The short answer: Steady Pace shows no ads, contains no ad networks, and sends no analytics. It cannot show you an ad because it makes no network connections to fetch one. The app is a one-time purchase, so it has no second business built on your attention or your data. You see your run and nothing else.
Why "free" running apps show ads
An app that costs nothing still costs something to build and run, so it earns its money another way, and usually that way is advertising. Ads bring their own baggage: to be worth anything they need targeting, and targeting needs tracking, so a free app tends to carry advertising code that watches what you do and shares it with networks you never chose. The banner is the visible part; the tracking behind it is the part that costs you.
A mid-run ad is bad for running. You are in a rhythm, eyes up, and a banner or full-screen interstitial between you and your pace does not belong there. An app meant to help you run should not interrupt it.
What paying once removes
When you buy an app outright, the reason for ads disappears. There is no need to monetize your attention because the transaction is already complete. Steady Pace takes that to its natural end: no ads, and none of the tracking that would serve them, so there is no advertising code, no ad network, and no analytics leaving your phone. The app has one job and no side business.
| Steady Pace | An ad-supported app | |
|---|---|---|
| Shows ads | None | Yes, that is the revenue |
| Ad tracking and profiling | None | Usually, to target ads |
| Interrupts your run | No | Banners and interstitials |
| How it is paid for | You bought it once | Your attention and data |
When an app is free, advertisers pay for it by targeting you, so buying it once removes both the ads and the tracking that supports them.
Privacy
What a data leak looks like
87 real, cited incidents, and how ad tracking fits in.
Blog
No network connections
Why there is no ad to fetch in the first place.
Pricing
No subscription
Paid once, so nothing else needs selling.
Does Steady Pace have any ads?
None. There are no ads and no ad networks in the app, and it makes no network connections, so there is nothing to fetch an ad from. You paid for it once, so there is no attention to resell.
Does it track me to target advertising?
No. There is no ad tracking and no analytics of any kind. The app does not profile you, because it has no ads to target and sends nothing off your phone.
Why are so many running apps full of ads?
Because a free app still has costs, and advertising is the usual way to cover them. Ads need targeting, targeting needs tracking, so free apps tend to carry both. A one-time purchase removes the reason for either.
Will ads ever be added later?
Adding ads would mean bolting on the network connections and tracking the app was built to avoid. The app is paid for once and shows you only your run.