A free walk-run plan that grows with you, days that follow how you slept, and Buddy, a friendly coach who talks you through every run. Made for your very first run.
Free plan. One email when it's out, no spam.
Hi! I'm Buddy. Ready for an easy one?
Twelve weeks for a true beginner, three sessions a week. Running grows a little each week and walk breaks shrink, so it never feels like a wall. Miss a week and the plan eases you back in. Already running? Pick 5K, 10K, a habit or just feeling good.
The session as planned.
In the app, this comes from your sleep, resting heart rate and HRV in Apple Health and how your runs felt. Free, like the plan.
Drag through the weeks. The real First 5K plan, as the app builds it. On a day your body asks for less, the session gets lighter.
PlusWith Plus, Buddy explains every change after each run and compares your week's sleep and resting heart rate with your usual.See Plus
Buddy knows your plan, your runs and how you slept, and talks to you like a friend who runs. Ask anything, any time, in your language.
BuddySample conversationEvery runner gets a member number with their first run in Buddy, counted from #1. It's yours for good, it never goes to anyone else, and the earliest numbers come with rare Buddies.
Tap a card to see its other pose.
Buddy reads last night from Apple Health and compares it with your own normal, never with anyone else's.
Today's session, your week and your water on the Watch, with complications for your watch face. Start a run with a double tap and feel every walk and run change on your wrist.
The plan, runs, voice cues and Apple Health are never behind a paywall. Buddy Plus adds more of Buddy for those who want it.
For every runner, always
Optional subscription, with a free trial
Planned launch prices in US dollars. The App Store shows yours in your own currency.
Buddy is built so the most personal things never leave your iPhone.
Health readings and your answers about your body stay on the device. Chats and what Buddy remembers are saved only on your iPhone.
Buddy uses Apple's on-device model where it can. Cloud AI is optional and only gets short summaries, never raw readings.
Sign in with Apple or Google only if you want your member number on every iPhone.
Your health data is never used for advertising, never sold and never given to data brokers.
Volt is free. Seven more themes, looks for Buddy and app icons come with Buddy Plus, and you can try any of them on before you decide.
The whole app, Buddy's notes and his answers come in your language. Tap a language to see the same run's debrief in it.
The things you only notice when another app doesn't have them.
Running Buddy keeps growing. Here's what's on the way.
Easy group runs and favourite routes from runners near you, starting one city at a time.
Snap your running kit and your Buddy wears it: your hoodie, your shoes, your style.
A short hip and core routine twice a week, guided by Buddy, to keep your legs happy.
Rides with the same care as runs: easy days when you need them, recovery from Apple Health and Buddy in your ears.
Brisk-walking plans for anyone not ready to run yet, with the same milestones and the same Buddy.
Running Buddy for Android phones, right after iPhone.
Can't find your question? Write to support@runningbuddy.app and a real person answers.
Yes, that's who it's made for. The first week is one minute of running at a time with walks in between. Walk breaks aren't cheating, they're the plan.
Soon, on iPhone and Apple Watch first, with Android after. Join the waitlist at the bottom of this page and we'll write the day it's out.
No. An iPhone with iOS 26 is enough. A Watch, AirPods with heart rate or a chest strap add more about your runs and your recovery.
No. Buddy compares your readings with your own normal and suggests an easier day when they look off, but never diagnoses. If something hurts or you feel unwell, rest and talk to a doctor.
English, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese. Buddy answers in the app's language.
The plan, runs, voice cues and Apple Health are free, for good. Buddy Plus is planned at $7.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial; the App Store shows the price in your currency.
Nothing breaks. A missed run simply waits for your next run day, and after a break of a week or more the plan eases you back in gently.
If your device sends its data to Apple Health, Buddy can use it: runs, sleep and heart rate. Devices and apps in your profile shows what each one sends.
Yes. Treadmill mode runs without GPS, and the run is saved to Apple Health as an indoor workout.
On your iPhone. Our server keeps only an anonymous account, your runner number and what you choose to send us, and you can delete it in the app at any time.
Leave your email and we'll write the day it's out. Pick what else you'd like to hear about.
