Power Apps – which is best?
This topic focused on platforms that support workout planning through review, using criteria established in the first post in the topic.
While detailed functionality assessments are useful, they aren’t the best way to choose a platform that’ll work for you.
This post helps you make that choice, by considering four additional perspectives.
Cost and Value
- What is the long-term cost of each platform, and is there a catch to the “free” options?
Intervals.icu is 100% free, running on voluntary user donations. TrainingPeaks allows you to review past data for free but requires a premium subscription to plan future workouts. Stryd offers a basic mobile app for free, but advanced analytics and automated training plans require a monthly membership. - Do you want to buy a footpod, or do you want to work with what you already own?
If you want to use your existing watch’s wrist-based power, Intervals.icu and TrainingPeaks are your best options. The Stryd ecosystem is restricted unless you use a Stryd footpod.
Analytics and technical tolerance
- How much of a “data nerd” are you? Can you handle the platform interface?
Intervals.icu is powerful but complicated, targeting data enthusiasts who don’t mind steep learning curves and code-like customisations. TrainingPeaks offers a clean, predictable, calendar layout that is easy to manage once you learn a few basic training metrics. Stryd has a user-friendly, modern interface, distilling complex metrics into highly digestible visual graphs. - Do you want a platform that tells you exactly what to do, or do you want to build your own training?
Stryd is ideal for hands-off athletes – its training plans adjust dynamically to your changing fitness without you needing to do anything. TrainingPeaks is best if you want to purchase established, pre-made training plans and drop them straight onto your calendar. Intervals.icu is best for self-guided runners who want to build their own custom workouts from scratch.
Logistics and equipment management
- How easily do planned workouts sync to your running watch?
TrainingPeaks can push planned workouts to Garmin, COROS, Suunto, Wahoo, and Apple Watch. Intervals.icu connects with Garmin, COROS, Suunto and Wahoo watches but requires helper apps to get workouts onto an Apple Watch. Stryd downloads planned workouts to Garmin and COROS watches, and to the Stryd Workout app on Apple Watches. - Can the platform manage power-based running on road, trail, and treadmill running?
Stryd measures actual foot movement (on a treadmill or outdoors) and can account for environmental factors like wind and steep trail hills. Intervals.icu and TrainingPeaks rely entirely on whatever data your watch feeds them – their accuracy will suffer if your watch’s wrist-based power calculation lags on steep trail switchbacks or struggles indoors.
Buy-in to the platform’s approach
- Are you a coach, or planning to hire a running coach in the near future?
TrainingPeaks is the safest choice if you’re a coach or plan to hire a coach because it is built to enable coaches to plan and adjust your schedule. Intervals.icu has free coaching tools, but you will need to find (or be) a coach who is willing to learn how to use them. Stryd allows account sharing, but it’s restricted to reviewing completed workouts and metrics rather than planning and two-way communication. - Do you cycle, swim, or do triathlon, or are you strictly a runner?
TrainingPeaks and Intervals.icu are multi-sport ecosystems that handle cycling power, swimming pace, and gym metrics. Stryd is a running-only platform.
Which platform is right for you?
Intervals.icu may be your best choice if you already own a power-capable watch (like a newer Garmin), you are self-coached, and you love deep-dive data analysis. Intervals.icu offers comprehensive metrics, endless customization, and complete training load tracking without a subscription fee.
Stryd may work for you if you want the most accurate running power data on the market – especially if you train on heavy hills, windy routes, or treadmills. Stryd automatically calculates your target zones and provides targets for your next race without overwhelming you with complex data fields.
TrainingPeaks could be right for you if you are a triathlete, you prefer buying pre-made training plans (like 80/20 Endurance), or you plan on hiring a running coach in the near future. TrainingPeaks offers a stable, industry-standard workflow that works with most sports watches with zero manual effort.
Topic: Power Apps
Verified for accuracy: 8 October 2026
In the interests of transparency and accuracy, I need to make clear that while Intervals.icu is 100% free to use, its open-source, community-driven nature means the user (you, the runner) is responsible for managing things that could disrupt your daily workflow – for example:
1) The hidden COROS training plan. If you’re using a COROS watch, the integration requires creating a temporary ‘Training Plan’ inside the COROS app that continually updates from Intervals.icu. If you accidentally delete or alter the hidden training plan in your COROS Training Hub library, the connection breaks and will need to be re-established.
2) Apple Watch is not 100% free. Apple Watch users will need to use apps to download planned workouts from Intervals.icu onto their watch, and to upload completed workouts from Apple Health into Intervals.icu. While Intervals.icu is 100% free, the additional apps are not.
3) Sync issues. If you delete a scheduled workout inside Intervals.icu, that deletion may fail to sync to downstream platforms. The old, ghost workout can remain in your watch calendar. If you don’t manually delete it from your watch app as well, you may end up executing the wrong session.
4) Multiple target types per workout step. If you design an Intervals.icu step with multiple target types (e.g. a specific Power Zone plus a strict Heart Rate ceiling), your watch may display the block as “Intensity: Not Set”, leaving you without a target mid-run.