Ochy vs Caden: which running form app fits you
Ochy measures more and is used by coaches. Caden measures six things from a side-view clip, shows you the frames, and builds a practice plan. Which one fits you.
Pick Ochy if you want the longest list of metrics, or you work with a coach or clinic that already uses it. Pick Caden if you want a smaller set of measurements you can check with your own eyes and a plan you can start this week. Ochy measures pronation, pelvic tilt and flight time. Caden does not. Caden shows you the exact frame behind each verdict and rejects clips it cannot read. Ochy's reviewers say it does neither.
What Ochy does well
Ochy is a French app, founded in 2021, on iOS and Android. You film a run, upload the clip, and get "detailed analysis results in under 60 seconds", in the vendor's words. The report covers pronation, pelvic tilt, overstride, cadence, knee position and flight time. That is a longer list than Caden's. It also has a coach mode and a rear view mode.
Coaches and clinicians are its happiest users. The praise is about small, quick corrections.
"As a professional running coach, this app allows me to help my athletes make slight changes to their running form" App Store review, 5 stars, US
"The app Ochy was enough for me to tweak my form. I was a bit too upright so I practiced falling forward more." Reddit r/running
Even a 1-star Google Play review said it "Can save you a lot instead of going to a physio to do a gait analysis." At the time of writing it holds 4.5 stars from 286 ratings on the App Store and 4.6 from 428 on Google Play. No other running form app comes close on ratings.
Where people get stuck with Ochy
We read Ochy's 1 to 3 star reviews on the App Store in four countries and on Google Play, plus the Reddit threads about it. Six themes repeat.
1. Coaches who checked the footage disagreed with the verdict
This is the complaint that matters most for a form app. Reviewers did not just dislike the result. They looked at the same video with a physio or a biomechanics specialist and found the label wrong.
"You can see with your eyes that the customer is overpronating or rolling in, yet the software rates it 100% neutral." App Store review, 1 star, GB
"It suggests I'm leaning back too much which myself and the physio both agreed is wrong based on the footage." App Store review, 2 stars, GB
A Reddit r/running user found the analysis "not super consistent" between runs.
Caden's answer is not "trust us". It is the Breakpoints screen. Every verdict comes with an annotated freeze frame at foot strike, midstance and toe-off, with the skeleton drawn on your body. If the foot landing dial says your foot lands ahead of your hip, open the foot strike frame and look. If the skeleton is wrong, you see that too. Read more on how accurate running form apps are.
2. Billing and trial traps
"DO NOT take the yearly plan which claims to include a 7 day free trial because they will take all your money upfront and when you cancel within the time you won't get any refund." Google Play review, 1 star
A US reviewer said "Asking for $60 upfront without knowing if the app works well feels unfair." Another Google Play reviewer called it "impossible to cancel" and reported a charge the month after uninstalling. We cannot verify single billing cases, but the pattern repeats.
3. A discount popup before your first analysis
One Google Play reviewer described a limited time discount on premium plans shown "at the very beginning, when you haven't even tried their analysis." A US reviewer got a result "greyed out and locked behind a paywall", with a points system they could not work out. Caden is free to download. The full analysis, plan and comparison need the Pro subscription, and you see the price before you pay.
4. Generic exercises with no follow-through
Reddit r/running called the exercises "too general". A GB reviewer said "Seems they have put all the effort into the analysis, but not much into the exercises regime part." A Google Play reviewer kept forgetting them and said "in the end do not use the app at all." Caden builds a 4 or 8 week plan from your lowest dials, three short sessions a week at the session length you chose in onboarding. Each session names the drill, such as A-skips or slow calf raises.
5. Uploads stuck at 0%
"I've waited 10min and it is still on 0%." App Store review, 3 stars, AU
A US reviewer said uploads "fail without any error message". Ochy needs your clip uploaded before it can analyse it, and so does Caden. The difference is in the failure handling: Caden shows each stage of the upload and analysis with real progress, and a failed run is removed instead of parked at zero percent. The clip uploads with the audio removed and is stored privately under your account until you delete the analysis.
6. A rear view that would not upload
A Google Play reviewer said "The side view analysis works but the rear view won't upload videos and there's no tech support to contact."
Caden films a side view, outdoors or on a treadmill. It does not measure pronation. No 2D video can.
Ochy vs Caden side by side
| Ochy | Caden | |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Pronation, pelvic tilt, overstride, cadence, knee position, flight time, per the vendor | Six 2D dials: where your foot lands, knee bend on landing, knee bend at push-off, upper body lean, arm bend and head position. Plus cadence and a score out of 100 |
| Camera views | Side and rear, per the vendor and reviews | Side, outdoors or on a treadmill |
| Where processing runs | After upload, on Ochy's side | After upload, on Caden's side. Private storage, deletable |
| What you get after analysis | A report with metrics and exercises. Reviewers say parts can be locked | Score, six dials, annotated frames at foot strike, midstance and toe-off, a coach's tip with one cue per metric |
| Plan and follow-up | Exercises. Reviewers call them general and say nothing prompts them | 4 or 8 week plan, three sessions a week, built from your lowest scores. Before and after in Stats |
| Who it is built for | Runners, coaches and clinics | Solo runners with an iPhone |
| Price note | App Store listing at the time of writing: $19.99 a month, $89.99 to $119.99 a year, $49.99 for 15 analyses | Free to download. Pro subscription for the full analysis and plan. Price shown in the app before you pay |
Who should pick which
Pick Ochy if:
- You are a coach or clinic and want one report for many athletes.
- You want pronation or pelvic tilt in the report. Caden does not measure those.
- You are on Android.
Pick Caden if:
- You want to check the verdict yourself on the frame.
- You want your clip stored privately and gone when you delete it.
- You want a plan with named drills and a date to re-check.
- You have been burned by a trial before and want to see the price first.
Neither app is a medical tool. A video cannot tell you the cause of pain. If something hurts, read clinic vs app and book a physio.
How to switch or try
You do not need to cancel Ochy to try Caden. Film one clip, run it in both, and compare the foot strike frame with what each app says. If you do cancel Ochy, do it from your store subscriptions screen, not by deleting the app. More than one reviewer was charged after uninstalling.
How to do it in Caden
- Tap Run a new analysis. Film 10 to 20 seconds from the side at your easy pace, phone at hip height. See how to film yourself running.
- Read the form score and the six dials. Tap the lowest one for its cue.
- Open Breakpoints and check the Foot strike frame. Look at where the foot lands under the skeleton.
- Start a plan from the result. Pick 4 or 8 weeks. The sessions are built from your lowest dials.
- Re-film at the end of the plan and open Before and after in Stats.
FAQ
Is Caden more accurate than Ochy?
We do not claim that. Both are 2D estimates from video. Caden shows the annotated frame behind each number, and it rejects clips that are too dark, too short or too far away instead of guessing.
Does Caden measure pronation like Ochy?
No. Pronation is a 3D movement of the foot and ankle. A phone video from the side or behind cannot measure it reliably. Caden measures landing reach, lean, knee bend, arm angle, head position and cadence.
Is there a free version of Caden?
Caden is free to download. The full analysis, a 4 or 8 week plan and Before and after need the Pro subscription. The price is shown before you pay.
Can I use Caden on Android?
Not yet. Caden needs an iPhone on iOS 17 or later. Ochy is on both platforms.
Trademarks
Ochy is a trademark of its owner. Caden is not affiliated with Ochy.