# Stridekick Alternatives 2026: Free Private Step Challenges Again

**Published:** 2026-10-19
**Updated:** 2026-10-19
**Author:** The Outstep team
**Canonical:** https://outstepapp.com/blog/stridekick-alternatives

> Most people leave Stridekick because free challenges became public and capped at 7 days in 2025. The best alternatives: Outstep for free private groups with challenges up to 30 days, pass alerts and team challenges on Group Premium ($6.99/month for 50 people); StepUp for big free groups with ads; Pacer for free challenges with a daily step cap. Groups on one brand of watch can use Garmin Connect or Apple Watch competitions.

Stridekick filled the gap when Fitbit removed its challenges in 2023, and for years it was where families and friend groups ran their monthly step challenges. Then, around April 2025, it changed the free plan:

- **Free challenges are public.** Anyone can join, and reviewers have complained about strangers turning up.
- **Free challenges last 7 days and hold 10 people.**
- **Private challenges need Pro:** $12.99/month for 10 people, $24.99 for 20 and $49.99 for 50, up to 45 days.
- **Team modes are only on Unlimited,** which is priced by quote.

Stridekick acknowledged the impact in a July 2025 reply to a review: "We know the shift to public, 7-day free challenges has impacted long-time users." If your group wants a private monthly challenge without paying $12.99 a month, here's where to go.

We make Outstep, which is first on the list. Facts about the others come from their own pages and store listings, **checked October 19, 2026**.

## Stridekick alternatives at a glance

| App | Free challenges | Longest free challenge | Team challenges | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Outstep** | Private groups of up to 8 | 30 days | Group Premium | Free; Group Premium from $6.99/mo |
| **StepUp** | Private groups of up to 15,000 | Up to a year | No | Free with ads |
| **Pacer** | Free to create, any phone | Not published | Not published | Free; optional Premium |
| **StepsApp** | Groups and leaderboards | Ongoing leaderboard | No | Free with ads; PRO |
| **Garmin Connect** | Yes, Garmin users | Custom range | No | Free |
| **Apple Watch** | 1-on-1 | 7 days | No | Free |

## 1. Outstep: best for private family and friend challenges

**Outstep** groups are private and invite-only on every plan, so nobody you didn't invite can join. The free plan covers up to 3 groups of 8 people, with challenges up to 30 days in three formats: Leaderboard, Group target (everyone pools steps toward one goal) and Race to X (first to a total wins). There are no ads.

What former Stridekick users tend to notice:

- **Pass alerts.** Outstep tells both people the moment someone overtakes them. That "Peter is on your heels" feeling from the old Fitbit challenges is a long-standing request from Stridekick users.
- **Team challenges without a quote.** Group Premium includes 2 to 6 teams, plus Survivor (a rising daily bar with lives) and Step Up (scored against your own baseline).
- **Price for bigger groups.** Group Premium is $6.99/month or $49.99/year for 50 people, against $49.99/month for Stridekick Pro 50. Plans for 100, 250 and 500 people are available.
- **Fair play.** Manually entered steps never count. Group Premium adds Strict mode and an hour-by-hour Step audit.
- **Teens welcome.** Stridekick requires users to be 18 or older; Outstep is for 13 and up, so the whole family can join.

**What you give up:** Outstep only scores steps. There's no active-minutes, cycling or custom-activity scoring, and no group virtual races.

See the full [Outstep vs Stridekick comparison](/blog/outstep-vs-stridekick).

> **Try Outstep free:** private groups, live leaderboards and an alert the second someone passes you. [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6768469919) · [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.outstepapp.outstep)

## 2. StepUp: best for big free groups

**StepUp** is free with ads, holds up to **15,000 people** per group, and lets admins set a custom leaderboard range from 1 day to a year. It has group chat, DMs and a "Mystery Mode" that hides counts until the next day. It's the most common suggestion on Reddit threads about leaving Stridekick.

**The trade-off:** one competition type (most steps over a period), no team challenges, and no documented protection against phone-shaking. More in our [StepUp alternatives](/blog/stepup-alternatives) round-up.

