The quick answer
- Want a free monthly goal with friends? Strava Challenges.
- Wear an Apple Watch? Apple Watch Monthly Challenges.
- Love the progress-through-a-story feeling? Walkr or Zombies, Run!.
- Mostly walk? Pikmin Bloom.
- Want to see every run add up, with no end date? Run&Grow — every run grows a plant.
- Want a real medal in the post? Honestly, stay with The Conqueror. The free apps give digital badges only.
How The Conqueror works (and what it costs)
The Conqueror Virtual Challenges turns your distance into a trip along a real or famous route. You pick a challenge, log walks, runs, rides or swims, and a pin moves along the map. When you finish, you claim a medal in the app and it is mailed to you. The Conqueror also says its partners plant 5 trees or remove 50 plastic items for every challenge completed.
Examples from its challenge list (October 2026):
- Marathon to Athens — 42 km
- Paris City — 53 km
- Thanksgiving 2026 — 80 km
- Kyoto City — 110 km
The app is free, and each challenge is an in-app purchase. On the US App Store in October 2026, many challenges were listed at $19.99, and licensed ones like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter at $29.99. That is good value for one big goal with a medal. But if you like doing one every month, it adds up fast: four challenges a year is roughly $80–$120.
Why people look for an alternative
- Cost. One challenge is fine. A challenge every month is a real bill.
- The finish line. When the challenge ends, the motivation often ends too.
- They want something for every day. A big distance goal is great, but some people need a small reason to go out today.
The Conqueror alternatives compared
| App | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Strava Challenges | Free monthly goals and badges | Free to join |
| Apple Watch Monthly Challenges | A personal goal every month | Free (built in) |
| Walkr | A game that runs on your steps | Free, optional SPARKFUL plan |
| Pikmin Bloom | Gentle walking with friends | Free, in-app purchases |
| Zombies, Run! | Story while you run | See official site |
| Run&Grow | Seeing your runs add up | Free on iPhone |
Prices and features checked October 2026 on official sites, support pages and App Store listings.
A challenge that never ends
In Run&Grow, every run grows a plant, so your garden shows every km you have done. Free on iPhone.
Get the free appFree on iPhone · Also on Android
The 6 alternatives, one by one
Free monthly goals and badges · Free to join
Strava Challenges
Strava runs monthly and brand-sponsored challenges, like a set distance in a month. Strava says challenge participation is open to all, and finishing one adds a completion badge to your Trophy Case. Some partner challenges offer prizes, but only in some countries. You also get to see friends doing the same challenge.
Pick it if: You want a monthly target and your friends are on Strava.
Official site or listing →A personal goal every month · Free (built in)
Apple Watch Monthly Challenges
The Fitness app on iPhone and Apple Watch gives you awards for personal records and milestones, plus a Monthly Challenge. You can also compete with friends who share their activity. It is the easiest free option if you already wear an Apple Watch.
Pick it if: You want a goal that fits you, with zero setup.
Official site or listing →A game that runs on your steps · Free, optional SPARKFUL plan
Walkr
Your steps fuel a spaceship that explores planets and finishes missions. Like The Conqueror, you move forward through a story by moving in real life, but it is a cute space game instead of a real route. The optional SPARKFUL plan was $7.99 a month or $69.99 a year as of October 2026.
Pick it if: You love the progress bar more than the medal.
Official site or listing →Gentle walking with friends · Free, in-app purchases
Pikmin Bloom
A Niantic walking game. Little Pikmin follow you, and your walks paint the map with plants. There are community events and friends to walk with. It is calmer than a distance challenge, and it is great for walks and easy jogs.
Pick it if: You want daily walks to feel like play.
Official site or listing →Story while you run · See official site
Zombies, Run!
You are Runner 5, and each run is an audio story episode. Instead of moving a pin across a map, you unlock the next part of the story. You can walk the missions too. Good if you liked the “journey” side of The Conqueror.
