Comparison

The Program by Bandit Running vs Endorphins Running

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

Head to head
About

The Program by Bandit Running

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
Read full description

The Program is a 100% free guided training experience for marathons and half marathons powered by Bandit Running. Select your race, goal finish time, and weekly mileage, and an interactive training plan will be automatically generated for you. Plus, access Coach for instant answers to all your fundamental training questions.

About

Endorphins Running

This app provides science-backed, personalized training plans for runners of all levels, from beginners to marathoners. It offers expert coaching, real-time progress tracking, and integrates with popular wearables. Users can also join a large community for in-person training events and support.

Highlights
  • Personalized adaptive training plans
  • Real-time progress tracking
  • Expert coaching and support
  • 1500+ community events
  • Wearable device integration
  • Strength and recovery programs
Features
Read full description

Reach your next finish line with Endorphins — the top-rated training app powered by science, built by world-class coaches, and backed by the largest run community in the country. Whether you’re running your first 5K or chasing a Boston Qualifier, Endorphins gives you personalized plans, real-time progress tracking, expert coaching, and an in person community of 1500 events to help get you there. WHY THOUSANDS OF RUNNERS RUN & TRAIN WITH ENDORPHINS: 1) Personalized Coaching Plans We build your training plan around you—your pace, your race, your goals. Whether it's a 5K, 10K, half, full, or ultra, your plan adapts as you go. 2) 1500 Community Events A Year Train with other runners who share the same goals as you 3) Train Smarter with Wearables Sync your Garmin, COROS, or Strava to track runs in real time. We use your data to adjust your plan and optimize every workout. 4) Strength + Recovery Built In Our strength programs compliment your running schedule for optimal improvements and gains. 5) Real Coaches. Real Results. Our team has trained thousands of runners—from first-timers to sub-elites. You’re never more than a message away from expert support. JOIN THE LARGEST RUN COMMUNITY IN AMERICA: 1) In-Person Energy We host 1,500+ free group runs a year in 12+ cities. From long runs to shakeouts, connect with others who share the same goals and values as you. 2) Community Benefits Endorphins members get access to drops, exclusive partner benefits, and race-weekend events. 3) Track Progress + Stay Accountable From weekly goals to post-run recaps, we keep you on track and connected to your training—day in, day out. 4) Built to Grow With You As your goals evolve, so does your training. Whether you’re starting from scratch or going sub-3, we’ve got the plan. PLANS FOR EVERY GOAL: First-time 5K to your next marathon PR Strength + mobility for runners Recovery programs post-race or post-injury And more, always evolving COMPATIBLE WITH: Garmin, COROS, Strava, and more. ENDORPHINS PREMIUM: Unlock the full experience with a 7-day free trial. Train smarter with adaptive plans, real-time sync, and exclusive coaching content. $20/month or $120/year — cancel anytime. Subscriptions auto-renew. Manage in your iTunes settings. APPLE HEALTH INTEGRATION: Endorphins uses your health data for accurate heart rate, distance, and pace tracking when using Apple Watch. 18+ ONLY: Endorphins is for adults 18+. Accounts may be removed if underage use is detected. Apple's standard license agreement applies to Endorphins Premium purchases: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

The Program by Bandit Running4 screens
Endorphins Running4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Endorphins Running at 4.9 against The Program by Bandit Running's 3.9. Endorphins Running also leads on review sentiment (99% vs 75%) and ratings volume (879 vs 112). The Program by Bandit Running's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement 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. Endorphins Running sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. The Program by Bandit Running asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Endorphins Running holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Endorphins Running has 879 ratings behind it against 112, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of The Program by Bandit Running's written reviews are positive against 99% of Endorphins Running's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
The Program by Bandit Running versus Endorphins Running: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Program by Bandit RunningEndorphins Running
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (112 ratings)4.9 (879 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.5% of reviews98.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings112879 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.416.4
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB177 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBandit RunningEndorphins Running LLC

Customer experience

The Program by Bandit Running

All ratings112 ratings
Positive72.3%
Neutral0.9%
Negative26.8%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive75.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative24.5%

Endorphins Running

All ratings860 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral0.1%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews418 reviews
Positive98.6%
Neutral0.2%
Negative1.2%

User reviews

The Program by Bandit Running

From 112 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Account creation issues
  • 🐛 Blank screen on launch

Endorphins Running

From 879 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Seamless Strava integration
  • 👍 Personalized training plans
  • 🌟 Excellent community features
  • 💪 Helped improve running performance
  • 🤝 Great for meeting like-minded runners

Bugs and requests

The Program by Bandit Running

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Account creation problems

Requested features

2 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

Endorphins Running

No bugs or feature requests surfaced in reviews.

In-app purchases

None

The Program by Bandit Running

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Endorphins Running

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Monthly$19.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$119.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly$119.991 Year

Questions

Is The Program by Bandit Running free?
The Program by Bandit Running is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Endorphins Running free?
Endorphins Running is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Program by Bandit Running or Endorphins Running?
Endorphins Running is rated higher. The Program by Bandit Running averages 3.9 out of 5 from 112 ratings, while Endorphins Running averages 4.9 from 879 ratings.
Do The Program by Bandit Running or Endorphins Running have ads?
Neither The Program by Bandit Running nor Endorphins Running shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Program by Bandit Running or Endorphins Running?
The Program by Bandit Running ships an update every 2 weeks, and Endorphins Running every 2 weeks. Most recently, The Program by Bandit Running was updated on September 26, 2026 and Endorphins Running on September 23, 2026.

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