MTU Arena vs RunSpan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MTU Arena
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The much-anticipated state-of-the-art Multi-purpose MTU Arena has opened on MTU’s Bishopstown Campus. This €13 million development, the first of several new buildings which will be built at the University, will provide a much-needed facility for the MTU community. The Arena includes a 1,340m2 hall, two studios, a café and a 600 m2 gym. Ultimately, the Arena will be open 7 days per week and membership of the gym will be open to students, staff and members of the public. The Arena is multi-purpose and, in addition to catering for sports, societies and other University activities (conferring ceremonies, careers fairs, examinations), the venue will also be available for hire by external groups, including local community groups, for concerts, exhibitions and other events. The main hall of the Arena can accommodate 1,200 people seated. MTU Students, MTU Staff and External members can book classes by using the MTU Arena App.
RunSpan
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RunSpan is an interval coach for your Apple Watch and iPhone. A block ends on distance, time or your heart rate, whichever comes first, so "run until heart rate 160, walk until 120, repeat until I stop" is a workout you can actually build. BUILD ANY WORKOUT • Blocks that end on distance, time or a heart-rate threshold, whichever comes first • Repeats with a fixed count, or open-ended until you stop: run-walk, pyramids, sprints • Optional pace or heart-rate target bands with voice warnings • Describe a workout in your own words on your iPhone and we build it for you • Free run: no program, just distance, time, pace and heart rate ON YOUR WRIST • Your pace large and white, right under the countdown or the distance left • A progress ring along the edge of the screen in the colour of the block • Skip a block with a double-tap and a confirmation, Always On display, heart-rate zones Z1-Z5 • Works on its own, also without your iPhone nearby ON YOUR IPHONE • Build, plan and send workouts to your watch with one tap • Start on your Apple Watch from your iPhone, or run with just your iPhone • Run with both and your iPhone shares its GPS with the watch for the best distance and pace • Every run with map, splits per kilometre and heart rate; share as GPX for Strava and other apps VOICE COACH • Spoken cues and haptics at every transition, countdowns included • Alerts your way: haptics, sound or both, with normal, double or triple strength • Plays nicely with your music: duck it, pause it, or chimes only YOUR ACCOUNT • Optional: sign in with Apple to keep workouts, plans and runs the same on iPhone, Apple Watch and the web planner at runspan.app • Runs are saved to Apple Health as workouts with route, so they count towards your rings SUBSCRIPTION • The free run is free, always • Interval workouts, the builder, describing workouts and sync: monthly or yearly subscription, first week free • No ads, no tracking • Something not working? Report it straight from the app 14 languages; kilometres or miles. Requires iOS 18 and watchOS 11 or newer (Apple Watch Series 6 or later, SE 2nd generation, all Ultra models); the iPhone app also works without a watch. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://runspan.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MTU Arena at none against RunSpan's 2. MTU Arena also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). RunSpan's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. RunSpan sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. MTU Arena asks for nothing beyond the download.
MTU Arena ships an update every 6 weeks, RunSpan every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MTU Arena | RunSpan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 157 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Legitfit Limited | H4IT |
In-app purchases
MTU Arena
No in-app purchases
RunSpan
- RunSpan monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- RunSpan yearly7 Days trial$8.991 Year









