If you enjoy walking, you will want to continue reading to see what we qualify as the best walking apps in 2023. We found free as well as premium options that you must pay monthly to access. There are many walking apps out there and trying to find the best ones can be exhausting, but don’t worry. We will narrow it down for you. Throughout this article, we cover the best walking apps that will fit various lifestyles.
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What is a walking app?
A walking app is something you can download on your phone, and it will track your time, distance, and the number of steps you take in a certain amount of time. It is helpful if you try to reach a certain number of steps daily. The app will tell you when you have reached your goal.
What should you look for in a walking app?
You should look for the primary data provided, like step count, distance, heart rate, and time. Some more advanced apps have mapping and elevation. What can be super helpful is that these apps offer popular routes in your area, so you can find a new route to try. It can be a great way to help you branch out from your usual walking route in addition to tracking your exercise.
How much do walking apps cost?
Many walking apps are free, but some apps have upgrades that can range from $10 to $80. Premium upgrades will cost you the most because they provide more features and sometimes offer personalized coaching with the app. You have to really think about what walking app features you will use if you are going to pay a decent amount of money monthly.
The best walking GPS app?
When we were evaluating the best walking apps, we found that Walkmeter is the best GPS option because it helps walkers to improve their speed and distance. The app includes maps, graphs, announcements, training plans, live tracking, social posting, and more. It is an advanced app for walkers if you want to have all these features on your phone while walking. The premium subscription is $9.99 annually.
The best hiking apps?
The best walking app for hiking is AllTrails. It allows you to look up trails anywhere, whether in your neighborhood or if you are traveling to a new city or state. It can be used for mountain biking, climbing, and many other outdoor activities. When you are looking at the different hiking routes, it will tell you how many miles it is and how long it will take. They even provide you with trails that are dog friendly if you want to bring your furry friend. The yearly cost for AllTrails Plus is $35.99, and the AllTrails Pro will cost $59.99. Depending on how much you hike, this could really be worth it.
Best free walking app?
The best free walking app is Google Fit. It will monitor your walking activity and give you heart points when staying active. The app shows how many steps you have taken and also estimates how many calories you have burned, which is a great feature to have for free. It will collect all your data and give you weekly activity stats in your journal on the app. You can download the app on your smartwatches, so you won’t constantly have to take your phone out. It can be downloaded on your iPhone or your Android, and there are no premium subscriptions.
Best walking app for a community?
The Strava app is the best walking app we could find for a community. Thanks to Strava, you can join challenges, share photos from your activities, and follow friends who also use the app. You can upload your challenge for others to participate in, which adds a fun, competitive edge. It is an excellent app for meeting new people and seeing who else in your community likes to walk. The premium subscription can cost anywhere from $11.99 monthly to $79.99 annually.
Best walking app for treadmills?
The best walking app for treadmills is BetterMe because they have lots of different walking exercises you can do when on the treadmill. For example, they will have you increase your speed for thirty seconds, slow down for sixty seconds, and then repeat. It really depends on the workout plan you select that day, but it encourages a healthy mental and physical lifestyle. It tracks your speed, distance, time, and calories burned. It will even graph it so you can compare it to other times you have walked on the treadmill. The app has premium features available for purchase if you want an upgrade, ranging from $9.99 to $41.99.
Best walking app for Androids?
If you have an Android, the best walking app is the Activity Tracker Pedometer. It will track your daily activity without it draining your battery. You can track your steps, calories, distance, and active time plus your daily, weekly, and monthly activities. Like many of the other apps, it gives you an overview of everything you need to know about your walks. For the premium subscription, you only have to pay $14.99 yearly.
Best walking app for iOS devices?
The Health app, which is well known to many Apple users, is the best walking app for iOS. The app comes with your iPhone and should already be automatically downloaded. The best part is that it is entirely free. It gathers your data from your phone, apple watch, and other apps you might use for working out and puts your progress all in one place to view for convenience. It will automatically register when you are walking and track your steps, time, and distance, so there is no need to inform the app like you would need to for the other ones.
Best overall walking app?
The best overall walking app that includes features like community sharing, tracking, and affordable pricing is MapMyWalk. It is easy to use and has everything you need without downloading multiple other apps. You will be able to track your walks and know the distance, time, steps, and calories burned, all in this one app. It’s the best because you get many features like audio feedback, labeled routes, easy-to-see maps, metrics tracking, and data analysis. You must pay $5.99 monthly or $29.99 annually to get these features under the premium subscription, but that’s pretty affordable in comparison to the other options we’ve outlined. The best part is that it is available for both Android and iOS phones.
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How do I choose a walking app?
When you’re looking at selecting and even paying for a walking app, it’s important to consider which features you will use the most. Will you be more motivated to step outside or on your treadmill? Do you want to be competitive with your friends or prefer to get started on your own? Once you narrow down some of these key features, you’ll have a better idea of what you’ll use and what you can afford.
Lastly, make sure the walking app you pick can provide your fitness tracking because it really is easiest if everything lives in one app these days. This isn’t hard to find with the 8 best walking apps we rounded up. Check everything out and enjoy the added motivation that a walking app can provide.