Runners Roost vs WorkoutSmith
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Runners Roost
Earn rewards and exclusive perks by shopping locally and staying active. Track your spending and sync your runs to redeem points for gift cards and unlock achievements. Stay informed about store news and events.
- Earn points for purchases
- Redeem points for gift cards
- Sync runs with Strava
- Sync Apple Fitness workouts
- Unlock achievements
- Track lifetime points
- Stay updated on store news
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You're loyal. You shop local, stay active, and should get rewarded for it. We want you to be part of the Runner’s Roost Rewards Program. It's simple and free, just download the app and login. Shop in the app or in our stores and you'll earn reward points for every dollar you spend. You'll also get reward points for checking in at Runner’s Roost Events. Then redeem those points for Runner’s Roost digital gift cards. Plus, track your lifetime point total to level up with reward achievements, bragging rights, and other perks. Feel like going the extra mile? Take your loyalty a step further by syncing your runs or walks with Strava. Track your mileage to achieve new levels, receive acclaim, or maybe even prizes. The Runner’s Roost Rewards app makes it easy to stay up to date on store news, events, sales, and more. It's easy and free! Simply download the Runner’s Roost app, log in, and start earning. Runner’s Roost - Rewards Program • Earn points for every dollar spent pre-tax both in-store and online • Check-in at participating events to earn extra points • Points will appear on your account the day after a purchase is made • Redeem Points for Runner’s Roost digital gift cards redeemable both in-store and online • Easily keep track of your points and redemptions right in your app Runner’s Roost – Miles Program • Sync your Strava Runs and walks to track your mileage in the app • Sync your Apple Fitness Workouts to track your mileage in the app. Works with Apple Health. • Stay motivated by unlocking achievements when distance milestones are reached *Rewards Program Subject to change
WorkoutSmith
Log workouts, track steps, and compete with friends in custom challenges. Features an extensive exercise library, RPG-style motivation, and Apple Watch integration. Offers optional AI coaching and real-time race building.
- Log every workout set
- Track steps and set goals
- Build custom workout plans
- Compete in step and workout challenges with friends
- Extensive exercise library with video links
- RPG-style progress incentives
- Apple Watch support
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I built this app for my family and me, but was advised to share it. I wanted an easy-to-use app on my phone and watch to log every set in structured workout programs built by me, AI, or a real trainer. Also, my mom missed our old step challenges after the app we used removed them; they were fun, and we all walked more. Finally, motivation for me is an issue, so I wanted some sort of progress incentives in an RPG like format. This App: - Syncs with Apple Health for steps and metrics. - Log every set, track steps, build custom plans, share workouts, invite friends and create custom challenges (for steps and workouts) for them. - Set your step goal, earn badges and passport stamps, and create a virtual walking journey to real destinations that turns your miles into a trip toward landmarks. - Expansive exercise library with over 350 exercises, including 30+ Yoga Poses. All have short descriptions and public video links to watch how to do them. Catalog searchable by name, muscle, and equipment. Build your multi-day exercise program with custom exercises, rests, sets and reps counts, leverage heart-rate zone targets, or time based as applicable. - Create your workout plan in the App or on a Google Spreadsheet (your account). Edit it there, and import your changes back. - Invite your friends to compete with them on workouts. Challenges are free and support eight metrics: workouts, tonnage, sets and points, plus steps, distance and running time from your watch. Everyone is scored against their own daily goal, so a beginner and a marathoner race honestly. Keep private groups of friends, cheer somebody mid-set, and climb eight weekly league divisions. - Race in real life by building a course of up to twelve stops anywhere. Races are private and invite-only: people you ask, or people who used your link and whom you approved. The board shows each racer's last checked-in stop and when they reached it. - RPG-style game underneath with points, levels, stats, achievement ladders, and a trophy case for a little extra motivation if you need it. - Apple Watch support to run the workout session: log sets, see live heart-rate zones, pause, resume and mark a segment. It can run a whole workout on its own with no phone nearby. - Coaching: A real coach can build and share an exercise plan with you. Adopt their program, train it, and share back how it went, one toggle per person, and off until you turn it on. Your coach can then see your shared progress and provide feedback. - Muscle map colored by what you trained this week, a lighter week offered when your lifts slip, an opt-in view of your overnight heart rate, HRV and sleep, and progress charts going back as far as you do. - AI: Bring your own or don't use it at all. The optional AI coach runs on a free Google Gemini key you fetch yourself and paste into Settings. We do not sell you AI and we never charge for tokens: the key stays on your device. Everything else here works with no key at all. - Private by Default: Your training history, health data, and home location stay on your phone. Your home is a coordinate, never an address, and it never leaves the device. No feed and no messaging, by design. Social features do nothing until you sign in, sharing is opt-in per metric, and adding a friend shares nothing. Export everything as JSON or delete it anytime. - Free, no subscription: steps, streaks, journeys and routes, friends, groups, challenges, history, progress and export. - Two Plans (renew monthly until cancelled): - WorkoutSmith Premium, $4.99 a month, adds your daily training session, plan building, races and leagues, and coaching up to two people. - WorkoutSmith Coach, $24.99 a month, is for trainers who coach more than two people: it adds their plans, their progress and their shared workouts in one place. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://mig1278.github.io/workoutsmith/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Runners Roost at none against WorkoutSmith's 2. Runners Roost also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). WorkoutSmith's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 14 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. WorkoutSmith sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Runners Roost asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Runners Roost against 5.0 for WorkoutSmith. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
Runners Roost ships an update every 14 months, WorkoutSmith every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Runners Roost | WorkoutSmith |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | The Runners Roost | Michael Lee |
Customer experience
Runners Roost
WorkoutSmith
In-app purchases
Runners Roost
No in-app purchases
WorkoutSmith
- WorkoutSmith Premium3 Months trial$4.991 Month
- WorkoutSmith Coach3 Months trial$24.991 Month
Questions
Is Runners Roost free?
Is WorkoutSmith free?
Which has better reviews, Runners Roost or WorkoutSmith?
Do Runners Roost or WorkoutSmith have ads?
Which is updated more often, Runners Roost or WorkoutSmith?
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