Ranner is an AI running coach from Spain that arrived on iOS in October 2025 and on Android in May 2026. It connects your watch directly, you talk to the coach by text or voice, and the plan adjusts day by day. In the Spanish App Store it had a 4.8 rating from 567 reviews when we read it. The paid tier costs $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year in the US store, after a five-day trial.
Ranner comes up more and more often when someone asks an AI assistant for a running coach, and it does a few things few others do. But some people try it and keep looking.
(Details about Ranner are from ranner.app and the stores in September 2026. Features and prices change.)
Why people keep looking
The trial is five days. A training week is seven, so you don't get to see a full replan before you have to decide.
Then there's who takes the initiative. The coach answers when you write, and the plan adjusts in the background. We found no mention of it getting in touch on its own after a run or before a hard one. If you want a coach that writes first, you're looking for something else.
The language. Ranner is in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Dutch.
And the price, $12.99 a month against our $8.49.
What Ranner does well
Ranner does one thing almost nobody else in the category does: it connects the watch directly, with neither Strava nor Intervals.icu in between. Garmin, Coros, Polar, Suunto, Strava, Apple Health, Whoop, Oura, Fitbit, Zepp and Wahoo are on the list, and today's session is sent to Garmin, Coros and Suunto so you can follow it on your wrist. If you own a watch you're up and running in minutes.
Voice is unusual too. You can speak a message instead of typing it.
The plan is built day by day and adjusts to how you slept, how your last run went and how busy the week is. Strength and mobility sessions, sleep, HRV and readiness are included, as is a nutrition plan where you log meals by photo.
Six languages, and the store rating says plenty of people are happy.
Where it stops
Adaptation happens in the background, and the coach waits for you to write. That's the same setup as most chat coaches, and it works well until you forget to ask.
A five-day trial is short for judging a coach. What decides whether a coach is any good is what it does in week two, when something has gone wrong.
No Swedish. And the app is young, from autumn 2025, so expect features to change.
Ranner compared with the alternatives
| Aspect | Ranner | Coach Fartlek | Coach Leo | Runna |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Chat by text and voice, plan day by day | Proactive coach that reaches out itself | Coach with memory, built on Strava | Plan that follows your paces |
| Dialogue | In the app | In the app | App, Telegram, ChatGPT and Claude | Support chat |
| Adaptation | Day by day on sleep, runs and your week | Every week, after every run, every morning on HRV | Weekly | To paces and schedule |
| Watches | Garmin, Coros, Polar, Suunto and more, direct | Garmin, Coros, Polar, Suunto via Intervals.icu | Strava, Suunto, Polar, Apple Health | Watch sync and Strava |
| Distances | 5K to marathon, trail | 5K to marathon | 5K to marathon, trail | 5K to ultra |
| Languages | Six, not Swedish | English, Swedish | English, French | English |
| Price | 5-day trial, $12.99/mo | $8.49/mo, 7 days free | Free tier, $12.99/mo | $19.99/mo |
Coach Fartlek as an alternative
Coach Fartlek is our own app, so expect some bias. It's built for runners chasing a goal between 5K and the marathon who want a coach that writes first.
The coach gets in touch after every synced run, before hard sessions and when HRV or resting heart rate dips. Every morning at nine, recovery is checked, and if HRV sits clearly below your own range today's session changes, with a line on which number did it. Since version 3.0 the coach estimates five performance factors from your data and names the one limiting you for your race. Strength sessions are included from Pro, and Elite adds a nutritionist with a food diary.
What Ranner has that we lack should be said plainly. The watch connects through Intervals.icu rather than directly, so that's one more account to create. Sessions reach the watch that way. There's no voice input, and the app comes in two languages, English and Swedish.
Pro costs $8.49 a month, and you get the whole coach free for seven days from your first plan, a full training week. The tiers are on the pricing page.
Other alternatives worth knowing
Coach Leo has a free tier, remembers what you've told it and can be reached from Telegram and inside ChatGPT. More in our piece on Coach Leo alternatives.
Running Genie has a chat that's free to use and builds on Strava data.
Runna is the biggest, plan-led and guides your pace on the watch. More in our piece on Runna alternatives.
The whole field is in best AI running coach apps in 2026.
Which should you choose?
Want to connect the watch directly without one more account, and English or Spanish suits you: Ranner.
Want a coach that reaches out on its own and tells you what is holding you back, and you own a watch: try Coach Fartlek.
On Strava but no watch: Coach Leo or Running Genie.
Just want a plan and the pace on your watch: Runna.
Questions and answers
How much does Ranner cost?
A five-day trial, then $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year in the US store (September 2026). Store prices vary by country.
Does Ranner work with Garmin?
Yes, directly, as do Coros, Polar, Suunto, Strava, Apple Health, Whoop and Oura. Today's session is sent to Garmin, Coros and Suunto.
Is Ranner available in Swedish?
No. Ranner is in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Dutch. Coach Fartlek is in Swedish and English.
Does Ranner reach out on its own?
We found no mention of it on the site in September 2026. The plan adjusts in the background and the coach answers when you write. Coach Fartlek gets in touch after runs, before hard sessions and when recovery dips.