Upkeep vs Stridekick: Step Challenge Apps Compared
Every Upkeep challenge is private, on the free plan too, and one Upkeep Pro price covers groups of up to 250. On both apps, members join free and only the organizer pays. This page compares the plans for an organizer who runs a challenge for a group.
Stridekick's free plan runs public challenges of up to 7 days for 10 participants. Private challenges need Pro, priced by group size: $12.99 a month for 10 people, $24.99 for 20 and $49.99 for 50. Larger groups go to the Unlimited plan through sales. Upkeep's free plan runs private challenges. Upkeep Pro has one price, $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year, for groups of 16 to 250.
On Upkeep, a private challenge for a family, a team at work or a circle of friends costs nothing. For a bigger or longer challenge, the host buys one $4.99 Creator Pass with no subscription, or uses Upkeep Pro. Manually entered steps never count, so the winner earned it.
What is Upkeep? Upkeep is a step challenge app for iPhone and Android. The host sets the daily step target and the length, then invites people to a private challenge. Steps sync from Apple Health or Health Connect, and manually entered steps never count. Members join free.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Upkeep | Stridekick |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan challenges | Private, invite-only | Public challenges only |
| Paid plan (US prices) | Pro $9.99/month or $49.99/year, one price for any group size | Pro $12.99 to $49.99 a month, by group size |
| Largest self-serve group | 250 on Pro | 50 on Pro |
| Challenge modes | Solo, Duel and Group, each with a daily step target and a pass or fail result each day | 5 modes; 11 on Unlimited |
| Consistency Score | A score from 0 to 100 that grows as you hit your daily goal | Not stated |
| Auto-roll | A new round with the same people when a challenge ends | Not stated |
| One-time purchase | Creator Pass $4.99 for one challenge | Monthly or yearly plans |
| Who pays | Only the host; members join free | Only the organizer; members join with a free account |
| Step sources | Apple Health or Health Connect; manually entered steps never count | A wearable or a smartphone |
Free Plans: Public vs Private
Stridekick's free plan lets you create public challenges of up to 7 days, with up to 10 participants and five challenge modes. On Pro, all challenges are private to the people you invite.
Every Upkeep challenge is private and invite-only, on the free plan too.
Paid Plans: Priced by Size vs One Price
Stridekick prices Pro by the number of participants: Pro 10, Pro 20 and Pro 50. Above 50 participants, you contact sales for the Unlimited plan. Upkeep Pro has one price for groups of 16 to 250. A host who needs one bigger or longer challenge, and not a subscription, can buy a Creator Pass. Here is what an organizer pays for some common group sizes, at US prices:
- 12 people for one week: free on Upkeep. On Stridekick, a private challenge for more than 10 people needs Pro 20 at $24.99 a month.
- 20 people for 30 days: a $4.99 Creator Pass on Upkeep, or Upkeep Pro. Pro 20 on Stridekick, at $24.99 a month or $274.99 a year.
- 50 people: a $4.99 Creator Pass on Upkeep for one challenge, or Upkeep Pro at $9.99 a month. Pro 50 on Stridekick, at $49.99 a month or $549.99 a year.
- 100 to 250 people: Upkeep Pro at $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year. Stridekick Unlimited, through sales.
A Fair Daily Challenge
Upkeep is built around one clear goal: a daily step target that the host sets, from 3,000 to 50,000 steps. Each member passes or fails each day, so showing up every day wins, not one big day. Each goal day grows your Consistency Score, and a short day counts for what you did, never zero. When a challenge ends, auto-roll can start a new round with the same people, so a long program needs no new setup.
What Upkeep gives an organizer
- Private challenges on the free plan
- One Pro price for groups of up to 250
- A one-time Creator Pass, with no subscription
- Solo, Duel and Group modes, with auto-roll
- Manual entries never count; synced days are checked
How Steps Count
Stridekick says you can connect any wearable or track with only a smartphone. Its home page shows Fitbit, Apple Watch, iPhone, Android, Garmin, Withings, WHOOP and Oura.
Upkeep reads steps from Apple Health on iPhone and Health Connect on Android. A watch or band counts when its app writes steps to one of those stores. Manually entered steps never count. Upkeep checks synced days. A day that does not look like real walking can be removed from a challenge result, so the winner earned it.
Plans and Prices
Stridekick plans
| Plan | Price (USD) | Participants | Longest challenge | Challenges | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 10 | 7 days | Public | 5 |
| Pro 10 | $12.99/month or $139.99/year | 10 | 45 days | Private | 5 |
| Pro 20 | $24.99/month or $274.99/year | 20 | 45 days | Private | 5 |
| Pro 50 | $49.99/month or $549.99/year | 50 | 45 days | Private | 5 |
| Unlimited | Contact sales | Unlimited | 90 days | Private | 11, including Team and Group |
Prices checked 16 October 2026. Stridekick shows prices in USD, without local taxes and fees. "Only the challenge organizer needs Pro or Unlimited."
Upkeep plans
| Plan | Price (US) | People | Longest challenge | Challenges | Hosted at once |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 3 to 15 | 7 days | Private | 3 |
| Upkeep Pro | $9.99/month or $49.99/year | 16 to 250 | 30 days | Private | unlimited |
| Creator Pass | $4.99 once | Up to 50 | 30 days | Private | One challenge |
Prices checked 16 October 2026. US prices; local prices differ. The annual Upkeep Pro plan has a 14-day free trial in most countries. Members join free. Only the host needs Upkeep Pro or a Creator Pass.
- Pro: $9.99/month or $49.99/year, 16 to 250 people
- 14-day free trial on the annual plan
- Creator Pass: $4.99 once, one challenge of up to 50 people
- Challenges of up to 30 days
- Members join free
- Pro 10, 20 or 50: $12.99 to $49.99 a month
- Yearly: $139.99 to $549.99
- Unlimited: through sales
- Challenges of up to 45 days on Pro, 90 on Unlimited
- Members join with a free account
Why Groups Choose Upkeep
Built for the organizer
- Private, invite-only challenges on the free plan.
- One Upkeep Pro price, $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year, for groups of 16 to 250, with unlimited hosted challenges.
- A Creator Pass for one bigger challenge: $4.99 once, up to 50 people and 30 days, no subscription.
- Members always join free. Only the host pays.
- A daily step target that the host sets, and a pass or fail result for each member each day.
- Manually entered steps never count. A day that does not look like real walking can be removed from a challenge result, so the winner earned it.
Get Upkeep
Free to download. Joining a challenge is free. Hosts can upgrade to Upkeep Pro. Get Upkeep on iPhone or Android.
Members join free. Only the host needs Upkeep Pro or a Creator Pass for a bigger or longer challenge.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, on both apps. Stridekick says only the challenge organizer needs Pro or Unlimited, and everyone else joins with a free account. On Upkeep, members join free. Only the host needs Upkeep Pro or a Creator Pass for a bigger or longer challenge.
On Upkeep, yes. Every Upkeep challenge is private and invite-only, and the free plan covers groups of 3 to 15 people for up to 7 days. Stridekick's free plan runs public challenges of up to 7 days and 10 participants. Private challenges on Stridekick need Pro, from $12.99 a month.
The host sets the length. A challenge runs for up to 30 days on Upkeep Pro or a Creator Pass. Any host can turn on auto-roll, which starts a new round with the same people when a challenge ends.
On Stridekick, the organizer needs Pro 50 at $49.99 a month or $549.99 a year. On Upkeep, the host can buy one Creator Pass for $4.99, for one challenge of up to 50 people and 30 days. Or the host can use Upkeep Pro at $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year, for groups of up to 250. These are US prices; local prices differ.