Comparison

StepBuddy vs RunLive

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

Head to head
About

StepBuddy

Read full description

Make every step a competition! Stop walking alone. StepBuddy is the social activity tracker that turns your daily movement into an exciting challenge between you and your friends. Whether you want to outwalk your colleagues in a weekly challenge or motivate your family to hit 10,000 steps, StepBuddy makes every step count. NEW: TEAM CHALLENGES & A FRESH NEW DESIGN Team up and take on other teams! Set a shared step goal, and StepBuddy splits it fairly between team members — everyone carries their part of the challenge. Follow your team's progress live, see who's on a streak, and crown your Challenge MVP when it's all over. We've also given StepBuddy a complete makeover: a new Rankings view that celebrates your leader, clear progress rings, streak tracking, rest days that keep your streak safe, and beautiful photo leaderboards for both teams and individuals. WHY STEPBUDDY? Challenges That Motivate: Create private groups in seconds. Who will take the lead during the lunch break? Team vs. Team: Rally your crew, share one goal, and battle other teams for the top spot. Real-Time Leaderboards: Follow your friends live. See exactly when you get overtaken and reclaim the top spot before the day is over! Seamless Tracking: We sync automatically with your phone's sensors so you never miss a single step. Social Motivation: Share your progress, cheer for your friends, and stay active together. FEATURES YOU'LL LOVE: Accurate Pedometer: Automatically track steps, distance, and active minutes. Custom Goals: Set your own daily targets and visualize your journey toward better health. Streaks & Rest Days: Keep your streak alive — and schedule rest days without losing it. Deep Insights: View your history with beautiful charts and stats that show your progress over time. BUILT FOR EVERY MOVE Whether you're training for fitness, walking the dog, or just trying to spend less time at your desk—StepBuddy is your perfect companion. It's time to turn your daily walk into the highlight of your day. Download StepBuddy today—your next challenge starts now! Terms of use: https://www.stepbuddyapp.com/terms-of-use/ Privacy policy: https://www.stepbuddyapp.com/app-privacy-policy/

About

RunLive

Share your live workout progress with friends and family, who can track your position, stats, and even send virtual cheers. Relive your activity with automatically generated highlight films and connect with local sports groups.

Highlights
  • Live workout tracking with position and stats
  • Virtual cheering and chat for viewers
  • Real-time map view of all athletes
  • Automatic workout highlight films
  • Social feed for photos, routes, and comments
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Privacy controls and data deletion
Features
Read full description

RunLive is race day, live. Go live when you start and the people who care about you ride along: your position on a 3D satellite map, your pace, heart rate, distance and elevation, and the route drawing itself behind you. They cheer with hearts, talk in the chat, and send Sparks that land in your earbuds mid-race. It is not just for running. Rides, hikes, walks and trail runs each wear their own numbers. A ride reads speed. A run reads pace. WATCH THE WHOLE FIELD Every athlete in a race on one map, moving in real time. Pick anyone and drop into their stream. Follow your friends, find the fastest, or watch the pack come through the last mile. GO LIVE FROM YOUR POCKET Tap Go Live, lock your phone, and go. Your position and stats stream to your viewers about once a second, and a checkpoint keeps your pin on the map even when the signal drops. You choose exactly which stats go out. A stat you switch off never leaves your phone. SEND A COWBELL Sparks are how the crowd shows up. Buy a pack, send a water cup, a banana, a cowbell or a winged shoe, and the athlete hears it through their earbuds. Athletes who receive gifts earn a share and cash out through Stripe. EVERY WORKOUT BECOMES A FILM When you finish, RunLive renders a film of your workout: a 3D flight over your route, drawn the way you moved through it, with your splits and the music you were playing. Save it, post it, or send the link. YOUR PEOPLE A feed built for race day: photos, routes, kudos and comments. Run clubs, group rides, hiking crews and track nights near you. Join one, or start your own for any sport. ON YOUR WRIST The Apple Watch app shows your pace, heart rate, distance and elevation, and every cowbell as it lands. Answer your viewers without touching your phone. PRIVACY, PLAINLY Going live shares where you are while you are there, and nothing more. No ads, no analytics SDK, no data brokers. Health data never touches advertising. Delete your account from inside the app any time. RunLive works with Apple Health and uses your location while you are live. Sparks are bought through the App Store and are entertainment credits for cheering; they are not redeemable for cash by the buyer.

Screenshots

StepBuddy4 screens
RunLive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: RunLive at fortnightly against StepBuddy's every 2 months. StepBuddy's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. StepBuddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and RunLive sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StepBuddy ships an update every 2 months, RunLive fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
StepBuddy versus RunLive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStepBuddyRunLive
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShapest ABCameron Asa

In-app purchases

2 purchases

StepBuddy

Subscriptions2
  • 1 month subscription7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • 1 year subscription$14.991 Year
6 purchases

RunLive

One-time6
  • 100 Sparks$0.99
  • 525 Sparks$4.99
  • 1000 Sparks$9.99
Show 3 more
  • 2,900 Sparks$24.99
  • 6,250 Sparks$49.99
  • 13,500 Sparks$99.99

Questions

Is StepBuddy free?
StepBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RunLive free?
RunLive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do StepBuddy or RunLive have ads?
Neither StepBuddy nor RunLive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StepBuddy or RunLive?
StepBuddy ships an update every 2 months, and RunLive fortnightly. Most recently, StepBuddy was updated on October 25, 2026 and RunLive on October 31, 2026.

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