I really wanted to find the best running app so I decided to check out a few of them and write a concise but complete review on them. I’m starting with sportypal since I know that one the best. However at the time of writing this I’ve already been testing other apps. So if there are any questions on how this compares to other apps feel free to ask.

What is Sportypal?

Sportypal is a running app that can track your runs, walks, cycling or any other activity. Sportypal aims to be intuitive and very simple to use which it seems to do very well. It works on any android, iPhone, Symbian or blackberry. I briefly tried it on my old Nokia and it seemed to work very similar to the version on my android phone.

There’s a free version and a pro version. I have only tested the free version since the free version pretty much already did everything I needed. The PRO version does give some nifty new features. If you have a heart rate monitor for your phone you can now store that data in your runs as well using sportypal. You can also pick and choose what you want shown on the display while you run.

There is no clear comparison online between the free and PRO version but some other features I have noticed are:

• Can attach pictures to your activity.
• Set a goal for yourself to achieve
• Starting a workout based on a track
• Fitness workouts can be stored on your phone.

How to use it?

I’ve been using this app for a few months now. I have run about 200 miles with it and it’s been very simple and easy to use. First, you should make a profile with your height and weight so it can display your burned calories accurately.  More importantly, a profile allows you to upload your tracks to the website.

The app starts with a simple screen where you can choose to see your previous workouts and records or simply start a new workout. When you pick a new workout it will acquire a GPS signal. It’s usually pretty fast in getting a GPS signal and only takes a few seconds on my phone.  Once it has a signal it allows you to start your activity.

Here's some screenshots to give a quick impression:

During the activity you can pause it. A lot of apps seem to forget this but it’s very useful in some cases especially when you are just starting to run.

Once you are done running, it asks you to upload the run to the website and share that run on twitter or facebook which is optional. It will keep track of your runs on your phone just fine if you don’t want to upload anything.

Website

The website offers a lot of nice features. I think the website offers the same functionality for the free and paid version. Adding a fitness workout on the website is pretty tedious so I never used that feature, but it’s great for everything else. You can upload KML and GPX files so you can import your old runs and you can easily export them from the website as well.

Once your run is uploaded to website you can check out your run in great detail. You can see your fastest 500 meters and see your pace on all the spots.

Conclusion

Sportypal is a simple and very intuitive application to use. I installed this application for some of the less tech minded people and I didn’t have to explain anything. They immediately knew how to use it and all info shown was obvious and self-explanatory. I’m the go-to guy for anything remotely tech related for friends and family so this is a major plus for me.

There’s just one tiny issue but I’m not sure if it is sportypal’s or my phone’s fault but it doesn’t seem 100% accurate. I’ve tested endomondo and runkeeper as well and it seems sportypal estimates my runs about 200 meters longer then runkeeper and endomondo over a distance of around 10 kilometers.

Pros

• Simple and intuitive to use
• Great website with lots of stats and easy to use

Cons

• No voice telling you how far have run so far
• Not completely accurate?

All in all its a simple but good app to use. Especially if you are looking for a no nonsense app that does what it says it does in an efficient manner. You can download it in the android market and you can check out their website to see how the shared runs look.