Fitness is the best place to close your rings and browse a single workout. It has no running only total, no year view by pace and no shoes. Runtile adds those on top of the same Health data.
Checked against public feature lists on 12 September 2026. Tell us if something changed: support@runtile.app
What Apple Fitness does well
Records runs on Apple Watch with excellent GPS and heart rate.
Shows one workout in detail: map, splits, heart rate, running form on newer watches.
Rings, trends and awards that make daily movement a habit.
Free, built in, private.
Where it falls short for runners
No running only total. The Summary trends mix workout types, and Health's distance type includes every walk. There is no "how far did I run this month".
No year view. Workouts are a scrolling list. You cannot see the shape of a season.
No shoes. Health has no idea what is on your feet.
No cross app view. Runs recorded in Strava or Garmin appear in the Fitness list, but the Summary trends are built around Apple Watch.
Personal bests exist for a few distances on newer versions, but there are no race predictions, no effort balance and no efficiency trend.
Side by side
| | Apple Fitness | Runtile |
|---|---|---|
| Records runs | Yes, on Apple Watch | No, reads Health |
| Running only total by week, month, year | No | Yes |
| Year heatmap by pace | No | Yes (Pro for pace) |
| Run page with route, splits, zones, form | Yes, for Watch runs | Yes, for any Health run |
| Compare a run to your similar runs | No | Yes |
| Shoe mileage with automatic assignment | No | Yes |
| Personal bests | Some distances | 1 km to marathon, found inside runs |
| Race predictions, effort balance, efficiency | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Works with Strava, Garmin, Coros runs | Shows them in the list | Yes, fully |
| Widgets for running | Rings and activity | Twelve running widgets |
| Account | Apple ID | None |
| Price | Free | Free, Pro optional |
Verdict
Keep Fitness for recording and rings. Add Runtile when you want to know how far you ran, how the year looks and how your shoes are doing. Both read the same Health data, so nothing is duplicated and nothing is uploaded.
Questions
Do I still need Apple Fitness?
Yes, for recording on Apple Watch, for rings and for awards. Runtile reads the workouts Fitness saves and shows them differently.
Does Runtile replace the Fitness app?
No. Fitness records, Runtile explains. They use the same data in Health.
Start with your last year of runs.
Runtile reads what is already in Health. Your history appears in seconds, no account needed.
Free on iPhone, iOS 17 or later. Explore with sample data, no Health needed.