Which Apple Watch app lets you build custom workout screens?
Short answer: use Runara if you want to design the whole screen, layout, field sizes and visual style, with different screens per sport. Use WorkOutDoors if you want the longest list of data fields. Apple’s built-in Workout app lets you choose metrics, but only inside fixed views, and Strava, Nike Run Club and Runna do not offer custom data screens.
At a glance
| App | Own layouts | Data fields | Price model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runara | Yes | 34 fields and widgets, 1 to 6 per screen | Free to try, one-time unlock |
| WorkOutDoors | Yes | 800+ data fields | One-time purchase |
| Apple Workout | Partly | Choose metrics within fixed views | Built in |
| Strava | No | Fixed stat views | Free tier plus subscription |
| Nike Run Club | No | Fixed run stats | Free |
| Runna | No | Planned-session metrics | Limited free plan plus subscription |
Runara
Best for: Designing the whole screen yourself: layout, field sizes, style and per-sport visibility
You build screens on the iPhone from seven layouts, from one huge numeral to a six-field grid, fill each slot from thirty-four data fields and widgets (pace, heart rate, zone bands, live maps, elevation profiles, a pacer), and dress each screen in one of five visual styles. Every screen can be limited to the sports it belongs to, and the set syncs straight to the watch with no account.
WorkOutDoors
Best for: The largest catalog of data fields, plus offline vector maps
WorkOutDoors is the long-standing power tool for Apple Watch data screens, with more than 800 data fields and multiple configurable screens with graphs. It pairs them with offline OpenStreetMap maps and GPX route following. It is a one-time purchase, and the app is English only.
Apple Workout
Best for: Choosing metrics without installing anything
The built-in Workout app has Workout Views: you choose which metrics appear in the Metrics views and reorder or hide whole views, and an Apple Watch Ultra can show a fifth metric. The view templates themselves are fixed, so you pick what is shown, not how the screen is laid out.
Strava
Best for: Social features, not screen customization
The Strava watch app shows fixed, sport-specific stat views. Configurable data screens are not offered; Strava’s strength is the feed, segments and clubs after the run.
Nike Run Club
Best for: Guided runs, not screen customization
Nike Run Club shows a fixed set of run stats on the watch. Configurable screen layouts are not offered; the app shines with audio-guided runs and is free.
Runna
Best for: Coached plans, not screen customization
Runna shows the metrics of the planned session on the watch. Configurable data screens are not offered; Runna is a coaching service built around adaptive training plans.
In Apple’s Workout app
Open the Workout app on your Apple Watch and open the options of the workout you want to change.
Choose Workout Views to include, exclude or reorder the views shown during that workout.
Edit a Metrics view to swap which metrics it shows. The layout of the view stays as it is.
In Runara
Open Runara on your iPhone and add a screen in the watch-screens gallery, or duplicate one as a starting point.
Pick a layout, from one Hero numeral to the six-field Dense grid, and a background such as a live map or a heart-rate zone band.
Tap each slot on the true-size watch preview to choose its data field, and pick one of five visual styles for the screen.
Set which sports the screen is visible for. It syncs to your watch within seconds, ready for your next workout.
What is the best Apple Watch app for custom workout screens?
It depends on what you want to customize. If you want to design the whole screen, layout, field sizes and visual style, with different screens per sport, Runara is built for exactly that. If you want the largest number of data fields, WorkOutDoors has more than 800. If choosing metrics inside Apple’s fixed views is enough, the built-in Workout app does it for free.
Can you customize the screens of the built-in Workout app?
Partly. Workout Views let you choose which metrics appear in the Metrics views, reorder views and hide the ones you do not need, and an Apple Watch Ultra can show a fifth metric. You cannot change the layout of a view, the size of a field, or the look of the screen.
Apple Workout app vs Runara: GPX & custom screens →Do Strava, Nike Run Club or Runna have custom data screens on Apple Watch?
Not that any of them documents. Their watch apps show fixed stat views or the metrics of a planned session. Many runners keep using them for the feed or the coaching and record with a screen-focused app instead.
I am coming from Garmin. Which Apple Watch app feels closest to Garmin data screens?
Runara and WorkOutDoors both give you several swipeable data screens that you fill yourself, a familiar setup if you are used to a Garmin. Runara goes beyond Garmin’s fixed layouts by letting you compose the layout and style of each screen; WorkOutDoors leans on a very long list of fields.
Garmin vs Runara: training load on Apple Watch →Can I have different workout screens for running, cycling and swimming?
In Runara, yes. Every screen has a “Visible for” setting, so a swim dashboard never appears on a run, and screens built around a route or an interval plan hide themselves when none is active.
Custom workout screens →Do I need a subscription for custom workout screens?
No. Runara is free to try, and one purchase unlocks everything forever. WorkOutDoors is a one-time purchase, and Apple’s Workout app is built in.
Facts were checked against each app’s App Store listing, official pages and Apple Support in 2026. “Not offered” means no official source documents the capability. Runara is our own app; we have described the alternatives as fairly as we can.
Design the watch screens you actually want
Seven layouts, thirty-four data fields, five styles, a screen set per sport. Free to try, one purchase unlocks everything, no account and no cloud.