## 3. Pacer: best for free structured challenges

**Pacer** lets you create step, distance or virtual-race challenges for free, for friends on any phone, and set a **daily step cap** per person. It's highly rated (4.9 on the App Store from about 335,000 ratings) and also has walking groups.

**The trade-off:** no published group size or challenge length limits, and the free version shows ads. One Reddit user notes that the leaderboard counts from when each person joins.

## 4. StepsApp: best simple leaderboard

**StepsApp** has groups with leaderboards on iPhone and Android, and notifies you when you overtake a friend or a friend overtakes you. It syncs with Garmin, Oura, Fitbit, WHOOP and Polar.

**The trade-off:** it's a leaderboard, not a challenge builder; free with ads.

## 5. Garmin Connect: best if everyone wears a Garmin

Stridekick reviewers who own Garmins often go "back to Garmin". Garmin Connect lets you challenge your connections over a day, weekend, week or custom range, for free.

**The trade-off:** steps come from Garmin devices, so mixed groups don't work well.

## 6. Apple Watch Activity competitions: best for two Apple Watch owners

Free and built in: 7-day, one-on-one competitions scored on ring percentages. No groups and no Android.

## What about work challenges?

Stridekick's corporate side (Unlimited, with an admin dashboard and account manager) is a different product from its consumer app. If you're replacing it for an office challenge, see our guide to the [best apps for a workplace step challenge](/blog/workplace-step-challenge-apps).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stridekick free anymore?

Partly. You can create free challenges, but since 2025 they're public, limited to 10 people and 7 days. Private or longer challenges need Stridekick Pro, from $12.99/month.

### What is the best free alternative to Stridekick?

For a private family or friend group of up to 8, Outstep is free with challenges up to 30 days and no ads. For a larger free group, StepUp holds up to 15,000 people, with ads. Pacer lets you create free challenges with a daily step cap.

### Is there a Stridekick alternative with team challenges?

Outstep's Group Premium includes team challenges with 2 to 6 teams, from $6.99/month for groups of 50. On Stridekick, team modes are only on the Unlimited plan.

### Can I move my Stridekick group to another app?

There's no import between apps, but moving is quick: create the group in the new app and share its invite link or code. In Outstep, everyone's step history comes from Apple Health or Health Connect, so personal stats and records fill in from your existing data.

### Why did Fitbit users move to Stridekick?

Fitbit removed Challenges, Adventures and open groups on March 27, 2023, and Stridekick was the closest replacement. Fitbit has since become Google Health, which keeps only a weekly friends leaderboard.

## Sources

- [Stridekick pricing](https://www.stridekick.com/pricing) (Stridekick)
- [What subscription options are available?](https://help.stridekick.com/en/articles/11905892-what-subscription-options-are-available) (Stridekick Help Center)
- [How do I run a team mode challenge with Stridekick Pro?](https://help.stridekick.com/en/articles/11905946-how-do-i-run-a-team-mode-challenge-with-stridekick-pro) (Stridekick Help Center)
- [Stridekick on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1484402218) (Apple App Store)
- [Stridekick Terms of Service](https://www.stridekick.com/terms-of-service) (Stridekick)
- [StepUp website and FAQ](https://thestepupapp.com/) (StepUp)
- [Pacer group steps challenge](https://www.mypacer.com/challenges/bw5ux0m5/group-steps-challenge) (Pacer)
- [StepsApp: notifications for competitions](https://steps.app/support/pedometer/ios/leaderboard/how-do-i-enable-notifications-for-competitions) (StepsApp)
- [Apple Watch User Guide: share your activity](https://support.apple.com/guide/watch/apd68a69f5c7) (Apple)
- [Fitbit removes Challenges and Open Groups](https://9to5google.com/2023/03/27/fitbit-challenges-groups-removed/) (9to5Google)
- [My family has been using Stridekick for years, now a paywall, r/walking](https://reddit.com/r/walking/comments/1sjnida/) (Reddit)