Pros & Cons
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- Supports tracking many different activities, not just running.
- Maps your route as you run, walk, bicycle, hike, etc.
- Shows speed, pace, splits.
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- Many important features locked behind MVP paywall, notably heart rate zone settings.
- Contains ads; must pay for 99-Cent version to get rid of them.
- GPS mapping isn't always reliable.
Runner's apps on smartphones can quite literally change your pace. They track where you go, can announce your speed while you're moving, and help you keep tabs on where and when you've run. MapMyRun (free) is one of the most well-known runners' apps, but it's not, in my opinion, the best. While MapMyRun is a solid iPhone app (versions are also available for Android and Windows Phone), too many features are kept behind the MVP paywall ($5.99 per month or $29.99 per year).
The real problem is that those MVP features are ones that are often included in other apps, sometimes for free and sometimes through a one-time purchase instead of a recurring subscription fee. Runtastic Pro ($4.99), for instance, is our Editors' Choice and includes many of the features you'd want from a runner's app but are limited to MVP members with MapMyRun.
MapMyRun and similar apps in the MapMyFitness family were among the first iPhone apps designed to track sports activity. MapMyRun isn't just limited to running. You can select from a long list of options, including walking, hiking, road cycling, interval training, and even exercises that don't need a GPS to "map your" route, such as running on the treadmill and doing sit-ups. (For what it's worth, the full, official title in the App Store is "Run with Map My Run - GPS Running, Jog, Walk, Workout Tracking and Calorie Counter," though the company officially refers to it as simply MapMyRun.)
There's nothing terribly wrong with the MapMyRun app itself if you pay for the MVP membership, but it seems a bit pricey, considering you can get the same functionality elsewhere for much less.
MapMyRun Basics
Like most other runner's apps, MapMyRun uses your phone's GPS to track your speed, distance, and route while you run. And, also like many other runner's apps, MapMyRun supports a wide range of other activities, including walking, bicycling, and hiking, which you can access and change through the activity setting toward the top of the main screen.
While you run, you can use MapMyRun to play songs from your iPhone's Music app. You can also select a route based on routes you've created and saved, or routes that other MapMyRun users have uploaded.
Try to turn on audio coaching, however, and you'll meet the paywall, as that's a feature limited to paying MVP members. Try to access the heart rate zone settings, and you'll encounter the same limitation. Want to see your cadence? Ditto. My real problem with MapMyRun is just how many of these features are not included in the app for free, or even added in the 99-Cent MapMyRun + version.
Many MapMyRun users have complained that the GPS tracking is not always accurate. In my experience using the app both recently and in past years, I agree. GPS data from a smartphone won't always be spot on, but MapMyRun seems to show more buggy data than others. One hint: Being near water, such as rivers and lakes, seems to make it worse.
While the "MapMy" family has plenty of free apps to download, you really need that MVP membership for features that are part of the core experience of any runner's app.
The selling point of MapMyRun, in my opinion, is the community. The website version of MapMyRun has been around since 2005. If you've become a part of the community and like the app, there may not be a compelling reason to leave. But if you're new to runner's apps, I recommend paying just $4.99 once (instead of having a recurring charge) on Runtastic Pro instead.
If both of those apps sound too ordinary and uninteresting, try Strava, an app that focuses on competition more than anything else. If seeing other runners and cyclists beat your best time is what motivates, you then, Strava is the app to use for tracking your activity. The most compelling feature it keeps behind a Premium membership paywall ($6 per month) is the ability to see heatmaps of your route.
Not the Best, Not the Worst
MapMyRun is a decent enough app for tracking your runs, walks, bicycle rides, and plenty of other activities, but I feel cheated in regards to how many features are restricted to MVP membership. Runtastic Pro, with its one-time fee of $4.99, is a much better deal.Best iPhone App Picks
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Further Reading
Final Thoughts
MapMyRun (for iPhone) Review
Though well-established and widely used, MapMyRun (for iPhone) isn't the best runner's app you can find. Too many features are locked behind the paywall, and better options are available.