I'm using the Coopah running app to train for a marathon and it's better than Runna for beginners

If you’re after one of the best running apps for training plans, Coopah is worth your attention. Designed to act as a running coach inside your phone, it builds personalized plans tailored to your goals, current running ability, and schedule, helping you train smarter and progress safely.

Whether you’re running your fifth marathon, eager to complete an ultramarathon, taking on your first ever half marathon event or looking to get faster at the 10K or 5K, Coopah will build a plan to help you get there and offer live support as you go.

The app starts by asking about your goals, such as the time you want to achieve, your recent personal records, and your mileage. Using this information, it creates a personalized plan that adapts as you progress. You have access to on-demand support from in-app coaches. Plus, strength and yoga sessions are factored into your training to aid recovery and help prevent injury.

I’m currently signed up for a marathon plan created by Coopah with my eyes set on hitting a PB at the London TCS Marathon 2025. Here’s what I think so far, and how it compares to the best running apps.

Coopah app review: Price

Coopah offers a two-week free trial when you first download the app, allowing you to explore all the perks available to paying users, and decide whether to continue with a subscription. I like a try before you buy opption like this so that I can get an insight into what the cost will actually get me and if the style of the coaching suits my needs.

After the trial, Coopah costs $14.99 per month, $29.99 per quarter, or $79 for an annual subscription. This is a little more cost-efficient than Runna, which costs $17.99 per month or $122.99 annually.

While there are plenty of free running training plans available online, Coopah is one of the few that stands out by offering personalized plans tailored to your fitness level, goals, and schedule. The app also provides live support, connects you with other runners following Coopah plans, and offers expert advice from professional coaches to keep you motivated and on track.

Another perk of Coopah is its exclusive discounts on popular running apparel, nutrition, tech, and physio brands, helping to offset the cost of training.

Coopah app review: Interface

Simplicity is key when it comes to Coopah. The app is very user friendly and does all the planning and calculating for you. You just need to tell it what you want to do.

Once your plan is set, the app’s home screen, labeled ‘Plan,’ displays all the key details of your training. It shows what you’re working toward, your target time, pace, and easy pace.

The ‘Plan’ section also allows you to make adjustments to your training. You can update the finish date, change your target time, or modify the number of runs you want to include each week. Additionally, you can add a ‘B Event’, a second race you have planned, so the app can adjust your training to prepare you for both events.

That said, there is a limit to how far into your training a B Event can be added. This wasn’t ideal for me, as my B event, a half marathon, fell outside the specified window Coopah allows. However, I appreciate this restriction because it helps prioritize realistic goals and prevents overtraining.

The ‘Train’ tab in the app is basically your personalized calendar with every session you will do in your plan in one place. You can jump forward to see what's to come and you can also switch around your sessions to better fit your week. Life can be very unpredictable and no two weeks ever look the same in my life so I like being able to switch around my training days and still make sure I can tick off all my sessions.

The ‘Coach’ tab allows you to find answers to frequently asked questions and allows you to send messages to the Coopah in-house coaches. I sent a question about my B Event and received a helpful and personable message back within 12 hours from one of the coaches.

Lastly, the ‘Profile’ tab is where you can manage your subscription, access exclusive discounts from running and nutrition brands with your Coopah subscription, sync up your plan with your best running watch and choose if you want to work in miles or kilometers.

Coopah app review: Running plans

There is a wide range of options when it comes to finding a plan. You can choose a training plan for the 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon and even an ultra marathon.

There is also an option called 'Just Run' which is for anyone who doesn’t have an event they are training toward but still wants the advice, structure and accountability from a running app. Coopah have an ethos that running is medicine and want everyone to enjoy the sport whether or not they have a big event on the horizon.

I have finished a training plan for an event with other apps and not wanted to jump straight into training for the next big thing but still felt like I need the structure and motivation that a running app can bring. This is where I think Coopah has nailed it on the head adding the 'Just Run' option and I’m looking forward to using it when my marathon is done.

When you first download the app, Coopah asks a set of questions to create a training plan tailored to your needs. It starts by asking what distance you’re training for and what time you’re aiming to achieve. It asks what your last personal record was at this distance; I really liked how Coopah also asks for your most recent mileage.

This is where I think Coopah excels as the best running app for beginners. It takes into account your current or most recent running volume and factors this into the plan so you start off nice and steady. It also sets less intense pace targets for easy runs, which is a type of run designed to prioritize recovery and endurance building rather than pace.

Runna is a similarly fantastic training app, packed with expert advice from running coaches and educational content on everything from tempo runs to intervals. However, I’ve found Coopah to be more inclusive and beginner-friendly when it comes to setting realistic paces in the various runs included in its plan.

One area where I think the Coopah app could improve is the strength-building section. The app integrates strength sessions into your weekly schedule and provides GIF demonstrations of each exercise, along with the number of reps and sets to complete.

While the demonstrations are helpful, I think users could benefit from written cues, especially for those less familiar with strength exercises. Personally, I found the strength sessions less motivating to complete compared to the runs. Adding a feature that allows users to tick a box or mark a section as completed could help boost accountability and provide a greater sense of achievement.

Coopah app review: Smartwatch apps

Once your Coopah plan is created you can sync it with Apple Watch, Garmin, Sunto and Coros. This saves a lot of admin when it comes to tracking and recording your runs.

I wear one of the best Garmin watches and found it really easy to connect it with the Coopah app. Once connected, it synced my sessions with my watch. I was then able to select an option which auto pushes my next Coopah session to my watch.

It’s also possible to sync your Coopah sessions with Apple Health and Strava.

Coopah app review: Verdict

Overall, I was and continue to be really impressed with the Coopah app. Not only does the app build training plans based off what you want to achieve in terms of distance and time but it bases it off what your most up to date regular running mileage is. It’s one thing to have run a 45-minute 10K in the past, but if that was six years ago now and you’ve barely run a mile since, your plan needs to account for where you are now, not where you used to be.

While Coopah is an excellent running app option for runners training for a specific event—whether it’s a 5K, half marathon, or ultramarathon—its 'Just Run' option is another fantastic feature for those who aren’t working toward a race but still want structure and motivation in their running routine. This inclusivity reflects Coopah’s ethos that running is for everyone and can be a powerful tool for both physical and mental well-being.

I’m yet to complete a full plan with Coopah, but I’ll be sure to report back once I finish the marathon plan I’m currently following.