Paceline vs Runna

Checked on 23 October 2026. Prices and limits change; if something here is out of date, tell us.

Runna is the best-known running-plan app, and it's good at a lot. This is for runners deciding between the two, so it covers where each one wins.

The short version: Paceline is a free, planning-only Android app whose plan adapts to how recovered you are. Runna is a polished, paid app with run recording, watch support and a lot of content. If you want to be coached through every run on your wrist, Runna is ahead. If you want your whole plan without a subscription, one that responds to recovery data and goes up to 100K, Paceline is worth a look.

Where Paceline is different

The whole plan is free. Every distance, every week, adaptation, notifications and fueling guidance. Pro is optional and adds a race-week brief, a recovery view, a periodization override and progress trends. Runna Premium costs $19.99 a month or $119.99 a year in the US, with a free 7-day trial. On 5 June 2026 Runna's beginner plans became part of that subscription. When we tried the app on a lapsed account we saw Week 1 of a plan; monthly subscribers see the next 4 weeks, annual subscribers the whole plan.

It reads recovery, not only pace. If you connect Health Connect, Paceline looks at HRV, resting heart rate and time in bed, and proposes trimming an upcoming long run when at least two of the three point to fatigue. It never adds volume and never changes anything until you confirm. Runna says heart-rate data “will not influence your training plan”.

Move a workout to any day. In Paceline you can move a workout to any date from today up to the day before your race. It warns about back-to-back hard days or a long-run jump but doesn't block you, and you can undo a trim. Runna lets you move one workout at a time, within the same week or one week either side, onto a day with no other run, and its plan realignment can't be undone.

Longer distances. Paceline has 50 Mile and 100K plans. In the app, Runna's plans stop at 50 km.

Fueling with numbers. Per-hour carb, fluid and sodium targets and fueling rehearsals on your long runs, instead of articles.

Price. Paceline Pro is $49.99 a year ($6.99 a month). Runna Premium is $119.99 a year ($19.99 a month) in the US.

Where they're level

Both have a “not feeling 100%” mode that lightens your load and ramps you back, both can suggest new paces from how your runs actually went, and both help you rebuild after missed weeks.

Where Runna is ahead

Watches. Runna pushes workouts to Garmin, Apple Watch, COROS, Suunto and Amazfit. Paceline doesn't push to a watch yet.
In-run coaching. Runna records runs on your phone with audio cues. Paceline is a planning layer: it doesn't record runs, so you pair it with whatever you already use.
A race database, with how many others are training for each race.
Add-on programmes: strength, yoga, pilates and mobility.
Content and coaching voice: a named coach on each workout, a training hub, a podcast.
More goals: postpartum, post-injury, HYROX and triathlon (run portion), and terrain and injury-history inputs.
Holiday mode and B-races.
Languages: Runna has 8. Paceline is English only for now.
Strava, calendar sync and PDF export.
Polish and scale. It's a large team's product with a long track record; Paceline is built by one developer and is newer.

Which should you pick?

Pick Runna if you want a watch-synced, voice-guided experience and don't mind paying for it.
Pick Paceline if you want a full plan without a subscription, you're on Android, you train for ultras, or you want your plan to respond to recovery data.
You can also use both: Paceline as the plan, any tracker you like for the run itself.

Get Paceline on Google Play

Paceline is on Google Play (Android). Runna is a trademark of its owner; Paceline is not affiliated with it.