com. RaceJoy is created by a small family business and is dedicated to changing the race experience.

Screenshots

Garmin Connect™4 screens
RaceJoy2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Garmin Connect™ at 4.4 against RaceJoy's 3.9. Garmin Connect™ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). RaceJoy's advantage is review sentiment (52% vs 39%) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.2). On price, ads, chart position 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. RaceJoy sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Garmin Connect™ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Garmin Connect™ holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin Connect™ has 59K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of Garmin Connect™'s written reviews are positive against 52% of RaceJoy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Garmin Connect™ ships an update every 2 weeks, RaceJoy every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Garmin Connect™ versus RaceJoy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGarmin Connect™RaceJoy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (59K ratings) — better3.9 (1.6K ratings)
Positive reviews39.1% of reviews52.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings59K — better1.6K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#19 — better#26
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.216.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size693 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGarminTriPerta LLC

Customer experience

Garmin Connect™

All ratings58,646 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral2.7%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews5,011 reviews
Positive39.1%
Neutral11.9%
Negative49.0%

RaceJoy

All ratings1,551 ratings
Positive72.0%
Neutral4.8%
Negative23.3%
Written reviews176 reviews
Positive52.3%
Neutral7.4%
Negative40.3%

User reviews

Garmin Connect™

From 59K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent tracking and data analysis
  • 👍 Great motivational features
  • 🚀 Seamless syncing with devices
  • 👍 Comprehensive fitness metrics
  • 🚀 Intuitive and user-friendly app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues and sync problems
  • 🐛 Buggy app updates and loss of functionality
  • 🐛 Inaccurate sleep and activity tracking
  • 🔋 Drains device battery quickly
  • 🐛 Confusing and cluttered user interface

RaceJoy

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for tracking runners and spectators
  • 🚀 Accurate mile updates and estimated finish times
  • 💡 Ability to send audible cheers to runners
  • 🤝 Helpful for virtual and in-person races

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable tracking
  • 🔋 Battery draining
  • 🤔 Unintuitive and confusing interface
  • 🙅‍♀️ Requires runners to have the app and phone

Bugs and requests

Garmin Connect™

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App constantly requiring device setup
  • Weather data not syncing correctly
  • Workout data not recording properly
  • Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
  • Inability to edit or customize activities

Requested features

5 requests
  • Customizable sleep tracking and goal settings
  • Better integration with third-party apps
  • Improved offline functionality
  • More detailed workout analysis and planning
  • Enhanced social features and challenges

RaceJoy

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Tracking stops working mid-race
  • App crashes frequently
  • Inaccurate distance and pace tracking
  • Notifications and updates delayed or not received

Requested features

4 requests
  • Automatic start/stop tracking
  • Ability to view cheers after the race
  • Integration with other fitness apps and devices
  • More customization options for spectators

In-app purchases

None

Garmin Connect™

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

RaceJoy

One-time10
  • RaceJoy Phone Fun-Tracking$0.99
  • RaceJoy Phone Fun-26.2 with DONNA$0.99
  • RaceJoy Phone Fun-Cherry Blossom$0.99
Show 7 more
  • RaceJoy Phone Fun-Pittsburgh Marathon$0.99
  • RaceJoy Phone Fun-Glass City Marathon$0.99
  • RaceJoy PhoneTrak-Vermont City Marathon$0.99
  • PhoneTrak-Glass City Marathon$0.99
  • PhoneTrak-Zions Bank Ogden Marathon$0.99
  • PhoneTrak-Kentucky Derby Marathon Festival$0.99
  • PhoneTrak-Burning River$0.99

Questions

Is Garmin Connect™ free?
Garmin Connect™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RaceJoy free?
RaceJoy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Garmin Connect™ or RaceJoy?
Garmin Connect™ is rated higher. Garmin Connect™ averages 4.4 out of 5 from 59K ratings, while RaceJoy averages 3.9 from 1.6K ratings.
Do Garmin Connect™ or RaceJoy have ads?
Neither Garmin Connect™ nor RaceJoy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Garmin Connect™ or RaceJoy?
Garmin Connect™ ships an update every 2 weeks, and RaceJoy every 2 months. Most recently, Garmin Connect™ was updated on October 18, 2026 and RaceJoy on October 18, 2026.
Which is more popular, Garmin Connect™ or RaceJoy?
Garmin Connect™ currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and RaceJoy at #26. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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