Run Plan vs Pacecraft
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Run Plan
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Run Plan is the Apple Watchβfirst training planner with no account, no ads, and no subscription. Train for 5K, 10K, half marathon, or the full 42.2K with personalized plans that fit your schedule. Your training data stays in Apple Health, on your device. BUILT FOR APPLE WATCH Plan from your iPhone, run from your wrist. Start workouts, follow guided intervals, or go for a spontaneous run β all directly from your Apple Watch. No phone needed on the run. TRAIN AT THE RIGHT INTENSITY Every workout is guided by heart rate zones or target pace, so you always run at the right effort. Easy runs stay easy. Threshold runs hit their targets. Intervals are timed and zoned. No guesswork β and pacing that guards you against overtraining. PLANS THAT FIT YOUR LIFE Pick your goal, your race date, and your weekly schedule. Get a clear day-by-day plan with phases that build base, sharpen speed, and peak you for race day. Life happens? Move runs around your week with one tap. Your calendar always shows exactly what's next. Missed a few weeks or crushed a time trial? Run Plan can smartly recalibrate your target paces to match your current fitness level β but you always preview and approve every change. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Track your fitness trend, training load, and pace dynamics as you train. The Progress view provides deep analytics to help you balance effort and recovery, and compares your planned vs. actual weekly volume. Plus, stay on top of your schedule with Home Screen widgets that show today's run and your week at a glance. PLANS FOR EVERY LEVEL β’ 5K β train for your first race or a faster time β’ 10K β build endurance and speed β’ Half marathon β go further, train smarter β’ Marathon β the full 42.2K, from first long run to finish line β’ Pro plans β Half Pro (Sub-1H30) and Marathon Pro (Sub-3H) with 6-day weeks β’ VO2 Maxxing β an 8-week aerobic-power block to grow your engine β’ Maintenance & Recovery β stay race-fit between goals, or ease back after a big race WHAT'S INCLUDED β’ Personalized training plans from 5K to marathon, plus Pro-level racing plans β’ Heart-rate-zone or target-pace training (your choice) β’ Apple Watch-first experience β start, follow, finish from your wrist β’ Live interval coaching with zone targets, splits, and timed recoveries β’ Smart recalibration to adjust paces based on your current fitness β’ Progress view with deep analytics, pace trends, and planned vs. actual weekly volume β’ Planned vs. actual pace for every completed interval β’ Detailed run stats β pace, splits, distance, heart rate β’ Phase-based periodization (base / speed / peak / taper) β’ Flexible rescheduling β move runs whenever life happens β’ Clean calendar view of your training β’ Hill repeats, threshold runs, intervals, long runs, strides β’ Home Screen widgets for quick access to your daily run β’ Full privacy β training data stored locally via Apple HealthKit β’ No GPS data leaves your device PRIVACY-FIRST Your training data lives in Apple Health on your device. Your heart rate, your splits, your routes β we never see them, and your GPS data never leaves your device. The app collects only anonymous usage statistics and crash reports, so we can keep making Run Plan better. BUILT FOR RUNNERS No account. No ads. No subscription nags. No social feed. No streak guilt. Just a quiet, well-designed running coach in your pocket and on your wrist. Whether you're starting your first 5K or chasing a marathon finish line β Run Plan gives you the structure to get there.
Pacecraft
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Pacecraft is a running coach that builds a training plan around your fitness and your race, then sends every session straight to your Apple Watch. It is free, there is no account to create, and your health data stays on your device. Most training plans treat every runner the same. Pacecraft starts from where you are today. It reads your recent runs and cardio fitness from Apple Health, works out your current fitness, and predicts your times from 5K to the marathon, with an honest range rather than a number designed to flatter you. BUILT AROUND YOUR RACE Choose your distance, date and goal, and Pacecraft builds a plan that fits the weeks you have left. Set a marathon, half marathon, 10K or 5K, and it structures the whole block for you, from easy running through threshold, intervals and long runs. STRAIGHT TO YOUR WATCH Every session arrives in the Workout app on your Apple Watch with its pace and heart rate targets already in place. Outside, it guides you on pace. On the treadmill, it switches to heart rate so the alerts stop fighting you. TRAINING THAT KNOWS THE COURSE Add the route for your race and Pacecraft reads its climbs, its descents and the short bridges that tend to arrive late on tired legs, then works the right preparation into your training so nothing on the day comes as a surprise. HONEST COACHING Pacecraft tracks your form, training load and recovery, and tells you plainly when to ease off. If your goal has drifted out of reach it will say so, rather than pretending everything is on track. As your fitness changes, it updates the paces for the sessions still to come, without touching the ones you have already run. FREE AND PRIVATE There is no account, no subscription and no adverts. Pacecraft runs on your device, and your health and training data never leaves it. Granting Apple Health access is optional. You can also enter a recent time by hand and use the plan without it. Pacecraft provides general training information and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before starting or changing a training programme.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Pacecraft at every 8 days against Run Plan's every 5 weeks. Run Plan's advantage is iOS requirement (17.5 vs 26.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Run Plan ships an update every 5 weeks, Pacecraft every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Run Plan | Pacecraft |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 8 days β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 β better | 26.5 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ekaterina Sergeevna Roy | Barnaby Ritchley |
In-app purchases
Run Plan
No in-app purchases
Pacecraft
No in-app purchases









