I run marathons, and this running app for my Apple Watch is the best $8 I’ve ever spent

On October 12, 2024By Yukito

I’ve run with every generation of the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra, and over the years they have improved significantly as running watches. The native Workout app now has more stats and customization options than ever before, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is easily one of the best running smartwatches I’ve tested.

However, since I regularly use a Garmin watch, the Apple Watch lacks a native Workout app in some areas, so a few years ago I invested in WorkOutDoors, a sports tracking app that offered more customization and impressive navigation tools.

It’s the best exercise app I’ve ever purchased, and the $8 it costs in the App Store is an absolute bargain considering the features available on WorkOutDoors require no subscription or ongoing costs to pay after purchase (although I did tip the developer, which you can do in the app).

I still use the native Workout app from time to time, as well as other apps like YouRace and Footpath – part of the joy of the Apple Watch is that you can use different apps for each run, as needed – but WorkOutDoors is the app I’ve been using most of the time. Here’s why.

You can customize the data screens

WorkOutDoors app for Apple Watch Ultra 2

(Image source: Future)

With WorkOutDoors, you have full control over how much and what statistics you display on each data screen, and you can even adjust the font size. If you want, you can display 18 statistics on the screen as well as information such as time, battery level and GPS signal strength.

I have a screen set up to show my overall running stats, lap and interval stats, and a screen showing the map and running stats on the same page. If you create structured workouts in the app, you can also customize the exact stats shown at each stage of your workout – something I can’t do even on my Garmin Fenix 8.

WorkOutDoors App

(Photo: WorkOutDoors)

The application contains maps

Apple continues to improve native navigation tools on Apple Watch, but you still can’t see the map and follow a route in the Workout app – you have to switch between maps and the Workout app. With WorkOutDoors, you can see a map on your data screens and follow routes on that map while viewing your run stats.

You can also download map sections and store them locally on the watch, so you don’t need a phone or signal to use them, and while you can’t create routes to follow directly in the WorkOutDoors app, it’s easy to import GPX files into the app from other people, and then you can instantly upload your routes to your watch.

WorkOutDoors app for Apple Watch Ultra 2

(Image source: Future)

You can customize the start screen

Apple Watch Ultra 2 offers a precision start feature in the Training app, which means you can check if you have GPS turned on before you start a run, but this isn’t possible with the Apple Watch 10.

With WorkOutDoors, you have the option to get a precision start no matter what Apple Watch you’re using, and you can also connect the sensors to the app so that it indicates they’re connected before you start your run. I usually connect an external heart rate monitor to my runs and without this feature I have to check in settings to see if it’s connected via Bluetooth.

WorkOutDoors app for Apple Watch Ultra 2

(Image source: Future)

You can change the button controls

Continuing with the theme of endless customization, with WorkOutDoors you can assign commands to the buttons on your Apple Watch. So you can take a lap by pressing both buttons on Apple Watch Series 10, for example, and the app also works with the action button on Apple Watch Ultra.

You can also tap the screen to, for example, pause a workout or view music controls or a map, and a recent update even lets you use the double-tap feature on your Apple Watch to pause a workout or take a lap by tapping your fingers together (at the time of writing, this is version beta).

WorkOutDoors app for Apple Watch Ultra 2

(Image source: Future)

The application is updated regularly

WorkOutDoors continues to improve, and turn-by-turn navigation instructions are the next big feature likely to be added to the app – right now you can follow a route on the map and get notifications when you stray from it, but there’s no notification turn.

The app has been around for a while and has been updated to take advantage of features like the always-on display and double-tap, and its data is transferred to the training load feature of your Apple Watch so you can use it when tracking your WorkOutDoors workouts. This means you can be sure it will keep up with any changes Apple makes in the future.