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15 Best Walking Apps for Weight Loss in 2023
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15 Best Walking Apps for Weight Loss in 2023

Isabel-Mayfield-health-reporter
Written by Isabel Mayfield | Fact checked by Fact checked by Rosmy Barrios, MD check
Last update: May 9, 2023
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10 min

Have you been looking for a walking app to track your walks, record metrics, and motivate you to keep going? We’ve reviewed the 15 best walking apps you can find right now. Check out our review to find out more.

best walking app
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If you’ve been looking for ways to improve your health through exercise, you’re probably wondering if walking can help you. Walking daily actually comes with many benefits, including helping with weight management, improving cardiovascular fitness, and strengthening muscles and bones.

Indeed, walking daily counts toward your recommended 150 minutes of physical activity weekly. It is also good for all fitness levels and can get you moving again after a long period of inactivity.

If you’ve been thinking about walking daily and want to record your walks, you may be on the hunt for a walking app that can record walking routes, track your distances, and record how many calories each walk has burned.

In this article, we’re going to look at the best walking app products, how they work, how they benefit you, and any drawbacks they might have. Check it out now to find the best walking app for you.

Comparison Table

scroll hint
Walking.Diet
Nike Run Club
Strava
MapMyWalk
Runkeeper
BetterMe
Walkmeter
Leap Fitness Walking App
Apple Health
Charity Miles
Footpath
Pacer
Go Jauntly
AllTrails
Fitbit Walking Tracker
4.6
stars
4.2
stars
4.4
stars
4.2
stars
4.2
stars
4.1
stars
3.9
stars
4.1
stars
4.3
stars
4.0
stars
3.8
stars
4.2
stars
4.1
stars
4.2
stars
4.3
stars

Beginner-friendly

Easy-to-make recipes

Full training plan

Tracks your distance

Free appIntegrates easily   

Records a wide variety of metrics

Links to Apple Watch and other fitness watches

Integrates with other apps

Offers new routes

Records some stats

Free version

Audio stats for a hands-free workout

Some personalized content

Helps you achieve weight loss goals

Sets challenges

Highly motivational

Records metrics

Easy to use

Free version available

Sets training plans and weight loss goals

Good for elderly users to prevent falls

Fundraising

Gives your walks a purpose

Logs your distance

Works offline for remote locations

Pre-planned routes

Good for long walks and hikes

Works in the background of your phone

Helps you track the daily step count

Allows you to find new routes

Encourages sharing to motivate everyone to walk

Encourages community aspect of walking and hiking

Records daily metrics

Helps you reach your step count

Subscription fee

Doesn’t give fitness levels for each session

No meal plans or recipes

Does not include recipes or educational data

Doesn’t offer full training plans

Many features are only available on the paid version

Doesn’t offer training plans

No recipes or meal ideas

Busy layout

Advanced stats only available on the paid version

Not specifically for walking

Focus on weight loss

Signal can be patchy

Not a fitness app

Paid version hides many features

Doesn’t include recipes for a comprehensive plan

Not a fitness app

Doesn’t offer training plans

Doesn’t record extensive metrics

Doesn’t offer training plans

No training plans available

Doesn’t record many metrics

Not a fitness app

Doesn’t record many other metrics

No training plans

Not a fitness app

Doesn’t record metrics

No training plans

Doesn’t offer meal ideas or training plans

Brand
Walking.Diet
Nike Run Club
Strava
MapMyWalk
Runkeeper
BetterMe
Walkmeter
Leap Fitness Walking App
Apple Health
Charity Miles
Footpath
Pacer
Go Jauntly
AllTrails
Fitbit Walking Tracker
Overall Rating
4.6
stars
4.2
stars
4.4
stars
4.2
stars
4.2
stars
4.1
stars
3.9
stars
4.1
stars
4.3
stars
4.0
stars
3.8
stars
4.2
stars
4.1
stars
4.2
stars
4.3
stars
Pros

