Comparison

ChallengeRunner vs Challenges

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Log health challenge data
  • View real-time leaderboards
  • Submit challenge data
  • Messaging and comments
  • Apple Health integration
  • Join challenges via codes/links/QR
Features
Read full description

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

About

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.

Highlights
  • Team challenges
  • Activity ring tracking (Stand, Move, Exercise)
  • Medal achievements
  • Motivational nudges and comments
  • Real-time team progress updates
  • Apple Watch integration
Features
Read full description

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

ChallengeRunner4 screens
Challenges4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChallengeRunner ships an update every 2 weeks, Challenges every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ChallengeRunner versus Challenges: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChallengeRunnerChallenges
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (8.7K ratings)4.6 (5.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews15.4% of reviews51.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8.7K — better5.7K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChallengeRunner LLCFitNow

Customer experience

ChallengeRunner

All ratings8,692 ratings
Positive88.0%
Neutral6.0%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive15.4%
Neutral20.0%
Negative64.6%

Challenges

All ratings5,728 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral2.5%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews353 reviews
Positive51.0%
Neutral15.0%
Negative34.0%

User reviews

ChallengeRunner

From 8.7K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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
Show 1 more
  • Allow challenge creators to manage teams

In-app purchases

None

ChallengeRunner

No in-app purchases

None

Challenges

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ChallengeRunner free?
ChallengeRunner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Challenges free?
Challenges is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ChallengeRunner or Challenges?
Challenges is rated higher. ChallengeRunner averages 4.5 out of 5 from 8.7K ratings, while Challenges averages 4.6 from 5.7K ratings.
Do ChallengeRunner or Challenges have ads?
Neither ChallengeRunner nor Challenges shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ChallengeRunner or Challenges?
ChallengeRunner ships an update every 2 weeks, and Challenges every 3 weeks. Most recently, ChallengeRunner was updated on September 25, 2026 and Challenges on September 25, 2026.

Other comparisons