Comparison

Pace Coach vs IntervalRunner

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

Head to head
About

Pace Coach

Features
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Hit your goal pace without staring at your screen. Pace Coach watches your pace and stays quiet in your ears while you are on target, then speaks up the moment you drift too fast or too slow. Keep your eyes up, keep your headphones in, and just run. FREE TO RUN WITH Setting a goal, pace alerts, auto-pause, splits and your five most recent runs cost nothing. No trial, no card, no account. SILENCE MEANS YOU ARE ON PACE Most pacing apps talk every lap whether you need it or not. Pace Coach only speaks when something has changed: - Running too fast: ease up before you burn out - Running too slow: a nudge to pick it up - Back on target: a quick confirmation, then quiet again At every kilometre you hear your split, and nothing else. SET ANY GOAL Pick your race and your target time, and Pace Coach does the pace maths: - 5K, 10K, half or full marathon - Or any distance you enter - Your target pace per kilometre, instantly AUTO-PAUSE Stop at a light or a water break and Pace Coach pauses on its own, then picks up the moment you run again. Clean stats, no buttons. COACHING IN YOUR POCKET Lock the screen or drop the phone in your pocket. Tracking and coaching carry on the whole way. SPLITS AND AI RECAP At the finish you get every split and your average pace. The AI recap names the kilometre that decided the run, compares it to your recent runs, and gives you one thing to change next time. Your first three recaps are free. PERFECT FOR - Training for a 5K, 10K, half or marathon - Beginners building from walk to run - Tempo and goal-pace workouts - Anyone chasing a personal best HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick a distance and set your goal time 2. Pop in your headphones 3. Run, and listen only when you drift 4. Let auto-pause handle the stops 5. Read your splits and recap at the finish PACE COACH PRO Pro is optional. It unlocks the AI recap after your first three, and your full run history beyond your five most recent runs. Everything else stays free. Pro is available as a monthly or annual subscription, with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. Lace up, press start, and run your own pace. Requires location access for distance and pace tracking. Best experienced with headphones. GPS accuracy can vary with route, weather and phone placement. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pacecoachapp.com/privacy/

About

IntervalRunner

Features
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Run every interval exactly as planned. IntervalRunner checks your pace against your target and tells you the moment you drift — by voice, by tone and with a tap on your wrist — so you never have to look at the screen. ALERTS YOU CAN TRUST • Smoothed pace instead of jumpy GPS, with a tolerance band you choose • Different tones and haptics for too fast and too slow • Natural AI-generated voice cues that lower your music and keep working with the screen locked BUILD ANY INTERVAL • Time or distance steps with a target pace or speed • 7 ready-to-run presets: walk-run starter, 1 min fast / 1 min easy, 400 m and 800 m repeats, tempo, slow running and Zone 2 (Zone 2 with Pro) • Three count modes: start when you reach target pace, count only while on target, or count right away • Auto-pause per workout, km or miles, pace or speed WITH OR WITHOUT APPLE WATCH With Apple Watch, the watch measures and taps your wrist while iPhone shows the numbers and speaks. No watch? Run with iPhone alone — or with just the watch. Treadmill mode needs no GPS: run on time at the speed you set on the machine, then confirm the distance from its display. After each run, see target vs. actual for every step. Workouts are saved to Apple Health. SHARE SHOTS Turn any run into a photo, video or Live Photo with your stats — free. • Your own photo or video (up to 15 s) or one of 8 designed themes (4 free), with stickers and text in 13 fonts • Count-up video: your numbers roll up from zero to the final result FREE Everything you need to run: the builder, presets, all alerts and count modes, treadmill mode, unlimited history, Apple Health, Live Activity, GPX/JSON export and 3 saved workouts of your own. Step analysis is open for your first two runs. INTERVALRUNNER PRO • Step analysis, trends and personal bests • Heart-rate zone targets, and recovery that ends when your heart rate drops • Unlimited saved workouts and folders • Nested repeats and ladder, pyramid and Yasso 800 generators • Per-second CSV export • 4 premium themes and 3 premium templates (Gradient, Big route, Titanium) for share shots, plus logo-free share shots Heart-rate features need Apple Watch or a Bluetooth heart-rate monitor. SUBSCRIPTION IntervalRunner Pro is an auto-renewing subscription: $0.99 per month or $9.99 per year in the US (prices vary by region). The yearly plan includes a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers; the monthly plan has no trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when the free trial ends. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://juki-j.github.io/privacy-policy/intervalrunner-en.html PRIVACY No account and no server of ours. Your runs, routes and health data stay on your devices and are never sent to us, to advertisers or to analytics. Firebase collects crash reports and usage statistics to keep the app stable; they are never used to track you or for ads. If you allow it, workouts are saved to Apple Health, which Apple manages and syncs. Voice cues are AI-generated speech.

Screenshots

Pace Coach3 screens
IntervalRunner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Pace Coach at 15.1 against IntervalRunner's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Pace Coach sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and IntervalRunner sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pace Coach ships an update every 4 days, IntervalRunner every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Pace Coach versus IntervalRunner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPace CoachIntervalRunner
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB177 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDenny Sunaryo WijayaJUKI JUNG

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Pace Coach

Subscriptions2
  • Pace Coach Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Pace Coach Pro - Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
2 purchases

IntervalRunner

Subscriptions2
  • IntervalRunner Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • IntervalRunner Pro Annual7 Days trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Pace Coach free?
Pace Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is IntervalRunner free?
IntervalRunner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pace Coach or IntervalRunner have ads?
Neither Pace Coach nor IntervalRunner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pace Coach or IntervalRunner?
Pace Coach ships an update every 4 days, and IntervalRunner every 3 days. Most recently, Pace Coach was updated on October 25, 2026 and IntervalRunner on October 18, 2026.

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