From free (Garmin Coach) to $189 a year (Athletica). On every app here, paying monthly for a single 16-week marathon block costs less than a year up front.
PeakLoadout finding
Of six AI running coaches checked on 20 October 2026, annual plans ran from free (Garmin Coach) to $189 (Athletica), and for every app with both prices, monthly billing for one 16-week training block cost less than the annual plan; Coopah and Humango published no price on their own websites.
It depends on what you already own and how you train:
From nothing to $189. Runna lists $119.99 a year on its pricing page, which it frames as "$9.99/month"; its monthly price is not on that page, and the5krunner reported $19.99 in October 2026. Strava sells Runna bundled with a Strava subscription for $149.99 a year. Athletica lists $19.90 a month, $99 for six months and $189 a year. TrainAsONE lists only pounds: free, or £9.99 a month and £99 a year.
| App | Annual | Monthly | Free tier or trial | Price source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runna | $119.99 | $19.99 (reported) | 7-day trial; free plan is week 1 only (the5krunner) | runna.com; monthly: the5krunner, October 2026 |
| Strava + Runna | $149.99 | annual only | Strava's trial | strava.com |
| TrainAsONE | £99 | £9.99 | free tier; 21-day Premium trial from first run | trainasone.com |
| Athletica | $189 | $19.90 | free trial, no card | athletica.ai |
| Coopah | $79 (reported) | $14.99 (reported) | trial; money-back promise | Tom's Guide; not on coopah.com |
| Humango | not published | not published | free trial | humango.ai shows no prices |
| Garmin Coach | free | free | free in Garmin Connect | garmin.com |
Only if you train most of the year. Divide the annual price by the monthly one and you get the month at which annual starts to win: about 6 months for Runna, 9.5 for Athletica and 9.9 for TrainAsONE. A 16-week marathon block is about four months, so one race a year is cheaper on monthly billing; two or more, and annual pays.
The vendors describe it differently, and the difference is the product. Runna says its plans adapt to your performance. TrainAsONE's Premium describes "advanced physiological modeling and deep fatigue monitoring, with weather-aware planning", and adds elevation and weather adjustments and heart-rate workouts over its free tier. Coopah describes "adaptive coaching plans" that adjust to your fitness and life, plus a race-readiness score. Garmin describes "adaptive and prebuilt plans" for running, cycling, strength and triathlon. None of the vendors publishes how its model weighs those inputs; ask which data it reads before you pay.
For app makers: if a price or plan here is out of date, tell us on our contact page and we will re-read your page and date the change.
1. What does the free tier show? (days of plan visible, goals allowed) 2. How long is the trial, and does it start at sign-up or first run? 3. What does it adapt to: your runs only, or heart rate, fatigue, weather, terrain and your calendar? 4. Monthly x months you will train vs the annual price: which is cheaper for YOUR season? 5. Does it sync to your watch, and what leaves with you (plans, history) if you cancel?
Every app here imports runs from a watch or phone; better data, better plans.
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Prices, trials and plan features were read on each vendor's own pricing page in a browser on 20 October 2026. Where a vendor publishes no price on its own site (Runna's monthly plan, Coopah, Humango), we give the figure a named third party reported, with its date, and label it as reported. What each AI adapts to is quoted from the vendor's own description. We have not trained on these apps; this compares what they publish.
For Garmin owners, Garmin Coach is free and adaptive. For the most complete paid plan, Runna ($119.99 a year, or $149.99 bundled with Strava). TrainAsONE has the deepest free tier, Coopah promises a refund if your running does not improve, and Athletica ($189 a year) suits multisport athletes.
Runna's pricing page lists the annual plan at $119.99 a year, shown as $9.99 a month, with a 7-day free trial. The monthly plan's price is not on that page; the5krunner reported $19.99 a month in October 2026.
Garmin Coach is free in the Garmin Connect app, with adaptive and prebuilt plans. TrainAsONE has a free tier with a 7-day detailed plan and a single goal, and every new account gets 21 days of Premium from its first run.
Only if you train most of the year. Annual beats monthly after about 6 months on Runna and 9.5 on Athletica; a single 16-week marathon block is about four months, so one race a year is cheaper billed monthly.
Coopah. Its App Store listing says that if the coaching does not improve your running, it will give you your money back.
Start free: Garmin Coach if you own a Garmin, TrainAsONE's free tier and trial if you do not. Pay for Runna when you want the most complete plan, ideally through the Strava bundle, and bill monthly for a single race block. Choose Coopah for its refund promise as a new runner and Athletica for multisport. Ask every app what its AI reads before you pay for it.