Comparison

Marathon Training Plans vs Cinder

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

Head to head
About

Marathon Training Plans

This app creates personalized marathon and half marathon training plans based on your race date, goal time, and fitness level. It offers flexible schedules, integrates with popular fitness trackers, and provides race day guidance. Achieve your running goals with science-based training tailored to your life.

Highlights
  • Personalized marathon/half marathon plans
  • Apple Watch companion
  • Garmin & Strava integration
  • Pace or heart rate training
  • Missed workout recovery
  • Race day guide
  • Running shoe mileage tracker
Features
Read full description

Create Your Own Marathon or Half Marathon Training Plan – Personalized, Flexible and Science-Based Runly creates your complete marathon or half marathon training plan, tailored to your race date, goal time, training schedule and fitness level. Whether you're training for your first marathon, aiming for a personal best or preparing for a half marathon, Runly creates a custom running plan that fits your life. Why Choose Runly? Unlike generic training plans, Runly uses advanced algorithms to create a personalized training schedule based on your specific goals, available training days and target race time. Every plan is unique to you. Key Features: • Apple Watch Companion: Start workouts from your wrist with live pace, distance and heart rate • Garmin & Strava Integration: Automatically sync your runs and keep your training log complete • Widgets & Live Activities: See today's workout and live run stats on your Home Screen and Lock Screen • Pace or Heart Rate Training: Choose whether to train by target pace or heart rate zones • Missed Workout Recovery: Reschedule skipped runs without rebuilding your entire plan • Race Day Guide: Pacing splits, fueling plan, checklists and kilometer-by-kilometer race strategy • Run Atlas: Visualize your race history on a world map with countries, cities and yearly recaps • Running Shoe Tracker: Log mileage per pair and know when it's time for new shoes • Goal Time Calculator: Estimate a realistic marathon or half marathon goal from your recent race times Perfect For: • First-time marathoners looking for a structured, personalized plan • Experienced runners aiming for a personal best • Half marathon runners seeking a tailored training approach • Runners with busy schedules who need flexible training plans How It Works: 1. Enter your race details: race name, date, distance (marathon or half marathon) and goal time 2. Set your training schedule: choose your training days per week and preferred long run day 3. Get your personalized plan: Runly generates your complete training plan instantly 4. Start training: follow your plan, track your runs, and watch your progress Science-Based Training Runly's training plans are built on proven running science principles, including: • Progressive overload and periodization • Appropriate training intensity zones • Strategic tapering before race day • Balanced mix of easy runs, tempo runs, intervals and long runs Start Your Journey Today Whether you're a beginner or an experienced runner, Runly helps you achieve your marathon or half marathon goals with a personalized training plan that adapts to your life. Download Runly, create your training plan and reach your goal time. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://getrunly.app/privacy/

About

Cinder

This AI-powered running coach creates personalized training plans that adapt to your progress and schedule. Track your runs with GPS, chat with your AI coach for tailored advice, and discover local races. It also helps you manage your running shoes and celebrate milestones.

Highlights
  • Personalized AI training plans
  • Adaptive workout adjustments
  • AI coach chat support
  • GPS run tracking
  • Shoe mileage tracker
  • Race predictor
  • Strava integration
Read full description

Cinder is the run coach in your pocket — powered by AI, built for real runners. Whether you're training for your first 5K or chasing a marathon PR — or taking on a 50 or 100-mile ultra — Cinder builds a personalized training plan around your goal, current ability, and weekly schedule. Then it adapts as you go. SMART TRAINING PLANS Generate a fully personalized plan in seconds. Cinder schedules easy runs, long runs, tempo work, intervals, and rest days — all calibrated to your fitness level and goal race. Supports 5K through 100-mile ultra distances. AI COACH CHAT Ask anything. Your AI coach knows your recent workouts, how you slept, your upcoming races, and your training history. Get real answers, not generic advice — and your conversation carries over every time you open the app. GPS RUN TRACKING Track every run with precise GPS. See live pace, distance, and elapsed time on screen. Your full route is saved and viewable after every run — even with the screen off. CINDER SCORE Each morning, log your sleep, energy, and stress. Cinder uses your daily score to adjust your workout intensity and warmup — so you train smart, not just hard. ADAPTATION ENGINE Told Cinder your legs were dead after Tuesday's long run? Wednesday's workout adapts automatically. The plan bends so you don't have to break. RACES NEAR ME Find upcoming races within 25 miles using live data. Register directly from the app. SHOE TRACKER & RECOMMENDATIONS Log your running shoes and track mileage per pair. Get personalized shoe recommendations based on your training profile with direct shop links. PROFILE & PERSONAL BESTS Track your training streak, total miles, time on feet, fastest mile, and longest run — all in one place. MILESTONE BADGES Earn achievements as you build your streak, hit distance milestones, and reach new personal records. Twelve badges with animated celebrations. RACE PREDICTOR Based on your training data, Cinder predicts your finish time for any race distance using the proven Riegel formula. STRAVA INTEGRATION Connect Strava and your completed runs sync automatically — with distance, duration, and route. Cinder is free. No subscription, no paywall, no account required. Your data stays on your device.

Screenshots

Marathon Training Plans4 screens
Cinder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cinder at none against Marathon Training Plans's 6. Cinder also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 10 days) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). Marathon Training Plans's advantage is ratings volume (11 vs 1). On price, rating, 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. Marathon Training Plans sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Cinder asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Marathon Training Plans against 5.0 for Cinder. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Marathon Training Plans has 11 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marathon Training Plans ships an update every 10 days, Cinder daily. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 4 level
Marathon Training Plans versus Cinder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarathon Training PlansCinder
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (11 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings11 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCarlo MaryskaDustin NIELSEN

Customer experience

Marathon Training Plans

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Cinder

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Marathon Training Plans

Subscriptions6
  • Runly Pro: Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Runly Pro: Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Runly Pro: Monthly$3.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Runly Pro: Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Runly Pro: Yearly7 Days trial$17.991 Year
  • Runly Pro: Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
None

Cinder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Marathon Training Plans free?
Marathon Training Plans is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cinder free?
Cinder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Marathon Training Plans or Cinder?
Cinder is rated higher. Marathon Training Plans averages 4.9 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Cinder averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Marathon Training Plans or Cinder have ads?
Neither Marathon Training Plans nor Cinder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Marathon Training Plans or Cinder?
Marathon Training Plans ships an update every 10 days, and Cinder daily. Most recently, Marathon Training Plans was updated on November 5, 2026 and Cinder on October 31, 2026.

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