Beginner-friendly

Easy-to-make recipes

Full training plan

Tracks your distance

Free appIntegrates easily   

Records a wide variety of metrics

Links to Apple Watch and other fitness watches

Integrates with other apps

Offers new routes

Records some stats

Free version

Audio stats for a hands-free workout

Some personalized content

Helps you achieve weight loss goals

Sets challenges

Highly motivational

Records metrics

Easy to use

Free version available

Sets training plans and weight loss goals

Good for elderly users to prevent falls

Fundraising

Gives your walks a purpose

Logs your distance

Works offline for remote locations

Pre-planned routes

Good for long walks and hikes

Works in the background of your phone

Helps you track the daily step count

Allows you to find new routes

Encourages sharing to motivate everyone to walk

Encourages community aspect of walking and hiking

Records daily metrics

Helps you reach your step count

Cons

Subscription fee

Doesn’t give fitness levels for each session

No meal plans or recipes

Does not include recipes or educational data

Doesn’t offer full training plans

Many features are only available on the paid version

Doesn’t offer training plans

No recipes or meal ideas

Busy layout

Advanced stats only available on the paid version

Not specifically for walking

Focus on weight loss

Signal can be patchy

Not a fitness app

Paid version hides many features

Doesn’t include recipes for a comprehensive plan

Not a fitness app

Doesn’t offer training plans

Doesn’t record extensive metrics

Doesn’t offer training plans

No training plans available

Doesn’t record many metrics

Not a fitness app

Doesn’t record many other metrics

No training plans

Not a fitness app

Doesn’t record metrics

No training plans

Doesn’t offer meal ideas or training plans

15 Best Walkings Apps

There are many walking apps out there, so trying to pick which one is best for you can feel a little overwhelming. To make it easier, we’ve narrowed the list down to our top 15 walking apps and explained why we think they’re useful.

To find the perfect walking app, keep reading.

#1 Best overall: Walking.Diet

Walking.diet
Walking.Diet
The easiest walking program for emotional healing and weight loss
  • Offers walking training plan
  • Provides warm-up and cool-down workouts before and after walking workout
  • Includes keto desserts cookbook
  • Offers the articles about food and nutrition, walking gear
Our rating:
4.6
stars
Get Your Personalized Walking Plan

Walking.Diet is a health and fitness program developed by professional coaches. It uses research-backed data to create an individual workout plan for each user. Users simply need to take a short quiz, and a plan will be created suited to their needs, fitness levels, and schedule.

Walking.Diet is a subscription service that includes other features, like a recipe book designed to support weight management and a healthy lifestyle, educational guides to help you understand the daily walking benefits, and even a private consultation.

Walking.Diet is suitable for everyone, including those with chronic illnesses, those with no experience of walking, and those who are seasoned walkers.

Walking.Diet is our best overall walking app as it creates individualized walking workouts for each user and offers a number of other features that may not be found on other apps for walking.

Pros
  • Good for beginners
  • Includes easy-to-make recipes with common ingredients
  • Offers full workouts
  • Provides education on walking benefits
Cons
  • In-app purchases for extra features

#2 Best for motivation: Nike Run Club

NRC logo
Nike Run Club
  • Different settings for different walking intensities
  • The app is free
  • Integrates with other apps easily
  • You can connect with friends to motivate each other
Our rating:
4.2
stars
Learn More

The Nike Run Club app is designed to offer guided sessions as you take your own walking routes. There are a number of different settings, including Quick Run, Guided Run, and Coached Run, which can be switched between.

The Coached Run setting allows for more dedicated walkers trying to build good habits, whereas the Guided Run can include mindful sessions, supporting better mental health. If you wish, Nike Run Club offers a personalized plan and is an audio-based walking app. It integrates with other Nike apps as well as music apps, like Spotify.

With many famous voices and lots of variety in the audio you listen to while using the app, this is by far the best app for motivation. If you find it difficult to get up and walk each day, you should try this app.

Pros
  • Tracks your distance walked and the route taken
  • The app is free
  • Personalized settings are available
Cons
  • Not specifically designed for walking
  • Doesn’t offer recipes as other walking apps do
  • Fitness level information is missing to communicate the suitability of runs
  • The feature that will track walking routes is not always accurate

#3 Best for recording stats: Strava

strava logo
Strava
  • Records a wide variety of statistics per walk
  • Integrates with fitness watches, including Apple Watch and Fitbit app mobile tracker
  • Free version offers plenty of features
Our rating:
4.4
stars
Learn More

Strava is an incredibly well-known running app and can be used as a walking app too. It is a fantastic app if you want to record routes, stats, and calories burned and appeals to walkers looking to thoroughly track their progress.

