ChallengeRunner vs Challenges
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ChallengeRunner
Log and track your progress in employee health challenges. View real-time leaderboards, submit data, and engage with other participants. Integrates with Apple Health for automatic data syncing.
- Log health challenge data
- View real-time leaderboards
- Submit challenge data
- Messaging and comments
- Apple Health integration
- Join challenges via codes/links/QR
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ChallengeRunner Fitness Challenge Logging provides a lightweight interface to the ChallengeRunner employee health challenge platform. This application gives participants access to the fitness challenges they are currently enrolled in. ChallengeRunner Fitness Challenge Logging allows participants to view and submit health challenge data and review the challenge leaderboard. This application features a simple challenge data logging interface, real-time leaderboards, messaging and comments. Participants may join challenges using links, QR Codes, or challenge codes provided by a Challenge Administrator. It is now possible for ChallengeRunner to pull steps, active minutes, distance and calories from the Apple Health app. To turn on this functionality, enable the Health Integration switch in Settings and accept the HealthKit privileges when prompted in the ChallengeRunner app. With HealthKit enabled, ChallengeRunner will sync with the Health app whenever the ChallengeRunner app is opened. NOTE: Most functions require an Internet connection
Challenges
Compete with friends, family, and coworkers to get fit. Track your progress through stand, move, and exercise rings, earn medals, and send motivational nudges. Stay connected and motivated with real-time updates and team challenges.
- Team challenges
- Activity ring tracking (Stand, Move, Exercise)
- Medal achievements
- Motivational nudges and comments
- Real-time team progress updates
- Apple Watch integration
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Get fit and compete with friends, family & coworkers with the Challenges app. ‘Cause everybody needs a little healthy competition. -- How It Works -- Getting started with Challenges is easy. Join a team challenge and aim to complete your Stand, Move, and Exercise rings. Whether you get there by shakin’ it to Queen Bey or taking the furthest spot in the parking lot, it’s up to you. Keep tabs on your progress via Apple Watch, the Challenges App, or the Health app. Watch in real time as your teammates get closer to closing their rings - they’re cheering you on to do the same! -- Achievements -- The more you move, the more you’re rewarded. Stack up your points to earn Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals. Go for the gold! Check progress on your next medal Bask in the glow of medals you’ve racked up from all of your Challenges -- Nudges -- What gets you stepping better than your L.A. Lights sneakers from the 90s? Accountability. Spark a little friendly banter to fuel your fitness flame. Get and send nudges from your teammates (Tell Dan from the second floor to start taking the stairs if he’s reppin’ your team Mission-Fitpossible) Comment on the challenge wall to share tips or coordinate a workout Invite a friend to join your team, via email or text (Emojis 100% acceptable) -- On The Watch -- Pump yourself up wherever you go with just a glance at your wrist. Check in on team ranking See when you’re closing in on an achievement Compare your daily average so you can gauge your progress. Get notified when someone nudges you Get pinged when one of your teammates is rocking it. “Dan just closed all three rings!” Boom, send back applause hands. Somebody’s been snubbing the elevator. Get your watch charged, your team amped, and your sneakers ready, ‘cause you’ve got a challenge to win. Challenges integrates with the Health App on your iPhone to retrieve the data it uses to determine by how much you've just beaten all your friends. Because of our integration with the Health App, this also means we leverage the powerful HealthKit API to make your user experience and user interface the best possible. Enjoy!
Screenshots
Verdict
ChallengeRunner and Challenges both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 51% of Challenges's written reviews are positive against 15% of ChallengeRunner's. ChallengeRunner's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for ChallengeRunner against 4.6 for Challenges. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8.7K and 5.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 15% of ChallengeRunner's written reviews are positive against 51% of Challenges's.
ChallengeRunner ships an update every 2 weeks, Challenges every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.
| Parameter | ChallengeRunner | Challenges |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (8.7K ratings) | 4.6 (5.7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 15.4% of reviews | 51.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8.7K — better | 5.7K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ChallengeRunner LLC | FitNow |
Customer experience
ChallengeRunner
Challenges
User reviews
ChallengeRunner
From 8.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great for motivation
- 👍 Simple and efficient
- 💡 Wellness partnership
Room to improve
- 🐛 Sync issues with Apple Health and other fitness trackers
- 👎 Poor user interface and navigation
- 🔍 Lack of visibility into team and individual rankings
- 🔧 Buggy and crashes frequently
Challenges
From 5.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great app for group challenges
- 👍 Motivating and fun
- 🤝 Allows competing across platforms
- 🎯 Individualized calorie goals
Room to improve
- 🐛 Syncing issues with fitness apps
- 🕰️ Slow to update data
- 🤯 Inaccurate point tracking
- 🤖 Poor customer support
- 🔒 Privacy concerns
Bugs and requests
ChallengeRunner
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes when scrolling leaderboard
- Steps not syncing correctly or disappearing
- Login issues and inability to access app features
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to manually enter steps and other activities
- Improved leaderboard and team management features
- Integration with more fitness tracking devices
- Better data visualization and analytics
Challenges
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes frequently
- Syncing issues with Apple Health
- Inability to delete account
- Challenges not working as intended
Requested features
6 requests- Allow rest days in challenges
- Increase maximum daily points
- Add option to set individual vs. group challenges
- Improve messaging and notifications
- Add Garmin integration
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- Allow challenge creators to manage teams
In-app purchases
ChallengeRunner
No in-app purchases
Challenges
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ChallengeRunner free?
Is Challenges free?
Which has better reviews, ChallengeRunner or Challenges?
Do ChallengeRunner or Challenges have ads?
Which is updated more often, ChallengeRunner or Challenges?
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