ChallengeRunner

ChallengeRunner is an online platform for building and tracking employee health and wellness challenges. Challenge formats include weight-loss, walking, activity, nutrition, multi-activity, and image-based options. Participants can submit data through a browser, mobile apps, fitness trackers, or text message. Supported tracker names include Apple Health, Samsung Health, Fitbit, Garmin, COROS, Withings, Wahoo, Oura, Polar, Strava, Suunto, and MapMyFitness.

Administrators can assign people to teams or let participants, and optionally team leaders, form teams. Scores can be cumulative or averaged, and leaderboards update in real time as charts, race maps, or tournament brackets. Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Cisco Webex integrations let participants interact with challenge data within those apps. Administrators can set entry bounds and inspect a scatter chart for unusual submissions. Android, iOS, and web access are available. The free Sandbox plan covers up to 10 participants for up to 7 days. Core starts at $15 a month, billed for the active challenge duration; Core Annual is $259 a year.

ChallengeRunner combines varied challenge formats, participant data options, and team leaderboards in one platform. Check the Sandbox limits and choose between active-duration Core billing and the annual plan based on your challenge schedule.

It suits employers organizing activity or wellness challenges, especially those who want team competition, tracker syncing, or app integrations. Organizations identified as HIPAA Covered Entities are instructed to sign a Business Associate Agreement with ChallengeRunner LLC.

ChallengeRunner is an employee fitness challenge platform for organizations running health and wellness campaigns. It suits employers who want varied activities, team competition and several ways for staff to log progress. Its focus is challenge administration rather than broader wellbeing services.

Overview

The platform covers campaigns from walking and weight loss to nutrition, multi-activity and image-based challenges. That range gives organizers room to shape a program around different goals, while live standings and tracker connections help keep participation visible. Employers looking for coaching, wellbeing assessments or mental health resources will need another service to fill those gaps.

Key features

Participants can report through a browser, smartphone apps or text message, or connect supported trackers including Apple Health, Samsung Health, Fitbit, Garmin, COROS, Withings, Wahoo, Oura, Polar, Strava, Suunto and MapMyFitness. Multiple routes can accommodate a workforce with varied devices, though administrators should account for both synced and manually entered data.

Organizers can assign participants to teams or let participants, and optionally team leaders, create them. Scores may be averaged or cumulative, allowing a competition to emphasize typical performance or total activity. Leaderboards update in real time and can take the form of a bar chart, race map or tournament bracket, depending on the challenge.

Slack, Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex integrations let participants join challenges, see standings and submit or update data within those apps. Administrators can set upper and lower bounds for entries and review a scatter chart for unusual values, a useful check when participation relies partly on manual reporting.

ChallengeRunner says data is protected in transit with TLS 1.2 and at rest with field-level and database-level encryption. Its privacy policy says Google Health data is not used for advertising, creditworthiness decisions, diagnosis or treatment, and is not sold or transferred to ad platforms or data brokers. Organizations that are HIPAA Covered Entities are instructed to sign a Business Associate Agreement with ChallengeRunner LLC. Technical support is available through an FAQ, with further questions directed to its contact page.

Pricing

Sandbox costs nothing and is capped at 10 participants and seven days. It includes tracker syncing, website and smartphone apps, a real-time leaderboard and self-service setup. That is enough to try a short, small challenge, but the tight participant and duration caps rule it out for a larger campaign.

Core costs $15 a month, with billing only for the actual challenge duration and pricing based on participant count. It supports unlimited duration and participants according to pricing tier, plus multiple admins, activities and teams, branding and downloadable reports. There are no setup fees or add-ons; registration before the challenge and report access afterward are free. This structure suits organizations running occasional campaigns, though the participant-based tier still matters when budgeting.

Core Annual costs $259 a year and allows unlimited challenges during the annual term. It includes all Core features, Microsoft Teams, Slack and Webex integration, an effectiveness report, and white label availability. It is the better fit for employers planning repeated challenges and wanting in-app participation or branded delivery; the annual term is less suited to a one-off event.

Platforms

ChallengeRunner is available on Android, iOS and the web. Smartphone apps provide a mobile route for participants, while browser access supports desktop use. Single sign-on is supported.

Who it's for

Choose ChallengeRunner for an employer-led activity program that needs flexible challenge formats, configurable team scoring and live competition. It is less suitable as a standalone employee wellbeing platform: it does not include assessments, coaching or mental health resources.

Pros and cons

• Pros: A broad set of challenge types and tracker connections supports campaigns beyond step counting.
• Pros: Team score options, real-time visual leaderboards and workplace chat integrations give organizers several ways to sustain participation.
• Pros: Entry bounds and scatter-chart review offer administrators a way to flag questionable submissions.
• Cons: Sandbox is limited to 10 people and seven days, so it cannot host a larger or extended pilot.
• Cons: The product focuses on challenges rather than assessments, coaching or mental health support.

Alternatives

Stridekick is worth considering for smaller public challenges: its free plan also allows 10 participants and seven days, with five challenge modes, while Pro 10 costs $12.99 a month (billed $139.99/yr) for 10 participants and private challenges. For employer-focused support beyond challenges, MindFi offers a free Basic plan for teams of fewer than 20 and 24/7 access to licensed psychologists and counsellors; therapy is billed per session, starting at $35/session.

Organizations seeking a broader corporate wellness package can compare GOQii Corporate Wellness, with a fitness tracker, personalized health subscription, diagnostics booking, sessions and custom rewards, or Healthify Corporate, which offers a customized corporate plan. Koa Care 360 is another organization-focused service, with details available by consultation. Employers evaluating benefits delivered through an employer or insurer can consider Peppy, whose scope and duration depend on that agreement. Personify Health offers a personalized health platform with pricing by demo or contact. Thrive Global is another alternative.

Browse more options in Employee Wellbeing Software.

Verdict

ChallengeRunner is a strong fit for employers who want to run measurable, competitive fitness campaigns with varied activities and team formats. Its combination of tracker support, live standings and active-duration Core billing is compelling for intermittent programs. Look elsewhere if your priority is a broader wellbeing benefit, or if your challenge exceeds the Sandbox cap and requires a predictable annual commitment.