I downloaded Strava at the end of August to track my activity running – and potentially swimming/biking. In previous years I had used the Nike run app and quite liked the interface but was persuaded by friends that Strava was the popular app that everyone was using these days.

I have come to some conclusions about my experience using the app. I enjoy the social aspect of giving kudos to friends and people that you follow on Strava. Being able to see the progress of others and the unique “segment” feature that compares you to strangers who have run the exact same route and gives your ranking. There are achievements each month that encourage you to run set distances. I do not llike that many of the features require upgrade to the premium version called Summit. I miss having a voice call out my split times so that I can know my consistency per km or mile. There are serious privacy issues if you allow strangers to see your profile and you start your runs from your house. The GPS will show everyone your route and include a good idea of where you live.

 

Overall, I will probably continue with the app because I do not run competitively anymore and have limited use of the application. I do think something better on the market may exist and if I explore other options then I may switch.