Want to track your workouts and progress? Whether a dietitian or an athlete, recording activity is key. Fitness apps like Strava and Garmin Connect can help! But which one is right for you?
Fitness trackers help enthusiasts monitor their daily burn. Consider key factors like data analysis, social features, and compatibility before you choose. A deep dive into key factors is needed to decide. In Strava vs Garmin Connect, there are a lot of pros and cons through which one can decide which one to use. Some people might have a preference for the Strava while some choose to go with Garmin Connect.
Strava vs Garmin Connect – What is the most accurate fitness tracking app? Let’s discuss the same in our article further.
Strava vs Garmin Connect – What is the most accurate fitness tracking app?
All About Strava Fitness Tracking App
Established in the US in 2009, Strava uses GPS technology to help users chart their fitness journeys. This American service empowers individuals to track their physical activity, offering valuable insights into their workouts. It also allows users to connect to its followers and share your activities and achievements with them.
It started as a Global Positioning System(GPS) tracking service for outdoor activities but now also tracks many other things like calorie intake, body fat, etc.
It was founded by the Co-founders Michael Horvath and Mark Gainey in 2009. It allows users to check their daily activities and also share it with their followers if they wish. For any activity recorded information may include calories burnt, heart rate, speed, timing and route summary. Till the year 2017 over one billion activities are uploaded and by 2020 it has already achieved the target of 50 million users world-wide.
Link: Strava Official Website
Features of Strava Platform
Strava fitness tracking service consists of numerous key features to enhance your fitness tracking experience:
1. Track and Analyze
- You can track and analyze every moment of your daily activities.
- You can measure your performance and also compare them from the last time you did the same activity, to analyze the changes in the two.
- Apart from this Strava can connect with anything pretty easily be it your iphone or android smartphone or your smart watch and record almost everything you can imagine and also some few extra things for exclusive users.
2. Connect and Share
- You can connect and share all your activities and achievements with your followers, friends or family.
- You can go to different places and add numerous pics and videos and also add captions with your activity. It’s a great feature to be excited about your fitness even when you are traveling and also it helps your followers to know about your achievements.
3. Compete with others
- Compete with the global community of strava users and explore new routes for your outdoor fitness.
- You can also use other routes to explore and burn some extra calories.
Strava Pricing
1. Free
- Strava has an option to use it for free but that limits the features provided by the Strava.
- The only features available for users who are using Strava for free are Activity Recording, Device Support, Social Network and Beacon on Phones.
2. Premium
- Rs 209 to Rs 500 based on plan. Rs 209 per month if we take a yearly plan in which the first month is free trial so if you don’t feel the need of extra features available by using paid plan, you can terminate it within the time period of 30 days.
Apart from the four features available for free users, there are some extra features which come in a deal when you buy a subscription plan like Beacon on devices, Route Planning, Segment Competition, Training Dashboard, etc.
All About Garmin Connect Fitness Tracking App
Garmin Ltd. is an American, Swiss-domiciled service founded in 1989 and was formerly used to be known as Pronav. It was founded by Gary Burrell and Min Kao. Since 2010 the company has been legally situated in Switzerland. It’s a Global Positioning System (GPS) service to track the fitness of the users. It tracks activities like marine, cycling, aviation, etc. that is every other physical activity of a particular human being in which GPS tracking can be done.
By the year 2000, Garmin had sold about three million GPS devices and was producing around 50 different modules. Garmin is known for its fitness tracking using GPS devices.
The Garmin Connect website was founded by runners, cyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts, which provides a wide range of resources. It is a social networking website that has its own grip in the hole. By connecting to Garmin Connect, you can schedule a complete fitness plan, as well as receive one.
Overall, Garmin Connect is a GPS tool for tracking, analyzing and sharing health and fitness activities.
Features of Garmin Connect
1. Track and Analyze
- Health data is always available on user’s personalized My Day Page. From there you can track all your personal fitness goals and analyze what you need to improve.
- Whatever your device tracks you can view it on a mobile app. You can monitor everything from your training status to your VO2 max.
2. Connect with Friends
- Through Garmin Connect you can easily share your activities and achievements to your friends and family or any other followers.
- Your friends and family can also track your achievements and activities.
3. Create Challenges and Earn Badges
- Create your own challenges and compete against your friends.
- Win the Garmin Connect community challenges and win badges.
4. Training Courses
- You can also avail courses and share the achievement with your friends once you complete them.
Garmin Connect Pricing
1. Free
Garmin Connect is free to use, you can just install the app and start using the Garmin connect to join the global community.
2. Paid Plan
Paid subscription starts from $9.99 and goes up to $49.99. With subscriptions you can take advantage of premium features. There are different types of subscriptions available like smartwatch subscriptions, Outdoor map + Annual plan subscriptions, etc.
Comparison Chart: Strava vs Garmin Connect
Strava vs Garmin Connect have little variations in their features but vast variations in their paid plans. We will discuss every similarity and differences in the chart below:
|
GPS Tracking Service |
Strava |
Garmin Connect |
|---|---|---|
|
Approach |
GPS fitness tracking app. |
GPS fitness tracking devices and Garmin Connect App for Global Community. |
|
Key Features |
Track and analyze, share and connect, explore and compete |
Track and analyze, Connect and share , Course, Create Challenges |
|
Primary Focus |
Social Network of Athletes |
Developing different types of GPS devices. |
|
Price |
Free as well as paid but with minimal prices. |
Free as well as paid but with high prices. |
|
Mobile Apps |
Android & iOS apps available |
Available for both Android and iOS |
|
Integration |
Less seamless connection |
More seamless connection. You can even integrate your Garmin Connect with Starva. |
|
Ideal Users |
Anyone who wants to track their fitness and likes to share about it. |
Anyone who likes to share about their fitness and likes to share about it but mostly adults. |
As shown within the chart, Strava gives more functionality then Garmin Connect that too at lower prices.
Which is Best: Strava vs Garmin Connect?
Overall, we can’t really decide which one is better but because we are talking about the more accurate fitness tracking app then Garmin is easily the more accurate GPS fitness tracking app because of its deep analysis of data and personalized training plans according to that data.
Apart from this Garmin also provides a seamless integration through Garmin Connect and hence we can say it’s more accurate to calculate fitness but overall we can’t justify which one is better and which one is not. Therefore there is no single “better” platform as it depends on your priorities. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Social & Fun: Strava (larger community, challenges, kudos)
- Deep Analysis: Garmin Connect (detailed metrics, training plans)
- Garmin Device User: Garmin Connect (seamless integration)
Conclusion
Strava and Garmin Connect are both efficient and accurate fitness tracking apps, but they fulfill different needs. While Strava has a better overall social experience, Garmin Connect is better in overall data analysis and its integration with Garmin Devices. In the end you decide which is better for you according to your use.
If you crave social motivation and route discovery, Strava is your champion. If in-depth training analysis and seamless Garmin device integration are your priorities, Garmin Connect takes the lead. Consider your needs and try out both platforms if possible to make an informed decision.
FAQs – Strava vs Garmin Connect
List the point which helps in differentiating Strava from Garmin Connect?
The key point which differentiate Strava from Garmin Connect is that Strava gives more social experience while Garmin Connect is better at analyzing data.
Which app is more popular?
Strava boasts a larger user base, but Garmin Connect tends to attract more serious athletes.
Do they work with my device?
Strava works with most fitness trackers and watches, while Garmin Connect is primarily for Garmin devices.
Which is free tool?
Both have free tiers with basic features. Premium versions offer advanced metrics and training tools.