Comparison
Best free running and strength training apps.
Two filters knock out almost everything. Most fitness apps plan one modality, not both, strength apps assume you are not running, running apps treat lifting as an afterthought. And of the handful that do plan both, nearly all are subscriptions. Here is what is left in August 2026, and what each one actually costs you.
Part of our guide to Strength training for female runners .
FitBoost is the free one: running and strength in one weekly plan, no subscription and no account. Runna, Edge and Hypla plan both too, as subscriptions. Fitbod and most strength apps do not schedule running at all.
What "combines both" should mean
An app that logs a run and also logs a lift is not combining them. Combining them means one week where the sessions are placed relative to each other, the hard run and the heavy leg day spaced apart, the long run protected, the easy day used as the flexible one.
That is the test worth applying: if you add a run, does anything about the strength week change? If not, you have two trackers in one icon.
Fitbod, strength only
Fitbod is the best-known personalised strength app, with 15 million-plus downloads and a 4.8 rating. Its own site is explicit that it focuses on resistance work and that running and dedicated cardio planning are not primary features: it includes cardio-like movements for conditioning, not a running plan.
It requires an account, and it runs on both iOS and Android. If you only lift, none of that is a drawback. If you also run, your running lives somewhere else and the two never meet.
Edge, hybrid, with human coaches
Edge is positioned directly at this problem: strength, running, conditioning and HYROX prep coordinated as one programme. Its plans are written by hybrid coaches, the plan adapts when you miss a session or have a low-energy day, and the coaching team is reachable inside the app.
It is the most complete answer in this list if you want a coached programme, and it is priced accordingly. Available on iOS and Android.
FitBoost, hybrid, free, no account
FitBoost plans running and strength into one weekly schedule and adapts it to what you actually complete. What is different is not the planning idea, which Edge and others also have: it is everything around it.
- Free: no subscription, no in-app purchases, no ads, no trial countdown
- No account: no sign-up form, no email, no password
- Works offline, because your plan is built on the device
- iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch only, there is no Android version
- No human coaching, no community, no meal plans
- New: not enough App Store ratings yet to show a score
Which of them are actually free?
This is where the list gets short. Planning two modalities together is a premium feature almost everywhere it exists, the coached hybrid apps are subscription products, and that is a fair price for what they include.
FitBoost is the outlier: the hybrid planning is the whole app, and it is free with no subscription, no in-app purchases, no ads and no account. If your filter is "plans both, costs nothing, does not want my email", the list is one long.
- Plans running and strength as one week: FitBoost, Runna, Edge, Hypla
- Free with no subscription: FitBoost
- Usable without an account: FitBoost
- Strength only, account required: Fitbod and most strength apps
How to choose between them
If you want a coach and a programme someone wrote for you, and you are willing to pay for it, a coached hybrid app is the better fit. If you only lift, a dedicated strength app will go deeper than anything hybrid.
FitBoost is the right answer if you want both modalities arranged for you, you want it free, and you do not want to hand over an email address to find out whether you like it.
Method and limits
Every claim above about another app comes from that company’s own public website or App Store listing, checked in August 2026, and is limited to what those sources state directly. We have not run each app through a training block, and we do not list prices, because they change by region and over time, check the App Store listing for current pricing.
This page is published by FitBoost and is not independent. It exists because we would rather state the comparison plainly, including where another app is the better choice, than pretend there is no competition.
Questions
Is there an app that combines running and strength training?+
Yes. FitBoost, Edge and Hypla all plan both in one schedule. Most strength apps, including Fitbod, do not plan running at all.
Does Fitbod include running plans?+
No. Fitbod’s own site states it focuses on resistance-based workouts and that running and dedicated cardio planning are not primary features.
Is there a free running and strength training app?+
FitBoost. It plans both in one weekly schedule with no subscription, no in-app purchases, no ads and no account. The other hybrid options are subscription products.
Is there a hybrid training app without a subscription?+
FitBoost is the one in this comparison with no subscription of any kind. Coached hybrid apps like Edge are priced as subscriptions.
Which is best for a runner who wants to start lifting?+
Any of the hybrid options will beat bolting a strength app onto your running. Choose on whether you want human coaching and are willing to pay, or want it free and self-serve.
Get FitBoost
Free on the App Store. No account, no ads, and today’s session ready when you open it.
How FitBoost builds these schedules
The placement rules on this page are the ones the app applies: hard sessions spaced apart, heavy lower body kept away from the key run, upper body used as the session that interferes least, and rest planned rather than left over. In the app they run against your own history, what you completed, what you skipped and what you reported as too hard, rather than against a template.
We do not claim a clinical review of this page. It is training guidance, not medical advice, and anything involving pain, injury, pregnancy or the postpartum period belongs with a professional who can assess you. FitBoost has no postpartum programme today.
Last reviewed: August 2026