Interval running apps for Apple Watch and Wear OS compared
If you run with an Apple Watch or a Wear OS watch (such as a Samsung Galaxy Watch or Google Pixel Watch), you have three main ways to run intervals: the workout app that came with your watch, a general running app, or a dedicated interval app like RunSpan. Here is what the built-in apps and RunSpan do, and when each one makes sense.
Side-by-side comparison
What we write about other apps is what we know at the time of writing. Their features change with every update, so check the current version on your own watch.
| Feature | Apple Workout app | Samsung Health | RunSpan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watches | Apple Watch | Galaxy Watch | Apple Watch (watchOS 11+) and Wear OS 3+ (Galaxy Watch 4 and newer, Pixel Watch, OnePlus Watch 2) |
| Steps on distance or time | Yes (custom workouts with work and recovery steps) | Yes (segments on time or distance, depending on watch and version) | Yes (warm-up, run, sprint, walk, rest, cool-down) |
| Step ends on heart rate | No: heart-rate alerts, but a step ends on time, distance or a tap | Not that we know of | Yes (for example: run until 160 bpm, walk until 120 bpm) |
| Several end conditions per step | One goal per step | Not that we know of | Yes (for example: 400 m or 2:00, whichever comes first) |
| Repeat until you stop | Fixed number of repeats | Not that we know of | Yes (end the loop with End repeats, then your cool-down follows) |
| Compare with your previous repeat, live | No | Not that we know of | Yes (from the second repeat your previous one runs along as a grey line) |
| Runs without your phone | Yes | Yes | Yes (on Apple Watch also together with your iPhone's GPS) |
| Where your runs go | Apple Health | Samsung Health | Apple Health (on Apple), GPX with heart rate and cadence, Strava with a lap per block (places are limited for now) |
| Price | Free (built in) | Free (built in) | Android and Wear OS: €4.99 once. iPhone and Apple Watch: €0.99 a month or €9.99 a year, first week free. Web planner: free |
When the built-in watch app is enough
Apple's built-in Workout app has had custom workouts since watchOS 9: a warm-up, a repeating loop of work and recovery steps, and a cool-down, where each step lasts a fixed distance or time. Samsung Health on the Galaxy Watch has its own workout routines with segments on time or distance, depending on your watch and software version.
If your sessions are straightforward, such as 6 × 800 metres with 2 minutes of jogging, and you know in advance how many repetitions you will do, the app on your watch is free and already installed.
When a general running app fits
Apps like Strava, Nike Run Club or Runkeeper focus on recording your runs, social features, challenges and coaching. If those matter more to you than structured interval blocks on your wrist, one of them will suit you better.
What we built RunSpan for
We built RunSpan for runners whose interval sessions do not fit a simple fixed timer:
- Heart rate as a trigger, not just a warning: a block can end the moment your heart rate crosses a threshold. Run until your heart rate reaches 160 bpm and walk until it drops back to 120 bpm, without watching the screen.
- Several end conditions per block: give a block a distance and a time or heart-rate cap, for instance 1 km or 165 bpm, whichever comes first.
- Repeat until you stop: set a loop to ∞ until I stop. When you have had enough, tap End repeats on your watch and the workout moves straight into your cool-down.
- Pace against your previous repeat: from the second repeat of a loop, a grey line on your watch shows where you were at the same moment last time, plus how many seconds you are ahead or behind.
- Build on a big screen or in your own words: build workouts on the watch, in the phone app or in the free web planner at runspan.app. In the web planner and the iPhone app you can also type or dictate a session like "10 min warm-up, 8 × 400 m with 90 sec walk, 5 min cool-down", then send it to your watch.
- Every block afterwards: the run view in the planner shows your route, pace, heart-rate zones Z1 to Z5 and each block. On Strava every block becomes a lap, and the GPX file gets a segment per block.
When RunSpan is not the right choice
RunSpan does one job and leaves the rest out on purpose. Another tool will serve you better in these cases:
- You use a Garmin, Polar, Coros, Suunto or Fitbit watch: RunSpan only runs on Apple Watch (watchOS 11+) and Wear OS 3+ watches (such as Galaxy Watch 4 and newer, Pixel Watch and OnePlus Watch 2). Sports watches from Garmin, Coros and Polar come with their own workout builders.
- You want one app for cycling, swimming, triathlon or strength training: RunSpan is made for running and walking intervals only.
- You need maps or navigation on your wrist: RunSpan records your route and shows it on a map after your run, not on the watch during the run.
- You want a ready-made 16-week marathon plan: RunSpan has a calendar to schedule your workouts and sample sessions in our guides, but no multi-month training plan.
Three workouts to try right away
Each link opens the session in the free web planner, where you can look at the blocks, adjust them and send them to your watch:
- Classic track intervals (8 × 400 m): Open 8 × 400 m in the planner (see also 8 interval workouts for runners).
- Heart rate intervals (160 / 120 bpm): Open 160 / 120 in the planner (see also heart rate intervals on Apple Watch).
- Run-walk 2:1: Open 2:1 in the planner (see also run-walk intervals on Apple Watch and interval training on Galaxy Watch).
Questions
Which interval running app lets a block end on heart rate?
RunSpan lets any block end when your heart rate rises above a ceiling (for example 160 bpm during a run block) or drops below a floor (for example 120 bpm during a walking recovery), on Apple Watch and on Wear OS watches. The watch moves to the next block by itself, with a voice cue and a vibration.
Can I use RunSpan without a subscription?
On Android and Wear OS, RunSpan is a one-time purchase of €4.99 on Google Play, without a subscription. On iPhone and Apple Watch, the free run, your history and settings are free; interval workouts, the builder and sync are part of an App Store subscription of €0.99 a month or €9.99 a year, first week free. The web planner at runspan.app is free for everyone.
Does RunSpan work with Strava and Apple Health?
On Apple Watch and iPhone, your runs are saved to Apple Health as workouts with route and heart rate. With Wear OS and Android, you can connect Strava in the web planner for automatic uploads, with every block as a lap. Strava limits how many athletes a new app may connect; while we wait for more places, connecting can be temporarily full. You can always download a run as a GPX file.
Do I need to carry my phone during an interval run?
No. On Apple Watch and on Wear OS watches, RunSpan runs on your wrist with the watch's own GPS, heart-rate sensor and voice. If you do bring your phone, you can also run the workout on the phone, or let your iPhone share its GPS with your Apple Watch.