# Steady Pace vs Garmin Connect

> Garmin Connect syncs and analyzes runs from a Garmin watch, and now has a paid Connect+ tier. Steady Pace holds your pace by ear on your phone. How they compare and what each one is for.

Garmin Connect is the app for your Garmin watch. Steady Pace holds your pace on your phone. Here is how they compare.

**The short answer:** Garmin Connect is the companion app for a Garmin watch. It syncs your runs, stores your training history, and in 2025 added a paid Connect+ tier for extra data. Steady Pace holds your target pace by ear during the run, on your phone, for one payment. If you own a Garmin, Connect is where your data lives, and Steady Pace can still help you hold a pace. If you do not own a Garmin, you do not need Connect to hold a pace.

## How they differ

Garmin Connect is for after the run and for the watch. It pulls your run off the watch, stores your history, and shows trends in fitness, sleep, and training load. Some of that now sits behind the Connect+ subscription. It does not help you feel your pace during a run.

Steady Pace works during the run. You set a target pace, and the tone tells you when you drift off it. It does not store years of history or analyze your training.

## Steady Pace and Garmin Connect compared

|  | Steady Pace | Garmin Connect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Main use | Holding a pace as you run | Syncing and analyzing runs from a Garmin |
| Needs a Garmin watch | No | Yes |
| Pace feedback during a run | A continuous tone | Numbers on your wrist |
| Price | One-time purchase | Free tier; Connect+ subscription for more |
| Long-term training history | No | Yes |
| Your data | Stays on your phone | Synced to Garmin's servers |

## What Garmin Connect is for

Garmin Connect suits Garmin owners. It stores your runs, heart rate, sleep, and months of trend data, and it runs the workouts on your watch. It is built for the data after the run.

## What Steady Pace is for

Steady Pace suits runners whose main problem is pacing, and it works without a watch. If you own a Garmin, you can use both: let the watch and Connect record and analyze the run while the tone keeps you on pace.

Garmin Connect stores and analyzes your runs. Steady Pace holds your pace during them, with or without a Garmin.

- [Steady Pace vs a running watch](https://steadypace.ca/blog/steady-pace-vs-running-watch): Whether you need the watch at all.
- [Steady Pace vs Strava](https://steadypace.ca/blog/steady-pace-vs-strava): Another way to log your runs.
- [The subscription trap](https://steadypace.ca/subscription-trap): Including Garmin's move to Connect+.

**Is Steady Pace a replacement for Garmin Connect?**

No. Garmin Connect syncs and analyzes runs from a Garmin watch. Steady Pace holds your pace by ear on your phone. If you own a Garmin, you can use both. If you do not, you do not need Connect to hold a pace.

**Do I need Garmin Connect+ to hold a pace?**

No. Connect+ is a paid tier for extra analysis of your Garmin data. Holding a pace does not need it, or any subscription.

**Can I use Steady Pace with my Garmin?**

Yes. Let the watch and Connect record and analyze your run, and let the tone keep you on pace.

**Does Steady Pace store my training history like Connect?**

No. It keeps your runs on your phone and focuses on holding a pace during the run rather than long-term trend analysis.


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Source: https://steadypace.ca/blog/steady-pace-vs-garmin-connect
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/steady-pace/id6773682525