Pick it if: You want a reason to go out that is not about distance.
Official site or listing →Seeing your runs add up · Free on iPhone
Run&Grow
A GPS run tracker where every run grows a plant in your garden. The garden is your progress you can see, like a Conqueror route map, but it never ends and never costs per challenge. It reads runs from Apple Health and works with Apple Watch. No public feed, no pace shaming. Skip a week? Your garden waits.
Pick it if: You want a running habit, not just one finish line.
Official site or listing →Make your own free virtual challenge
You do not need to pay to have a goal. Pick one line below, write it down, and track it in any free app. Use our pace calculator to see how long each run will take.
| Goal | Per week | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 42 km in a month | About 10.5 km (6.5 miles) a week | New runners and walkers |
| 80 km in a month | About 20 km (12.5 miles) a week | Regular runners |
| 100 km in a month | About 25 km (15.5 miles) a week | Runners with a base |
| 12 runs in a month | 3 runs a week, any length | Anyone building a habit |
Walking counts. A brisk walk covers roughly 5 km (3 miles) an hour.
New to running? Start with our free couch to 5K plan. It builds up with run-walk sessions, so a 42 km month is very doable.
Can you use The Conqueror with other apps?
Yes, and this is the best setup for many people. The Conqueror’s App Store listing says it can read activity from Apple Health and Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit and Runkeeper. Run&Grow reads runs from Apple Health too. So one run on your Apple Watch can move your Conqueror pin and grow a plant in your garden. Keep the paid challenge for a big goal, and let a free app keep you going in between.
Local notes: US, UK and Australia
- US: Thanksgiving is Thursday 26 November 2026. A turkey trot 5K (3.1 miles) makes a great real-world finish line for a November challenge.
- UK: November is dark and wet, so short, regular runs beat one big weekend effort. parkrun’s free Saturday 5K is a ready-made weekly target — see our parkrun beginner’s guide.
- Australia: Summer is coming, so it is a great time for a distance month. Run early or late to avoid the heat.
- Everywhere: January is the busiest month for virtual challenges. If you want a New Year goal, pick it now so you are ready on 1 January.
More ways to make running feel like a game
If badges, progress bars and stories help you show up, read our guides to apps with virtual rewards, gamified running apps and apps like Pikmin Bloom. Love stories? See Zombies, Run! alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is there a free alternative to The Conqueror?
- Yes. Strava Challenges are open to all members and give you a digital completion badge. Apple Watch has free Monthly Challenges and awards in the Fitness app. Pikmin Bloom is free to play. None of these mail you a real medal, which is the one thing The Conqueror does that free apps do not.
- How much does a Conqueror challenge cost?
- The Conqueror app is free to download, and each challenge is an in-app purchase. On the US App Store in October 2026, challenges such as Route 66 and Thanksgiving 2026 were listed at $19.99, and licensed ones such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter at $29.99. Prices change by country and with sales, so check the app.
- Does running count on The Conqueror?
- Yes. The Conqueror counts walking, running, cycling and swimming. You can sync a tracker or enter activities by hand. Its App Store listing names Apple Health and Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, Runkeeper, adidas Running and Under Armour as sources.
- Can I use The Conqueror and Run&Grow together?
- Yes. Both can use your runs from Apple Health on iPhone. Record a run once on your Apple Watch or phone, and it can move you along your Conqueror route and grow a plant in your Run&Grow garden at the same time.
- Which virtual challenge app is best for beginners?
- Pick the shortest goal you can finish in a month. A Conqueror challenge like Marathon to Athens is 42 km, which is about 10 km a week. If that feels like a lot, a free Apple Watch Monthly Challenge or a simple goal like 12 runs in a month is a gentle place to start.
Every run grows your garden
Run&Grow turns every run into a plant, so your progress is always on screen. Free on iPhone, and it works with Apple Health and Apple Watch.
Get the free appFree on iPhone · Also on Android