Comparison

Runbuds vs Uptick

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

Head to head
About

Runbuds

This app allows you to run with friends in real-time, seeing each other's avatars on a virtual track. It includes a run tracker with lock screen support, group relay challenges, and detailed performance statistics with shareable visualizations.

Highlights
  • Real-time avatar tracking
  • Live lock screen activities
  • Group relay challenges
  • Detailed run statistics
  • Shareable run visualizations
Read full description

Runbuds is the social running app that is truly built for your friends first. /// THE TRACK /// ・ Your avatar moves around a physical track ・ Your friends move around the track with you ・ Pass (or get passed oh no !!!) by your friends /// LOG RUNS /// Our run tracker lets you choose between: ・ An in-app full screen view ・ Live activities on your lock screen /// GROUP RELAYS /// Run towards a shared goal: ・ Set a total distance target ・ Set a timeframe ・ Add your friends to the Relay ・ Run run run run run !!! /// BEAUTIFUL STATS & VISUALS /// ・ See beautiful visualizations of your past runs ・ Sort by date, pace, distance, or difficulty ・ Share images of your runs with your friends /// GET IN TOUCH /// ・ Hit us up with ANY feedback or requests !!! ・ Contact support@runbuds.app

About

Uptick

Features
Read full description

Your workouts, planned and tracked. Uptick prepares every workout, tells you what to lift on each set and why, logs it in one tap, even from the lock screen, and uses it to set up the next one. Nothing to decide. Nothing to calculate. Nothing to guess. For people who walk into the gym without a plan: first-timers, people getting back into it, and lifters who want to keep progressing. PLANNED FOR YOU Answer a few questions: your goal, your level, your days, your time, your gym. Uptick builds your workouts, warm-up sets included, and fits them into your week. You see your first week, with every exercise and weight, before you start the trial. No program to pick. No spreadsheet. TRACKED IN ONE TAP Every set shows the weight to lift. Log it in one tap, even from the lock screen. Sets, reps, weights and how it felt are all saved. The rest timer starts on its own, and its chime plays over your music without stopping it. YOUR NEXT WORKOUT, ALREADY READY After every workout, Uptick adjusts the next one and tells you why, right under the weight: "+5 lb: you hit every rep last time." Hit every rep and you do one more rep per set; at the top of your range, the weight goes up by the smallest jump your equipment allows. Miss reps and the weight stays. Miss twice in a row and it drops about 10%. After 6 weeks of training in a row, a lighter week to recover. A COACH THAT ANSWERS Only 30 minutes today? The bench is taken? Dumbbells only? Your knee hurts? Tell your coach, and today's workout adapts. It can also build a new workout, change your plan or answer your training questions. The coach is AI, and it never picks a weight: the app does the math from your own workouts, and nothing changes until you confirm. NEVER USED THIS MACHINE? Take a photo. Uptick tells you which exercise it is and gives you a cautious starting weight. Every exercise comes with pictures and how-to tips. SEE YOUR PROGRESS After each workout: what went up, and a trophy for every new record. Your strength curve, your estimated one-rep max on each exercise, and goals set from what you really lift. "Your muscles" shows the sets each muscle got in the last 7 days. Your streak counts weeks, not days. Track your body weight and progress photos too. Photos stay on your phone. FITS YOUR WEEK Pick your days and times. Your workouts show up in your calendar, with a reminder before each one. TRAIN WITH FRIENDS See your week and your friends' at a glance: the days each of you trained, and how close you are to your goals. Week done? Send a bravo. A friend falling behind? Give them a nudge. Tap a friend to see their recent workouts and copy their program. Only the friends you accept see your workouts, never your weights. ON YOUR APPLE WATCH Today's workout on your wrist, with your phone in the locker. The weight, the reps, one tap per set, and a tap on your wrist when the rest is over. Your workouts are saved in Apple Health and count in your Activity rings. WHAT UPTICK DOESN'T DO There's no public feed and no ads. You won't dig through 2,000 exercises. And if you'd rather do it your way, auto-adjust, the rest timer and sharing can each be turned off. ABOUT THE PRICE Uptick is a subscription, with no free tier. The yearly plan starts with 7 days free, and we remind you 2 days before the trial ends. The monthly plan has no trial. Prices are listed under In-App Purchases. Cancel anytime in your iPhone Settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://joinuptick.com/privacy

Screenshots

Runbuds3 screens
Uptick4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Runbuds at none against Uptick's 3. Runbuds also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Uptick sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Runbuds asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Runbuds ships an update every 2 days, Uptick weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Runbuds versus Uptick: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRunbudsUptick
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (69 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews96.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings69 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLight NudgeLeo Owadenko

In-app purchases

None

Runbuds

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Uptick

Subscriptions3
  • Uptick Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Uptick Premium Yearly Offer7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Uptick Premium Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Runbuds free?
Runbuds is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Uptick free?
Uptick is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Runbuds or Uptick have ads?
Neither Runbuds nor Uptick shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Runbuds or Uptick?
Runbuds ships an update every 2 days, and Uptick weekly. Most recently, Runbuds was updated on October 30, 2026 and Uptick on November 6, 2026.

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