Sports · head to head
Catapult vs Strava
Catapult
Sports
Wearable athlete tracking and video analysis for professional teams, with indoor sport needing separate hardware
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Strava has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Catapult satellite positioning does not work indoors, so arena sports must buy a local positioning system with anchor units installed in the venue, which is a capital project priced far above the outdoor product.; Strava segment leaderboards, custom goals, workout analysis, offline routes and fitness scoring all require a subscription
- They diverge on capability: Catapult covers Vector wearables, Strava covers GPS activity tracking.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Catapult and Strava actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Sports).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Catapult
- Vector wearables
- Training load analysis
- Local positioning system
- Video analysis
- Weight room monitoring
- Athlete management integration
Only in Strava
- GPS activity tracking
- Segment leaderboards
- Route discovery
- Training analysis
- Social feed and clubs
- Garmin
- Wahoo
- Apple Watch
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Catapult
- A professional football or rugby club managing training load across a squad through a congested fixture listnot Strava
- A national team programme that needs consistent workload data across athletes who play for different clubsnot Strava
- A college programme with a sports science department that will act on readiness data rather than file itnot Strava
- An indoor sport organisation prepared to fund a venue installation to get positional data where satellite tracking failsnot Strava
Strava
- Recording runs and rides from a phone or watchnot Catapult
- Segment leaderboards and competing on routesnot Catapult
- Training analysis and fitness tracking on the subscriptionnot Catapult
- Route planning with offline mapsnot Catapult
- Following friends and clubsnot Catapult
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Catapult
- Satellite positioning does not work indoors, so arena sports must buy a local positioning system with anchor units installed in the venue, which is a capital project priced far above the outdoor product.
- Contracts are typically multi-year with hardware bundled into the subscription, so the annual figure understates the commitment and early exit does not recover the hardware.
- The data is only useful with a qualified sports scientist to interpret it; programmes that buy the vests without the staff get expensive attendance records instead of workload management.
- Raw data access and export are limited relative to what research-minded departments want, so bespoke analysis often depends on what the vendor chooses to expose.
- Cost puts it out of reach of amateur and school sport entirely, and the venue dependency for indoor tracking means the system is tied to a building rather than to the team.
Strava
- Segment leaderboards, custom goals, workout analysis, offline routes and fitness scoring all require a subscription
- The $5 a month headline is the annual rate, billed as $59.99 a year
- The student rate and the Runna bundle are annual only, with no monthly option
Pricing, plan by plan
Catapult
On request- Catapult Vector$undefined/year
- Quoted per athlete with hardware bundled into a multi-year term
- Outdoor satellite positioning only
- Analysis software and support included
- Catapult Indoor Tracking$undefined/year
- Requires anchor units installed in the venue
- Capital installation cost in addition to the subscription
- Priced well above the outdoor product
- Catapult Video$undefined/year
- Coded match and training video
- Quoted per organisation
- Sold separately from athlete monitoring
Strava
Free- FreeFree
- Activity tracking
- GPS recording
- Basic segments
- Strava+$11.99/month
- Full segment leaderboards
- Training zones
- Heart rate analysis
Which should you pick?
Choose Catapult if
- You need vector wearables.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
- You also want training load analysis.
Choose Strava if
- You need gps activity tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web, Apple Watch, Wear OS.
- You also want segment leaderboards.
Questions people ask
- Is Catapult or Strava better?
- Neither clearly leads. Catapult starts at On request and Strava at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Catapult or Strava?
- Strava has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Catapult and Free for Strava.
- Does Catapult or Strava run on more platforms?
- Catapult runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows. Strava runs on iOS, Android, Web, Apple Watch, Wear OS.
- Can I use Strava for free?
- Yes. Strava has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Catapult starts at On request.
- What is Catapult best used for?
- Catapult is most often used for a professional football or rugby club managing training load across a squad through a congested fixture list, a national team programme that needs consistent workload data across athletes who play for different clubs, a college programme with a sports science department that will act on readiness data rather than file it, an indoor sport organisation prepared to fund a venue installation to get positional data where satellite tracking fails. Of those, a professional football or rugby club managing training load across a squad through a congested fixture list and a national team programme that needs consistent workload data across athletes who play for different clubs are not what Strava is typically brought in for.
- What can Catapult do that Strava cannot?
- Catapult covers Vector wearables, Training load analysis, Local positioning system, Video analysis. Strava covers GPS activity tracking, Segment leaderboards, Route discovery, Training analysis.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Catapult: Does it work indoors?
Not the satellite-based Vector product. Indoor sports need the local positioning system, which requires anchor units installed in the venue and costs considerably more.
Strava: Does Strava offer a free tier?
Yes. Strava Free includes basic activity tracking, GPS recording, activity feed, following other athletes, giving kudos, and basic segments with top 10 leaderboard access. The free tier does not include full segment leaderboards, training zones, or heart rate analysis.
SourceCatapult: Is the hardware bought or leased?
It is normally bundled into a multi-year subscription. Ask what happens to the units at the end of the term and what an early exit costs.
Strava: What does Strava Premium cost?
Strava costs $11.99 per month or $79.99 per year for individual users. A Family Plan costs $139.99 per year. Students receive 50% off at $39.99 per year with verification.
SourceCatapult: Do we need a sports scientist?
Effectively yes. Without someone to interpret load and readiness data and a coaching staff willing to change sessions because of it, the investment does not return anything.
Strava: Can I export my data from Strava?
Yes. Every Strava athlete can download their data for free at any time through the app, website, or direct download. However, API access now requires a paid subscription for Standard Tier developers costing $12 per month.
SourceCatapult: How does it compare with a chest strap or a watch?
Those give heart rate and little else. Catapult adds positional, acceleration and collision data, which is what distinguishes training load work from fitness tracking.
Strava: Does Strava work offline?
Strava records activities offline using GPS on your device, but viewing historical data and accessing most app features requires an internet connection to sync and display data.
SourceRelated pages
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