Stridekick is a free social stepping app that caps free challenges at 10 participants, so most companies end up on its paid Pro or Unlimited tiers. Pacer for Teams is a workplace step challenge platform with published pricing and a 7-day free trial. Which one fits depends on your group size and on how much pricing transparency and admin control you need.
- Stridekick’s free tier covers up to 10 participants and 7-day public challenges. Company-scale features such as Team mode, 90-day challenges, and SuperDash reporting sit in the custom-quoted Unlimited tier.
- Stridekick’s Pro tiers run $12.99 to $49.99 per month and top out at 50 participants. Anything larger requires a custom quote for the Unlimited tier.
- Pacer for Teams publishes its pricing ($454 per month for 100 participants) and offers a 7-day free trial with no sales call required.
- Across 5,500+ organizations on Pacer for Teams, monthly engagement averages 96.9%, and employees log about 40% more steps after joining.
- Employees can join a Pacer for Teams challenge with just their phone. No wearable required.
How Stridekick’s Free and Paid Tiers Work
Stridekick started as a social stepping app for friends, and its free tier still reflects that. Free challenges are capped at 10 participants, 7 days, and public visibility. Paid Pro tiers (Pro 10, Pro 20, and Pro 50) unlock private challenges up to 45 days, and the custom-quoted Unlimited tier adds unlimited participants, 90-day challenges, 11 challenge modes including Team and Group, a dedicated account manager, and the SuperDash reporting tool.
The tier ladder matters because the features a company actually needs cluster at the top. Team and Group challenge modes are Unlimited-only, and so are 90-day windows and SuperDash reporting. Unlimited has no published price. A company evaluating Stridekick is really weighing those tiered caps against a purpose-built workplace platform. Weighing other platforms too? See how Pacer for Teams compares with MoveSpring.
Pacer for Teams vs Stridekick at a Glance
| Pacer for Teams | Stridekick |
|---|---|
| Best for | |
| Company step challenges of any size | Friend groups; small teams on paid tiers |
| Pricing | |
| Published: $454 per month for 100 participants | Free tier; Pro $12.99 to $49.99/month; Unlimited by custom quote |
| Free option | |
| 7-day free trial, full features | Free forever, capped at 10 participants |
| Challenge length | |
| Flexible, admin-defined | 7 days free; 45 days Pro; 90 days Unlimited |
| Challenge types | |
| Step, Distance, Daily Goal, Virtual Race, Virtual Adventure, habit and wellness | 5 modes on free and Pro; 11 modes on Unlimited, including Team and Group |
| Phone-only tracking | |
| Yes, built-in pedometer | Syncs from trackers via Apple Health or Google Fit; manual entry available |
| Wearables | |
| Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, and more | Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin, WHOOP, Oura, Withings |
| Admin tools | |
| Admin console, score adjustments, reporting, API access | SuperDash reporting and account manager on Unlimited |
| App ratings | |
| 4.9 App Store (1.1M ratings); 4.8 Google Play (970K reviews) | 4.5 App Store (3.4K ratings) |
| Scale | |
| 5,500+ organizations, 450K+ participants, 190+ countries | Enterprise logos include Best Buy, Cisco, and Deloitte |
Pricing and ratings checked August 2026 and may change. Stridekick figures come from stridekick.com/pricing and the App Store.
Which Platform Fits Your Team?
Choose Pacer for Teams if you are running a challenge for a whole company or department. You get published pricing you can put in a budget request and a 7-day free trial you can start today. Phone-only tracking lets every employee join without buying a device.
Choose Stridekick if you are organizing a small group of 10 or fewer and want a free, playful way to compete with friends. Its free tier is one of the most generous for casual groups, and the community has a fun, social feel.
Feature by Feature
Challenge Types
Pacer for Teams includes step, distance, and daily goal challenges plus Virtual Races and Virtual Adventure Challenges that move teams along real-world routes. Stridekick offers 5 challenge modes on its free and Pro tiers, such as Leaderboard, Target, and Streak. Its full set of 11 modes, including the Team and Group formats companies actually need, is reserved for the Unlimited tier. If team-vs-team competition is the point of your program, on Stridekick that feature sits behind a sales conversation.
Tracking and Devices
Both platforms sync popular wearables. Stridekick supports Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin, WHOOP, Oura, and Withings, and it accepts manual entry. Pacer’s difference is the built-in pedometer: employees can track steps with the phone already in their pocket. For HR teams, that removes the most common objection to a step challenge, which is that not everyone owns a tracker. It also removes manual entry as a fairness worry.
