Outstep vs Stridekick: Private Step Challenges Without the Paywall

Stridekick has been a go-to step challenge app since Fitbit removed its own challenges in 2023. In 2025 it changed its free plan, and a lot of friend and family groups went looking for something else.

We make Outstep, so we have a horse in this race. Every Stridekick fact below comes from Stridekick's pricing page, help center or store listings, checked on October 19, 2026, and we've called out where Stridekick is the better choice.

Outstep vs Stridekick at a glance

What changed at Stridekick in 2025

Around April 2025, Stridekick made free challenges public and capped them at 7 days, and moved private challenges into paid Pro plans. In a July 2025 reply to a review, Stridekick acknowledged that "the shift to public, 7-day free challenges has impacted long-time users" and said it was working on cheaper options for small groups.

Two things follow for a free group today:

• Anyone can join your challenge. Stridekick support has said that challenges created by free accounts "are open to anyone", and reviewers have complained about strangers joining.
• Monthly challenges need a subscription. A 30-day family challenge needs Pro, starting at $12.99/month for up to 10 people.

Where Stridekick wins

More than steps. Stridekick can score distance, active minutes or a custom activity, and its Activity Converter (on Unlimited) turns cycling, swimming or yoga into steps. Outstep only scores steps.

Direct wearable connections. Stridekick connects straight to Garmin, Withings, Oura, Polar and Xiaomi accounts, as well as Apple Health and Health Connect. Outstep reads Apple Health and Health Connect only, which covers those brands when their apps are set to write there.

Virtual races and fundraisers. Stridekick has virtual race modes and, on Unlimited, group fundraisers. Outstep's virtual journeys between real cities are personal, not group races.

A managed corporate program. Stridekick Unlimited comes with unlimited participants, 90-day challenges, an admin dashboard with reports, and a dedicated account manager. If HR wants someone to run the program for them, that's a real service.

An Apple Watch app. Stridekick added one in August 2026.

Where Outstep wins

Private, free, and longer. Every Outstep group is private and invite-only, on every plan. The free plan runs challenges up to 30 days for groups of up to 8, so a family monthly challenge costs nothing.

Price for bigger groups. Group Premium covers 50 people for $6.99/month or $49.99/year, and the backer's plan covers every group they run. Stridekick Pro for 50 people is $49.99/month or $549.99/year, and only the organizer pays in both apps.

Team challenges without a sales call. Outstep's Group Premium includes team challenges with 2 to 6 teams, which can be balanced automatically by recent steps. On Stridekick, team modes are only on the custom-quoted Unlimited plan.

Pass alerts. Outstep tells you the moment someone overtakes you, and when two people are within 500 steps. Stridekick's help center lists friend requests, chat messages and new challenges as its notification types, and "Peter is on your heels"-style alerts are a long-standing request from former Fitbit users.

Formats Stridekick doesn't have. Survivor (a rising daily bar where a miss costs a life) and Step Up (scored against your own baseline, so improvement wins) are in Outstep's Group Premium. Stridekick has no elimination format.

Cheat protection for everyone, not just enterprise. Manually entered steps never count in Outstep. Group Premium adds Strict mode, which counts only steps the phone or watch recorded, and an hour-by-hour Step audit. Stridekick's anti-cheat controls (daily caps, rescoring) are tools for Unlimited admins. See how to stop cheating in a step challenge.

Open to teens. Stridekick's terms require users to be 18 or over. Outstep is for 13 and up, which matters for family groups.

Pricing compared

For a group of 10 running a 30-day challenge:

• Outstep: Group Premium at $6.99/month (8 people fit on the free plan).
• Stridekick: Pro 10 at $12.99/month.

For a group of 50:

• Outstep: Group Premium at $6.99/month or $49.99/year.
• Stridekick: Pro 50 at $49.99/month or $549.99/year.

For 500 people, Outstep's largest plan is $199.99/month. Stridekick Unlimited is priced by quote.

Which should you choose?

• Friends or family who want a private monthly challenge: Outstep's free plan, or Group Premium past 8 people.
• A work team that wants team challenges and fair scoring on a budget: Outstep Group Premium.
• A group that tracks cycling, swimming or active minutes alongside steps: Stridekick.
• A company that wants a managed program with an account manager: Stridekick Unlimited, or see our workplace step challenge guide.

More options in our list of Stridekick alternatives.

Frequently asked questions

Is Stridekick still free?

Partly. Stridekick's free plan lets you create public challenges for up to 10 people lasting up to 7 days, and join its community challenges. Private challenges and longer challenges need a Pro plan, from $12.99/month.

Why can strangers join my Stridekick challenge?

Since 2025, challenges created on Stridekick's free plan are public. Making a challenge private needs a Pro subscription. Outstep groups are always private and joined only by invite code.

Does Stridekick have team challenges?

Yes, but only on Stridekick Unlimited, which is priced by quote. Stridekick's help center says team mode isn't available on Pro plans. Outstep includes team challenges in Group Premium.

Is Stridekick still running in 2026?

Yes. Stridekick shipped app updates through October 2026, added an Apple Watch app in August 2026 and Google Health support in September 2026. It removed its web platform in January 2026, so it's app-only.

Which app works better with Garmin?

Stridekick connects to Garmin's cloud directly. Outstep reads Garmin steps through Apple Health or Health Connect, so Garmin Connect needs to be set to write steps there. Users of both apps report occasional Garmin sync delays.

Sources

• Stridekick pricing (Stridekick)
• What subscription options are available? (Stridekick Help Center)
• How do I run a team mode challenge with Stridekick Pro? (Stridekick Help Center)
• Manual activity entry in Stridekick (Stridekick Help Center)
• Understanding the daily activity cap (Stridekick Help Center)
• How do I adjust my push notification preferences? (Stridekick Help Center)
• What data can my device share with Stridekick? (Stridekick Help Center)
• Stridekick on the App Store (Apple App Store)
• Stridekick Terms of Service (Stridekick)
• HealthierU 2026: Stridekick (University of Nebraska–Lincoln)
• Fitbit removes Challenges and Open Groups (9to5Google)