Pace It vs Smart Runner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pace It
This app helps runners analyze their training progress by tracking pace improvements across heart rate zones. It provides personalized training paces that adapt to your current fitness level, ensuring your workouts remain relevant. Monitor key metrics like VO2 max and training load for a comprehensive view of your development.
- Track pace progression across heart rate zones
- Personalized adaptive training paces
- Monitor VO2 max and training load
- Build and run structured workouts on Apple Watch
- Integrates with Strava and Apple Health
- Shoe tracking and rotation
- Personal best and yearly performance summaries
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The feedback loop your training was missing. Built for runners who care about pacing accuracy, long-term progress beyond PBs and whether all that training is paying off. Am I getting fitter? See how your pace changes at the same heart rate across zones, month after month. Are my training paces still right? Get updated pace targets for 5K, 10K and threshold efforts based on your runs and current fitness. Am I doing too much? Compare your recent training load with your baseline to help balance training and recovery. What run makes sense today? Get a daily workout suggestion based on your training load and paces. Works with Apple Health. Compatible with Strava. No account needed. LONG-TERM FITNESS TRENDS - Average monthly pace trends by heart rate zone, Zone 1 to Zone 4 - Running efficiency: pace vs heart rate for every run over 90 days - Pace It Index: a 0 to 100 fitness score with a 30-day trend - VO2 max tracking & VDOT trends TRAINING LOAD & RUN SUGGESTIONS - Training Load Ratio: your last 7 days against your baseline, updated after every workout across all activities - Recovery time: estimate when your load will return to optimal range - Today's run: see a workout suggestion based on your load & paces, including a lower-load option when needed APPLE WATCH WORKOUTS - 5 running screens - 35+ configurable metrics - Build and run structured workouts with pace or heart rate targets & haptic alerts - Complications: steps, Training Load Ratio, weekly mileage, training distribution & Today's Run TRAINING PACES BUILT FROM YOUR RUNS - 7 paces from your last 60 days, with heart rate ranges, RPE & race-effort equivalents - Race estimates - Race calculator - Automatic or custom heart rate zones TRAINING DISTRIBUTION & VOLUME - Easy vs hard split, time in zone and load focus using LT1 and LT2 estimates - Weekly mileage, run goals and streaks RUN ANALYSIS: - Pace, heart rate, power, cadence, running dynamics, splits, segments & elevation - Automatic run categorization: easy, tempo, intervals, long run and more - Automatic personal best tracking: 5K, 10K, half, marathon & longest run INTEGRATIONS & MORE TOOLS - Strava: automatic run import and export, plus historical syncing - Shoe tracking - Share run stats: route, HR and pace - Home & lock-screen widgets - Yearly summaries ACCESS, SUBSCRIPTION & PURCHASE INFORMATION Pace It offers free and Pro features. The free version includes selected features but not the Apple Watch app. To access Pace It Pro you can choose between: - Lifetime Access: one-time purchase - Subscriptions: Monthly or Yearly plans Subscription plans include a 1-week free trial. Pro access includes the full Pace It experience, including pace trends, Training Load Ratio tracking, personalized training paces and the Apple Watch app. PAYMENT & RENEWALS - If you start a free trial, you will not be charged until the trial period ends. Unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the trial ends, your subscription will automatically renew at the selected price. - Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. - Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. - Manage or cancel your subscription at any time in your App Store account settings. PRIVACY Apple Health data is analyzed on your device. If you connect Strava, activities shared through Strava are stored on our servers for syncing, including workouts you export from Pace It. Pace It is not a medical device. It provides training insights for informational purposes only. TERMS & PRIVACY Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Additional Terms (Pace It Terms of Use): https://paceit.app/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://paceit.app/privacy-policy Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy: https://paceit.app/consumer-health-data-privacy
Smart Runner
This app offers science-backed marathon and half-marathon training plans based on VDOT calculations. It provides adaptive, personalized workouts and detailed performance metrics, with a focus on user privacy and a one-time purchase model.
- Adaptive 2-week training plans
- VDOT-based pacing zones
- ATL/CTL/TSB training load tracking
- HealthKit integration
- Apple Watch live workout guidance
- Strava sync
- Post-run analysis
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Training plans that adapt after every run, from your first 5K to the marathon. Pay once and own it, or try a year with 7 days free. Both plans unlock every feature. Smart Runner is a science-backed running coach for runners who want real results, without paying every month for the privilege. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS No account. No email. No password. No cloud sync. Your workouts live in Apple Health and on your device. We only collect anonymous usage data to improve the app, never linked to you. ADAPTIVE TRAINING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS Smart Runner uses VDOT, the system from Jack Daniels' Running Formula, to measure your fitness from a recent race result and build a rolling plan around it. - Adaptive 2-week plan that rebuilds after every run - VDOT pace zones: easy, tempo, interval and race pace - Beginner-friendly starting paces, so easy runs feel easy from week one - ATL / CTL / TSB load tracking, the metrics elite coaches use - Post-run analysis: see what each session actually built - Apple Watch: structured workouts with haptic cues on your wrist - HealthKit: every run imported automatically - Garmin supported - Strava sync: pull in runs you've already logged - Daily reminder at the time you choose BUILT FOR - First-timers building toward a 5K or 10K - Half and full marathoners chasing a time goal - Runners coming back from a break who need a structured rebuild - Anyone who wants coaching-grade metrics without coaching prices PRICING Start free. Then choose: - Lifetime: pay once, train for life - Annual: 7 days free, then billed yearly Annual renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Smart Runner at 5.0 against Pace It's 4.0. Smart Runner also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Pace It sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Smart Runner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Smart Runner holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Pace It's written reviews are positive against 100% of Smart Runner's.
Pace It ships an update every 2 weeks, Smart Runner every 3 days. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | Pace It | Smart Runner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dionysis Kastellanis | Dor Tal |
Customer experience
Pace It
Smart Runner
In-app purchases
Pace It
- Pace It Access (Monthly)7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Pace It Access (Yearly)7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Lifetime$89.99
Smart Runner
- Runner Annual Plan7 Days trial$24.991 Year
- Runner Unlock$14.99
- Runner Lifetime Plan$39.99









