The short answer: Runna is a subscription that writes you a training plan and adapts it week to week, telling you what to run and what pace to hit. Steady Pace is a one-time purchase that helps you hold those paces on the road. Runna decides the paces; Steady Pace helps you run them. If you want a plan made for you, Runna does that. If you already have paces to hit, Steady Pace helps you hit them.
How they differ
Runna decides what to run. It builds a plan around your goal race, sets your intervals and long runs, and adjusts the coming weeks based on how the last ones went. That is ongoing work, which is why it charges every month, reported at around $19.99 as of 2026.
Steady Pace helps you run the paces. Once a workout says to run at 5:20 per kilometre, you still have to run 5:20, and the tone keeps you on it. It has no opinion about what your plan should be.
Steady Pace and Runna compared
| Steady Pace | Runna | |
|---|---|---|
| Main use | Running a target pace by ear | Writing and adapting a training plan |
| Decides your workouts | No | Yes |
| Holding a pace during a run | A continuous tone | Prescribes paces; you hold them yourself |
| Price | One-time purchase | Subscription, around $19.99 a month |
| Cost over three years | Paid once | Roughly $700 or more |
| Works offline, no account | Yes | Needs an account and a connection |
What Runna is for
Runna suits runners who do not have a plan and want one built and adjusted for them, such as those chasing a first marathon or coming back from a layoff. A coaching subscription pays for ongoing work.
What Steady Pace is for
Steady Pace suits runners who already know their paces and want to run them cleanly. It holds the pace for one payment, keeps working if you stop paying, and uploads nothing. If you use Runna, Steady Pace pairs with it: Runna sets the paces, and the tone helps you run them.
Runna writes the plan. Steady Pace helps you run its paces, for one payment.
Pricing
No subscription
When a monthly fee is worth paying, and when it is not.
Pricing
The subscription trap
What a fitness-app subscription costs over ten years.
Guide
How to run a steady pace
Running an even pace.
Is Steady Pace a training plan like Runna?
No. Runna writes and adapts your training plan and tells you what paces to run. Steady Pace helps you hold a pace you set, in real time. Runna decides the paces; Steady Pace helps you run them.
Can I use Steady Pace with a Runna plan?
Yes. Let Runna set the workout and its paces, and use Steady Pace's tone to hold those paces on the road.
Which is cheaper, Steady Pace or Runna?
Over time, Steady Pace. Runna is a subscription reported around $19.99 a month, so about $240 a year. Steady Pace is a single one-time purchase. Prices change, so check the current listings.
Do I need a coaching app at all?
Only if you want a plan built and adjusted for you. If you already know what paces to run, a coaching subscription is paying for a decision you have made. In that case a pace tool that helps you run them is the better spend.