Statistics it will record include your distance walked, average pace, elevation gain, how many calories burned per session, heart rate, and much more. It will also integrate with fitness watches, like the Apple Watch or Fitbit app.

We’ve dubbed this the best walking app for recording your stats because it’s got a comprehensive list of statistics available per walk. You can also connect with friends, compare stats, and even see their routes, too.

Pros
  • Record routes and stats every session
  • Discovering existing routes via the Friends features
  • Free version
  • Easy integration with other apps
Cons
  • Not designed specifically for walkers
  • No recipes as you would find on other walking apps
  • Many features are behind a paywall
  • Doesn’t offer personalized plans

#4 Best for mapping routes: MapMyWalk

MapMyWalk logo
MapMyWalk
  • Integrates with other apps, like the Apple Health app and Fitbit app
  • The app records basic stats like distance and calories burned
  • The free version has many features
  • Records other kinds of exercise
Our rating:
4.2
stars
Learn More

As the names suggest, MapMyWalk is an app that records your route and workout data and works out how many calories are burned per session. It offers a free version, but with the paid option, you will get extra stats, including heart rate tracking.

Like many walking apps, MapMyWalk also has other exercise settings, like yoga, gym workout, and treadmill run. This means it can be used in a variety of settings. The app encourages social interaction with an Instagram-style feed that lets you see others’ workout data and walking routes.

This app is the best for mapping your walking routes, with a Google Maps-style map feature.

Pros
  • Includes maps of walking routes along with a route builder function
  • Records basic stats
  • The free version offers many features
Cons
  • The layout of the app is busy
  • The free version has lots of ads
  • Many features are still behind a paywall
  • Doesn’t offer a comprehensive plan as other walking apps do

#5 Best for quick workouts: Runkeeper

ASICS Runkeeper logo
Runkeeper
  • Free version
  • Records data, even without a subscription
  • Audio updates on walk metrics
Our rating:
4.2
stars
Learn More

Runkeeper is another well-known running app that can be used effectively as a way to record your walks. The free version offers a space to record basic stats, though, with some in-app purchases, you can record much more detailed metrics.

Runkeeper can be used to record a range of workout types, but the QuickRun feature is a speedy way to record without the hassle of finding your workout style. The app also provides 5-minute audio stats to keep you updated on how your run is going.

The app is the best walking app for a hands-free experience. The QuickRun feature allows you to start and stop without any hassle, and the audio updates keep you up to date with your stats without needing to look at your phone. If you just want to put your phone away and walk, this is the one for you.

Pros
  • Some personalized options with in-app purchases
  • Audio stats updates
Cons
  • Not specifically a walking app
  • No recipes or other aspects of training plans
  • Advanced stats are only available behind a paywall

#6 Best for weight loss: BetterMe

BetterMe logo
BetterMe
  • Personalized, comprehensive weight loss plan
  • Motivational and holistic approach to weight management
  • Promotes behavioral change
Our rating:
4.1
stars
Learn More

BetterMe is a weight loss program designed to promote behavioral changes for better weight management. It offers meal plans, recipes, motivation, education, and a long list of workout plans.

The BetterMe app has a space to track your walks and is designed for all fitness levels, ages, and abilities. It has been curated by a health coach and provides daily motivation for weight loss.

The BetterMe app focuses on a holistic approach to weight loss and, as such, is our best app recommendation if walking for weight loss is your ultimate goal.

Pros
  • Tracks calories burned per walk
  • Helps you achieve your weight loss goals
Cons
  • Not a walking app
  • Focus on weight loss, which may not be your goal

#7 Best for long walks and hikes: Walkmeter

walkmeter logo
Walkmeter
  • Can easily track walking routes and distances
  • Records lots of stats for analysis
  • Hands-free capabilities
Our rating:
3.9
stars
Learn More

Walkmeter is an expertly designed app that tracks and records data from walks and hikes. It offers some training plans and is fantastic for hands-free use. There is a free option with an elite version on subscription.

The app offers in-depth stats analysis, helping you track your progress. This is a great app for serious walkers and hikers.

