Comparison

RunBeat vs Stellar Intervals

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

Head to head
About

RunBeat

This app provides real-time audio coaching for heart rate zone training and interval workouts. It guides you to stay in your target zone or complete specific interval structures without needing to look at your screen. Compatible with various Bluetooth heart rate monitors and smartwatches.

Highlights
  • Real-time heart rate zone audio coaching
  • Supports Zone 2 and VO₂ Max intervals
  • Customizable interval training programs
  • Automatic music playlist switching
  • Works with Bluetooth HR monitors and smartwatches
  • Training log with session history
Features
Read full description

Nail every session. Just listen and run. Train Zone 2, race pace, and VO2 max with RunBeat, your audio running coach. Real-time voice guidance keeps you in zone or on pace. Add intervals like Norwegian 4×4 or 1 km repeats, and it calls every rep. ZONE TRAINING Pick your target heart rate zone. RunBeat monitors live heart rate and coaches you to speed up or slow down to stay in zone. PACE TRAINING Train the pace you’ll need on race day, whether that’s a 5K, a marathon, or the runs between HYROX stations. RunBeat monitors your live pace and coaches you to speed up or slow down to stay on target. DISTANCE INTERVALS Speedwork. 1 km repeats or build your own, measured by GPS. Voice callouts at every rep. Apple Music playlists switch between work and rest. TIMED INTERVALS VO2 Max work. Norwegian 4×4 or build your own. Voice callouts at every transition. Apple Music playlists switch between work and rest. WORKS WITH YOUR GEAR Apple Watch, Whoop, Polar, Google Fitbit Air, Garmin, Coros, Wahoo, any Bluetooth HR monitor. Auto-reconnects. Watch app shows live zone on wrist. ACTIVITY Time in each zone, HR over time chart, work/rest breakdowns, rep splits, session history, plus distance, pace, and your route on the map. Saves every workout to Apple Health. WHY RUNBEAT Eyes forward. Train by ear. Audio coaching handles zones, pace, intervals, and reps, so you can focus on running. RUNBEAT PRO First training free. Then a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime. Privacy: https://runbeat.app/privacy Terms: https://runbeat.app/terms

About

Stellar Intervals

Features
Read full description

Most Norwegian 4x4 timers count the clock. Stellar Intervals counts what matters: the time your heart is truly in the zone — and how fast it recovers afterward. THE PROBLEM WITH CLOCK-BASED 4x4 The Norwegian 4x4 protocol calls for four 4-minute intervals above ~85% of your max heart rate. But it takes time to climb into that zone — often 60 to 90 seconds. A standard timer counts that ramp-up as "work," so you get an uneven, watered-down dose every session. Two workouts that look identical on the clock can be completely different efforts. TRUE TIME IN ZONE Stellar Intervals fixes this with a heart-rate-gated timer. The interval clock starts only when you cross your 85% threshold — and pauses the instant you drop below it. No more junk time. Every session delivers a true 16 minutes of high-intensity stimulus. Repeatable, predictable, honest. A CLEAN SIGNAL: HEART-RATE RECOVERY Here's what true time in zone unlocks. Heart-rate recovery (HRR) — how many beats per minute your heart drops in the first minute after an interval — is one of the most studied markers of cardiovascular fitness. But it's only meaningful if the effort before it was consistent. Because Stellar Intervals standardizes every interval to the same load, your HRR becomes a clean, comparable number you can trust. Track it interval to interval and week to week, and watch your fitness improve in a metric measured from your own training. THE SCIENCE The Norwegian 4x4 protocol is the gold-standard interval method for improving VO2 max — and VO2 max is one of the strongest predictors of long-term health and longevity. Stellar Intervals helps you execute the protocol precisely and follow your progress through HRR, a marker researchers have long tied to heart health and aerobic fitness. FEATURES Heart-rate-gated timer — counts only true time in zone Auto-pause when you fall below 85% HRmax Per-interval heart-rate recovery (HRR) tracking Long-term HRR and time-in-zone trends Works with Apple Watch and Bluetooth chest straps Sport-agnostic: run, bike, row, ski, or elliptical Apple Health integration Clean, distraction-free workout screen HONEST BY DESIGN Stellar Intervals does not estimate or claim to measure your VO2 max — no app can do that accurately from your wrist. What we do measure, we measure for real: your true time in zone and your heart-rate recovery. Two numbers you can trust, both improving as you train. WHO IT'S FOR Runners, cyclists, and rowers chasing VO2 max gains. Longevity-minded people who already track HRV, sleep, and biomarkers. Anyone who wants their 4x4 done with precision instead of guesswork. Requires a heart rate source (Apple Watch, Apple Airpods Pro 3 or Bluetooth HR monitor). Start your first true interval today.

Screenshots

RunBeat4 screens
Stellar Intervals4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Stellar Intervals at none against RunBeat's 2. Stellar Intervals also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). RunBeat's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price 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. RunBeat sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Stellar Intervals asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
RunBeat versus Stellar Intervals: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRunBeatStellar Intervals
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (13 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB41 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMushin Labs, LLCGarage Projects AB

In-app purchases

2 purchases

RunBeat

Subscriptions2
  • RunBeat Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • RunBeat Pro7 Days trial$39.991 Year
None

Stellar Intervals

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RunBeat free?
RunBeat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stellar Intervals free?
Stellar Intervals is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do RunBeat or Stellar Intervals have ads?
Stellar Intervals shows ads; RunBeat does not.

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