The best running apps for beginners in 2027

The short answer

What a beginner running app should do

For the first couple of months you want an app that tells you when to run and when to walk, so you never have to decide mid-run, and a plan that builds slowly over three days a week. Anything that gets you out on the days you don’t feel like it is a bonus.

Pace, heart-rate zones, splits and leaderboards can wait. Running too fast is a common reason beginners give up, and more data won’t fix that.

The apps

NHS Couch to 5K

Best for: UK beginners who want a free, proven plan.
App Store (UK): 4.81 from 402,661 ratings. View on the App Store

The official NHS app, made with the BBC. It takes you from nothing to 5K in nine weeks or longer if you need it, with a choice of trainers that includes comedians, presenters and Olympians talking you through each run over your own music. It’s free.

Watch out for: it isn’t on the US App Store, and once you finish the plan it has less to offer than a full running app.

C25K: 5K Running Coach & Map

Best for: the classic Couch to 5K plan, anywhere.
App Store: 4.77 from 171,510 ratings. View on the App Store

Zen Labs’ C25K is the best-known version of the plan: 30 minutes a day, three days a week, for eight weeks, alternating walking and running. Audio cues tell you when to switch.

Watch out for: only the first week is free. Distance, calories and Apple Watch support sit behind Zen Labs’ subscription.

None to Run

Best for: true beginners, or anyone coming back after injury or a long break.
App Store: 4.82 from 5,175 ratings. View on the App Store

None to Run starts lower than Couch to 5K. If 30 minutes of walking feels tough, it has a walking plan and a “Run Ready” plan before the main twelve-week programme, which builds to 25 minutes of running without stopping. It has an Apple Watch app and no ads.

Watch out for: it’s a subscription after a seven-day free trial, and the slower build means a longer wait for your first 5K.

Zombies, Run! 5k Training

Best for: people who find running boring.
App Store: 4.81 from 3,001 ratings. View on the App Store

An eight-week, 25-workout beginner plan wrapped in an audio drama. The story plays in your headphones between instructions on when to walk, jog and run, so you want to finish each session to hear what happens next.

Watch out for: to unlock every workout you need a subscription (USD 5.99 a month or 34.99 a year on its listing).

Nike Run Club

Best for: free guided runs once you can run for 20 minutes or so.
App Store: 4.77 from 419,943 ratings. View on the App Store

Nike’s guided runs are recorded by coaches and athletes, and they and the training plans are free. It’s a good second app once a run/walk plan has got you moving.

Watch out for: each guided run is the same recording every time, so it can’t react if you’re struggling or going too fast.

Motivator: AI Running Coach

Best for: beginners who quit when the run gets hard, and want company during it.
App Store: new in 2026, no US ratings yet. View on the App Store

You pick one of seven coaches, from Maya the supportive friend to Sarge the drill sergeant, and the coach talks to you about what is happening on your run: a split, a slowdown, the last stretch. Choose “New to running” and the plan keeps every run easy and tells you to walk whenever that keeps your breathing relaxed. Tracking, plans, history, Apple Health and coaching in an on-device voice are free, with three runs in the coaches’ own voices. Premium (USD 4.99 a week, 14.99 a month or 99.99 a year) adds the coaches’ voices on every run.

Watch out for: it doesn’t call out timed run/walk intervals the way Couch to 5K does, so if you want exact “run 60 seconds, walk 90” instructions, start with one of the apps above. It’s iPhone only, with no Apple Watch app yet.

Runna

Best for: your next step, once you can run 5K and want a goal.
App Store: 4.85 from 35,185 ratings. View on the App Store

Runna, now owned by Strava, builds coach-written plans for 5K up to ultra distances, with pace targets for each session and watch support. Its plans cover first parkruns as well as marathons.

Watch out for: it’s a paid subscription after the trial, and pace targets can feel like pressure in your first few weeks.

A start date for 2027

“Sometime in January” is easy to put off. Pick a start date and three running days and put them in your calendar now.

• Start: Monday 4 January 2027.
• Days: for example Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, with a rest day between each run.
• Finish: an eight-week plan ends on 28 February, a nine-week plan on 7 March. That puts your first 5K before the spring race season.
• If you miss a week: repeat the last week you finished. Most people repeat at least one.

Once you can run for 30 minutes, our pace calculator will tell you what a realistic 5K time looks like. If pain lasts more than a few days, see a doctor or physio before you carry on.

How to choose

• You’ve never run, or haven’t in years. NHS Couch to 5K in the UK, C25K elsewhere. None to Run if walking 30 minutes is hard.
• You’ve tried Couch to 5K and got bored. Zombies, Run! 5k Training.
• You’ve tried before and stopped when it got hard. A coach that talks to you mid-run: Motivator, or Nike guided runs once you can run 20 minutes.
• You want to spend nothing. NHS Couch to 5K or Nike Run Club. Motivator’s free tier also includes beginner plans.

If motivation is the problem more than the plan, see how to stay motivated to run and the best running motivation apps.

Questions people ask