Admin and Reporting
Pacer for Teams gives admins a self-serve console with live leaderboards, score adjustments, participation reporting, and API access at every price point. Stridekick’s organizer tools are lighter by design on free and Pro tiers; its SuperDash reporting tool and dedicated account manager arrive with the Unlimited plan. If you need to show HR leadership a participation report at the end of the quarter, check which tier actually includes it before you commit.
Pricing: Published Rates vs Tiered Caps
Pacer for Teams publishes its pricing: $454 per month for 100 participants, with a 7-day free trial and no participant minimums. You can estimate your cost before ever talking to anyone.
Stridekick prices by group size. The free tier stops at 10 participants and 7-day public challenges. Pro tiers run $12.99 per month (Pro 10), $24.99 (Pro 20), and $49.99 (Pro 50), all capped at 45-day challenges and 5 modes. Anything larger than 50 participants means the Unlimited tier, which is quote-based. For a 100-person challenge, that makes Stridekick’s real price unknowable without a sales call, while Pacer’s is on the pricing page.
When Stridekick Is the Better Fit
An honest comparison cuts both ways, and Stridekick does some things well. Its free tier genuinely costs nothing for groups of 10 or fewer, which no dedicated workplace platform matches. Its device list includes newer wearables like WHOOP, Oura, and Withings. The app has a playful, community-first tone that casual steppers enjoy, and its enterprise logo wall (Best Buy, Cisco, Deloitte, JPMorgan) shows large companies have run programs on it. For a small friendly competition with no budget and no reporting needs, Stridekick is a fine choice.
How to Switch from Stridekick to Pacer for Teams
1. Close out your current challenge. Let the active Stridekick challenge finish and save the final leaderboard so past results are not lost.
2. Start a Pacer for Teams free trial. The 7-day trial includes the full feature set, so you can rebuild your challenge format before paying anything.
3. Run a pilot with one department. A 2 to 4 week pilot surfaces sync questions and builds internal champions before the full rollout.
4. Launch company-wide. Announce the challenge, invite employees by link or code, and let phone-only tracking bring in the people who never joined before because they lacked a wearable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Stridekick free?
Stridekick is free for challenges of up to 10 participants, limited to 7 days and public visibility. Private challenges, longer durations, and larger groups require a paid Pro tier ($12.99 to $49.99 per month) or the custom-quoted Unlimited tier.
How many people can join a Stridekick challenge?
Free Stridekick challenges allow up to 10 participants. Pro tiers raise the cap to 10, 20, or 50 depending on the plan, and the Unlimited tier removes the cap entirely for organizations that request a custom quote.
How much does Stridekick cost for a company challenge?
Groups up to 50 can use Pro tiers at $12.99 to $49.99 per month. Larger companies need the Unlimited tier, which is priced by custom quote and includes unlimited participants, 90-day challenges, 11 challenge modes, and SuperDash reporting.
What is the best Stridekick alternative for workplace step challenges?
Pacer for Teams is a strong Stridekick alternative for companies because it publishes its pricing ($454 per month for 100 participants), offers a 7-day free trial, supports phone-only tracking, and includes admin reporting at every tier. It is used by 5,500+ organizations in 190+ countries.
Do employees need a wearable to join a Pacer for Teams challenge?
No. Pacer’s built-in pedometer tracks steps with just a phone, and the platform also syncs Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, and other popular devices for employees who prefer them.
Does Stridekick offer anything Pacer for Teams doesn’t?
Stridekick’s free tier for groups of 10 or fewer is permanently free, and it syncs some newer wearables such as WHOOP, Oura, and Withings. For casual friend groups with no admin or reporting needs, that free tier is its main draw.
The Bottom Line
Stridekick is a good free app for small social stepping groups, but company-scale features live behind tiered caps and a quote-based Unlimited plan. Pacer for Teams was built for the workplace from the start: published pricing, phone-only tracking, admin reporting at every tier, and results you can defend to leadership, with 96.9% monthly engagement across 5,500+ organizations. If you are comparing the two for a company challenge, start the Pacer for Teams 7-day free trial and see the difference in one pilot.
Leo Lei is a Marketing Specialist at Pacer, where he covers workplace wellness and walking challenges. He works with step data from thousands of companies on Pacer to write practical guides for HR and people teams running their own challenges.