Pros
  • Records a variety of stats to track progress
  • Easy to use
  • Free version offers lots of features
Cons
  • Known to lose signal on long walks in remote areas
  • Doesn’t offer a meal plan or recipes
  • Elite features require a subscription

#8 Best for all abilities: Leap Fitness Walking App

leap logo
Leap Fitness Walking App
  • Offers training plans for different ability levels
  • Focus on weight loss
Our rating:
4.1
stars
Learn More

Leap Fitness Walking App is one of the best walking apps for different ability levels. It offers training plans for interval walking and is designed to help you lose weight and burn more fat.

This app lets you record stats, see your progress, and set exercise goals. We’ve recommended it as the best app for all fitness levels due to the different training levels it offers.

Pros
  • Setting your own exercise goals
  • Designed for walking for weight loss
Cons
  • Doesn’t include a comprehensive plan

#9 Best for elderly users: Apple Health

Apple Health logo
Apple Health
  • Integrates easily with the Apple Watch
  • Enhances safety when walking
  • Records vital data
Our rating:
4.3
stars
Learn More

The Apple Health app records basic stats with regard to your walking gait, balance, strength, and pace. It is designed to help you monitor your risk of a fall and offers emergency contact with people’s loved ones if your walking becomes unsteady.

This app is a great addition to elderly walkers’ phones as it can increase their safety while walking for fitness. It will also give their loved ones peace of mind.

Pros
  • Safety while walking
Cons
  • The app isn’t focused on progressing your walking speed or distance
  • Not a comprehensive training plan

#10 Best for fundraising: Charity Miles

Charity Miles logo
Charity Miles
  • It gives your walks a purpose
  • Helps support charities
Our rating:
4.0
stars
Learn More

The Charity Miles app turns your daily walk into a fundraising tool. It tracks and records your walks, and for every mile you reach, money is donated to a charity of your choice, and you can even get sponsored by big companies.

Pros
  • Helps you see how many miles you have walked
  • It helps to fundraise for charity
  • The charity aspect could give you the motivation to get out of the house each day
Cons
  • Not workout-focused
  • Not a comprehensive training plan

#11 Best for hikers: Footpath

Footpath logo
Footpath
  • Unlike many walking apps, Footpath Route Planner lets you pre-plan your route
  • Works offline
Our rating:
3.8
stars
Learn More

Footpath Route Planner is an app designed to help you effectively plan your route. While Google Maps may give you navigation, this app allows you to set your own route, gives you data on the distance and elevation, and offers audio navigation en route.

This app is a great choice for hikers and walkers covering long distances and can help you find the best route possible for your walk.

Pros
  • Tracks your distance walked
  • Offline capabilities and terrain maps make it good for long walks where the signal is patchy
Cons
  • Doesn’t log activities like calories burned, heart rate, etc.
  • Doesn’t offer training plans

#12 Best for counting steps: Pacer

Pacer logo
Pacer
  • Runs in the background of your phone all day
  • Free to use
Our rating:
4.2
stars
Learn More

Pacer is essentially a step-counting app for smartphones. It tracks steps and activities all day long and can run in the background of your phone. It is free and easy to use. It also has the capability to track other metrics, like weight loss, BMI, and heart rate.

This simple app is the best choice if you’re looking to count your steps each day and not much else. Its location features don’t feel developed enough for much more than this, but it will let you know when you’ve hit your 10,000-step goal each day.

Pros
  • Easy to use
  • Free to download
Cons
  • Doesn’t offer a training plan
  • Isn’t focused on tracking individual walks

#13 Best for celebrating walking: Go Jauntly

Go Jauntly logo
Go Jauntly
  • It celebrates the joy of walking
  • It’s got a few fun features and a community feel
  • It’s a free walking application, though a paid version exists
Our rating:
4.1
stars
Learn More

Go Jauntly is one of the few walking apps we have reviewed that offers users routes of its own. You can pick a frequently trodden route or a lesser-known route and follow along with this free app. The app encourages you to take photographs along the way and upload them and celebrates the joys of walking.

This is one of the best walking apps for simply celebrating walking. The free open street maps the app provides take you on scenic adventures and encourage you to actually enjoy your exercise.

