Is Runkeeper Go Worth It? [Runkeeper Free vs Paid]

Wondering if Runkeeper Go is worth the upgrade? Or how Runkeeper free vs paid features compare?

The ASICS Runkeeper Platform is a social networking and fitness accountability interface. This platform allows runners and athletes to both keep track of their workouts and encourages communities to be built around people moving their bodies.

Instead of tracking your runs on pen and paper, which limits sociability, Runkeeper allows you to add your friends to the app. This feature allows you to share your progress with each other throughout the week! Exercise is always more fun together, and ASICS’ Runkeeper platform encourages this community-building type of exercise. 

Runkeeper, the base level of the ASICS platform, is free for all users. It includes applications that help you plan your workouts and “Goal Coach” notifications to keep users motivated. Furthermore, 30 different activity types are available to add to your workout log. An auto-pause feature will briefly pause your workout when it detects that particular activity has stopped. And the list of applications and features continues. It’s your all-in-one application to get you started on your fitness journey. 

The ASICS developers have also developed a premium platform – Runkeeper Go – with some additional features for runners to engage with. In this article, we are going to look at everything Runkeeper Go has to offer to see if it’s worth subscribing. Let’s get into it!

Features of Runkeeper Go

What is the difference between Runkeeper and Runkeeper Go?

Runkeeper Go has even more to offer than its basic version, Runkeeper. Some of the premium features on offer include:

Live Tracking 

The Runkeeper Go live tracking feature syncs your GPS information to a dashboard on Runkeeper.com, allowing others to track your progress in real-time. The live tracking application would be perfect for runners participating in their local (or not-so-local) half marathon or 5k. 

This feature would enable the runner’s supportive friends and family to cheer on their athlete from wherever they are! It also was designed to provide peace of mind for the family. By tracking a runner’s location, there is less concern for safety on long runs around the city or through winding trails. 

Advanced Fitness Reports

The advanced fitness report function on Runkeeper Go has extensive abilities to track, process, and make suggestions for higher performance. These abilities include activity reports, daily snapshots, nutrition tracking, sleep analysis, strength training, vital baselines, and weight fluctuation. 

Some of the specific measurables that this program can record are pretty remarkable, although probably excessive for the everyday user. 

The platform measures various functions, like average elevation climb during your activity, passive calories burned, and average systolic and diastolic blood pressure. This platform may be overwhelming if you’re not interested in knowing such extensive information. 

Premium Training Plans

One of the premium features for Runkeeper Go members is access to personally curated race training plans. The ASICS developers have created a formula that considers your inputs, including your farthest run distance, your target pace, and how long you have to train for the race. With this information, the formula generates a personalized plan to ensure your success at the start and finish line on race day! 

Running for Exercise

“Running for Exercise” is a feature that will lay out an exercise training plan for you. The training plans’ factors are availability during the week, personal goals (like weight loss, distance, pace, basic movement for recovery, etc.), and your current abilities to build on. 

These exercises aren’t geared towards a strict training plan for an event. They’re meant to help you move your body in everyday rhythms. This would be helpful if you need a little reminder or accountability to spend some you-time prioritizing the health and growth of your body each day. 

Goal Insights

The “Goal Insights” function is useful for creating goal-oriented exercises that fit into one of three categories: appropriate, challenging, and achievable. This is based on your current abilities and adapts to your growth. Knowing where your abilities are and where they can be is a great motivator for growth. 

Full Access to Guided Workouts 

The guided workouts section of the platform is helpful for beginners who want to start running, lifting weights, or exercising but don’t know where to start. The workouts in this section are led by ASICS Runkeeper coaches that lead you through workouts with audio cues. Having that extra help can build confidence and excitement around growing in your fitness journey!

Now for the Big Question: Is Runkeeper Go Worth it? 

Adding all of these tools at your fingertips could finally be the boost you need to start exercising routinely throughout the week. For some, that may very well be the case. It can be exciting to see how different pieces of your health and fitness journey can build you up! 

But for most, knowing your resting heart rate and average REM sleep per night would probably be a novelty for the first few uses. Eventually, this novelty would wear out quickly and become an ignored subscription that draws out of your bank every month without you even batting an eye. 

For an everyday user, this service could potentially be arbitrary. Especially since the base level of this app – Runkeeper – is free and has many simple features that could help you get started. It is easy to feel paralyzed by an influx of information you may not know what to do with!

For some individuals, the simpler, the better. 

For a runner, this service could unlock your potential to go from good to great. Our body systems are intricately intertwined. Seemingly unrelated things like sleep score, overall cardiovascular health, muscular hypertrophy, and running stamina absolutely impact each other in more ways than one. 

Even a simple supplement, like having a digital coach’s feedback to guide your activities can motivate you through discomfort to break personal walls. These coaches also remind you to have rest days, so you don’t injure yourself from over-exercising. These factors could be the step you need to, well, step it up. 

Really, depending on your intentionality, dedication, and whether these tools would help or hinder your growth as an athlete, this application may or may not be a good fit for you. 

All things considered, Runkeeper Go is a monthly or annual subscription service, but you can cancel anytime. You can expect to pay $9.99 per month or $39.99 per year. If you decide to give it a Go (see what we did there), feel empowered to try it out for a month or so. If it isn’t all you hoped it would be or isn’t drawing you closer to your fitness dreams, you can opt-out by canceling the subscription.

Maybe even set a reminder two months from now on your phone to check in with yourself. At that time, evaluate whether this app has brought you closer to meeting your fitness goals or if it has just become an automatic withdrawal from your bank account every month. 

Why Should You Consider Upgrading to Runkeeper Go?

The Runkeeper Go platform is a great fit for runners hoping to supplement their performance. If you are a seasoned runner looking to manipulate your performance through sleep and activity feedback, the Runkeeper Go upgrade can meet your fitness needs. 

Likewise, if you are a new runner looking for a platform to help you get started on your fitness journey with supporting exercises and audio coaching, the upgrade can help motivate you toward getting that one step further. 

Pros and Cons of Runkeeper Go

As with all products, there are benefits and takeaways to every purchase. Below are some of the items you should consider before upgrading your subscription. 

Pros

• More detailed information based on activity performance
• Additional access to coaching and exercise videos
• Live GPS tracking to set your loved ones’ minds at ease
• Personalized training plans to help you take your first steps towards crossing that finish line
• Assistance meeting goals at your own pace 

Cons

• Price increase 
• For new runners, excessive information could be paralyzing or overwhelming

Strava vs. Runkeeper Go 

For the customer trying to decide whether or not to switch over to Runkeeper Go from their Strava subscription, this comparison is for you:

For a lower price, the Runkeeper Go platform ticks many of the same boxes that the Strava system has. 

If you’re interested in trying Strava, be sure to check our guide to the best free vs paid Strava features.

Our Verdict on Runkeeper Go

Ultimately, the decision is yours. Whether you are new to the running world or are a seasoned runner, the Runkeeper Go platform can meet your individual fitness goals.

The platform’s range of functions can satisfy your needs based on your current performance and future goals. Premium tracking functions that monitor sleep, nutrition, and activity make your high goals seem more attainable. 

And, if Runkeeper Go isn’t for you, give the base Runkeeper system a try at no charge! There is no harm in prioritizing your health and taking care of your body for a future of radical growth and the ability to enjoy daily moments just a little bit more.