V.O2 vs The Program by Bandit Running
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
V.O2
This app provides adaptive training plans and personalized coaching for runners of all levels. It assesses your fitness, offers custom paces, and syncs with popular devices. Train intelligently to achieve measurable improvements and become your best runner.
- Adaptive training plans
- VDOT fitness assessment
- Personalized training paces
- Sync with Apple Health, Coros, Garmin, Strava
- Real-time guidance on Apple Watch, Coros, Garmin
- Training adaptation based on improvement
- Coach communication and training adjustments
Read full descriptionHide full description
Coaching app for athletes looking to take their running to the next level. How it works Athletes: Get an invite from a coach or choose one coaching option. • Adaptive Trainer (14-Day Free Trial) • Goal Race Plan • Match with a Private Coach Coaches: Start your 30-day free trial and learn how to manage your athletes at https://vdoto2.com/vdotcoach Popular Features • Assess your current running fitness (VDOT) • Built-in personalized training paces • Sync training calendar with GPS data from Apple Health, Coros, Garmin or Strava • Sync workouts/pace targets to Apple Watch, Coros or Garmin for real-time guidance • Adapt your training based on your improvement • Work with your coach, communicate and adjust training Truly Personalized Unlike most running apps, VDOT knows you. It understands the type of runner you are, what you're training for, and how to maximize your efforts. It also gives you more control over your training, leveraging your feedback to deliver real-time data which fine tunes your training and leads to continuous progression. With fully automated, truly personalized and highly-adaptive training, VDOT helps you achieve measurable improvement — all in an effort to make you the best runner you can be. Intelligent Training With a focus on training over tracking and coaching over running, VDOT offers access to the highest quality, Olympic-style training for runners of all levels-right from any mobile device. Designed to help runners train correctly and more intelligently, VDOT elicits maximum benefit while reducing the required effort. These high-quality workouts promote healthy, responsible, and beneficial sessions while simultaneously preventing overtraining. Olympic Pedigree V.O2 was built from the foundation of a scientifically-validated training methodology. Based on former Olympian, author, and legendary running coach Jack Daniels’ exercise science principles, the methodology not only benefits runners of all ages and abilities when it comes to improving their running fitness but it also serves as the best measure of running economy across a variety of runners and events, making it an ideal way to compare performances. High-school, college, Olympic and non-elite runners have all trained, ran, and succeeded with the VDOT methodology. -”Dr. Jack Daniels has had a bigger influence on training-for-running than anyone. He might be considered the Albert Einstein of the sport." - Runner’s World Magazine
The Program by Bandit Running
This app offers a free guided training experience for marathon and half marathon runners. It generates personalized training plans based on your race, goal time, and weekly mileage. Get instant answers to training questions with the integrated coach feature.
- Free guided training plans
- Marathon and half marathon focus
- Personalized plan generation
- Interactive training schedule
- Instant coach answers
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Program is a 100% free guided training experience for marathons and half marathons powered by Bandit Running. Select your race, goal finish time, and weekly mileage, and an interactive training plan will be automatically generated for you. Plus, access Coach for instant answers to all your fundamental training questions.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: V.O2 at 4.9 against The Program by Bandit Running's 3.9. V.O2 also leads on ratings volume (6.3K vs 115). The Program by Bandit Running's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 17). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. V.O2 sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. The Program by Bandit Running asks for nothing beyond the download.
V.O2 holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: V.O2 has 6.3K ratings behind it against 115, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of V.O2's written reviews are positive against 73% of The Program by Bandit Running's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
V.O2 ships an update weekly, The Program by Bandit Running every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | V.O2 | The Program by Bandit Running |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (6.3K ratings) — better | 3.9 (115 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 71.0% of reviews | 72.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6.3K — better | 115 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 142 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Run SMART Project, LLC | Bandit Running |
Customer experience
V.O2
The Program by Bandit Running
User reviews
V.O2
From 6.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Great integration with Garmin watches
- 💡 Excellent for coaching and athlete communication
- 👍 Fantastic adaptive programming and training plans
- 👍 Seamless sync with Garmin and other platforms
Room to improve
- 🐛 Issues with syncing to Garmin and other platforms
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance and bugs
- 🐛 Difficulty editing or moving workouts
- 🐛 Inaccurate elevation and GPS tracking
- 🔍 Limited customization and preset workout options
The Program by Bandit Running
From 115 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent training program
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🎉 Customizable to user goals
- 🎉 Helpful insights and advice
- 👍 Clean and simple interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 Account creation issues
- 🐛 Blank screen on launch
Bugs and requests
V.O2
Reported bugs
4 issues- Apple Watch app issues and lack of functionality
- Problems with syncing Garmin runs to the correct workouts
- Inconsistent elevation and GPS data
- Bugs and crashes when using the app
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to duplicate and edit workouts
- Improved Apple Watch and Health app integration
- More advanced adaptive training and automation
- Expanded cross-training and workout modalities
- Better user interface and workflow for coaches
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Keyword-based search for notes and workouts
The Program by Bandit Running
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
- Account creation problems
Requested features
2 requests- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
In-app purchases
V.O2
- Adaptive Training Subscription14 Days trial2 variants$12.991 Month
- Adaptive Training - Annual14 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Base/Fitness - 8 weeks$44.99
- Half Marathon - 12 weeks$54.99
- 10 Km - 12 weeks$54.99
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- 5 Km - 12 weeks$54.99
- 1500m - 12 weeks$54.99
- 3 Km - 12 weeks$54.99
- Marathon - 15 weeks$69.99
- Half Marathon - 15 weeks$69.99
- Marathon - 18 weeks$79.99
- Half Marathon - 18 weeks$79.99
- Jack's Elite Marathon - 18wks$79.99
- Jack's First Marathon - 18wks$79.99
- Jack's Boston Marathon - 18wks$94.99
- Marathon - 24 weeks$99.99
The Program by Bandit Running
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is V.O2 free?
Is The Program by Bandit Running free?
Which has better reviews, V.O2 or The Program by Bandit Running?
Do V.O2 or The Program by Bandit Running have ads?
Which is updated more often, V.O2 or The Program by Bandit Running?
Other comparisons