Pros
  • Helps you to fall in love with walking
  • Can upload your own photos of walks to encourage others
Cons
  • It is not necessarily a fitness app
  • Doesn’t offer training plans
  • Popular routes may not be accessible

#14 Best for trails off the beaten path: AllTrails

AllTrails logo
AllTrails
  • The social connection allows you to see others’ trails too
  • Helps you discover new routes
Our rating:
4.2
stars
Learn More

AllTrails is a great app choice for hikers. It allows you to set up and follow your trail all on the app. It allows you to track your route using your phone’s GPS and even encourages you to share photographs of your trail.

This is a good choice for hikers who like to get off the beaten track and out into nature.

Pros
  • Social aspects feel motivational
  • Free version to test the app’s features
Cons
  • It’s not a fitness app
  • There don’t seem to be step-counting features
  • No training plans available

#15 Best for tracking daily activity: Fitbit Walking Tracker

fitbit logo
Fitbit Walking Tracker
  • Records daily activity data
  • Integrates with Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, and other fitness and health apps
Our rating:
4.3
stars
Learn More

Though a little different from other walking apps, the Fitbit app allows you to track your routes, distance, and steps even when you don’t have your phone with you. It works with the Fitbit fitness watch to track your daily distance and step count.

The Fitbit app is a great choice if you’re looking to gather data about your daily activity. It allows you to see steps done, distance traveled, floors climbed, and much more.

Pros
  • Useful for collecting general data
  • Logs your daily step count
Cons
  • Doesn’t offer meal plans or educational guidance
  • No training plans available

How to Choose the Best Walking Apps

When it comes to choosing the best walking apps for your daily exercise, there are a few things you should consider. These include the quality of the app, the effectiveness, the brand’s reputation, and the price.

Below, we have summarized the meaning of each of these categories.

Quality

The best walking apps available will be of good quality, meaning they will offer comprehensive training plans, individualized content, and educational articles to help improve your workout. While many options offer some of these features, not all of them can offer them all.

Price

While we all want a free app, some free walking apps aren’t good enough to help you reach your fitness goals. For this reason, it may be necessary to pay a subscription fee for your walking apps.

When choosing your app, you need to evaluate whether the features you get are worth the price it is charging. If the app only offers a few ordnance survey maps and a step counter, it’s not worth as much as one that provides you with a personalized training plan, legendary global routes, and daily metrics.

Brand reputation

Well-reputed brands are more likely to produce effective, quality apps, and so brand reputation is important when choosing an app. You can look for your favorite fitness brands’ apps on Google Play or the App Store. 

Effectiveness

Checking out the user reviews for the app you have chosen is a great way to find out how effective the app is. Look out for people who have successfully progressed in their fitness goals or lost weight using the app to find the most effective apps for walking.

A Word From a Coach

Walking a few miles each day is an effective method of weight management. It is thought to help lower your risk of certain chronic illnesses, improve heart health, and help strengthen your muscles and bones.

It is recommended that you get at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week, so walking for 30 minutes each day is great for your overall health.

When it comes to fitness, some people need to set out clear and precise goals to find the motivation to get out and do it each day. This is where walking apps come in. Finding a good app that allows you to set fitness goals, track your progress, and build a routine is a great way of staying motivated in your weight loss.

While walking daily is a great way of increasing your activity level, it is important not to push yourself too hard. Make sure to start out gently by going for shorter walks and slowly increase to longer, more intense walks.

You should also ensure that you warm up before your walk and do some cool-down stretches afterward. Many walking apps will offer cool-down regimes to help you understand how to do so properly.

Remember that walking workouts are only part of a healthy lifestyle, and eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and drinking enough water will all help improve your health too.

Conclusion

There are many walking products out there, even above what we have listed here. Some others to check out include the World Walking App and ViewRanger. However, if we’re recommending our choice for the best walking workout apps, we have to go with Walking.Diet.

The Walking.Diet app covers everything from education to recipes, all to help improve your fitness and health. It is an effective and comprehensive app that offers quality, personalized training plans to all users.

Isabel-Mayfield-health-reporter
Written by
Isabel Mayfield is a certified yoga instructor with over 10 years of experience in the fitness industry. She is passionate about self-improvement and loves to help people improve their sense of self-worth through education and support in meeting their fitness goals.
The article was checked by Rosmy Barrios, MD
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