Comparison

Pace It vs Marathon Coach

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Marathon Coach

Features
Read full description

Marathon Coach™ — Train Smarter™ Set your goal once. Get an adaptive race training plan that appears in the native Apple Watch Workout app — no chat coach, no spreadsheets. THREE PILLARS • Glanceable — Open the app and see today’s workout instantly: distance, pace guidance, and your week at a glance. • Autonomous — Plans build and adapt from your real runs, sleep, heart rate, and training load. No typing to an AI chat coach. • Watch-native — Send your plan to Apple Watch. Workouts appear under Scheduled in the Workout app via WorkoutKit. HOW IT WORKS 1. Set your race goal, target time, and training level (~2 minutes). 2. Connect Apple Health (optional but recommended) for personalized adaptation. 3. Train where you are — Start outdoor runs on iPhone GPS from the app, or open plan sessions on Apple Watch under Workout → Scheduled. Lock the phone for Live Activity metrics while you run. 4. Weekly reviews and recovery signals adjust your plan as you train. FREE CORE The full core experience stays free: goal setup, adaptive plan, Apple Health, Apple Watch → Scheduled, outdoor iPhone GPS runs with Live Activity (time, distance, pace), weekly plan review when you open the app, and share cards. No account required for free use. MARATHON COACH PRO (OPTIONAL) Upgrade to Marathon Coach Pro for deeper coaching — daily plan tune-ups, recovery-aware adjustments after rough days, post key-workout reviews, background plan refresh when entitled, and post-run pace zone estimates on planned sessions (plan-anchored — not HR or medical zones). Subscribe in the app via Apple (auto-renewable). Manage or cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. AI COACHING (OPTIONAL) Enable AI coaching in Settings for plan adjustments from summarized Health metrics — never raw GPS tracks. Or keep a local plan with zero server traffic. You can turn AI off anytime. SHARE YOUR PROGRESS Export branded share cards — race countdown, week in review, latest workout — as square or 9:16 Story images. REQUIREMENTS • iPhone (iOS 17+) • Paired Apple Watch (watchOS 10+) for scheduled Watch workouts • Not optimized for iPad in this version Training guidance only — not medical advice. Consult a physician before starting or changing any exercise program. Privacy: https://www.getmarathoncoach.com/privacy Support: https://www.getmarathoncoach.com/support

Screenshots

Pace It4 screens
Marathon Coach4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Pace It at 3 against Marathon Coach's 1. On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pace It sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Marathon Coach sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Pace It versus Marathon Coach: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPace ItMarathon Coach
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDionysis KastellanisJon Sern Lim

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pace It

Subscriptions2
  • Pace It Access (Monthly)7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Pace It Access (Yearly)7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$89.99
2 purchases

Marathon Coach

Subscriptions2
  • Marathon Coach Pro Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Pro Annual$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Pace It free?
Pace It is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Marathon Coach free?
Marathon Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pace It or Marathon Coach have ads?
Neither Pace It nor Marathon Coach shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pace It or Marathon Coach?
Pace It ships an update every 2 weeks, and Marathon Coach every 2 weeks. Most recently, Pace It was updated on November 13, 2026 and Marathon Coach on November 10, 2026.

Other comparisons