"Our intention was not to hide these changes": Strava apologises for price hike controversy

Strava has apologised to its users for "not providing enough information directly to our community" about the controversial subscription price rise of almost 30 per cent and insisted the "intention was not to hide these pricing changes".

In a statement released on the brand's website, Strava admitted its messaging had been "very confusing", saying everything "just moved too fast" and it was "unacceptable" that subscribers learnt of changes through news reports such as the one published on this website.

We updated our subscription pricing. Our messaging was very confusing. So we're providing more clarity.

In an effort to roll out pricing updates for our subscription, we made a mistake by not providing enough information directly to our community. We sincerely apologise for the confusion and concern this has caused many of our valued subscribers.

Our intention was not to hide these pricing changes, we just moved too fast. We also missed the opportunity to inform long-standing monthly subscribers that, by shifting from paying monthly to annual, they can avoid a significant price increase altogether.

Strava is fully committed to our community. This commitment means not allowing our subscribers to receive an automated email about changing subscription costs, or to read or hear about price change confusion elsewhere as that's unacceptable.

We hear and understand your frustration, and we aim here to make subscription rates clear to our community.

 The price of the company's subscription service, which provides users with additional features unavailable on the app's free version, such as route planning, segment competition, effort analysis, and a training dashboard, has now increased for monthly subscribers from £6.99 to £8.99 for 2023 – a jump of over 28 per cent – while the annual subscription has risen from £47.99 to £54.99.

The changes are already in place for new subscribers and will be seen in existing users' next bill. It came less than a month after Strava, which claims to have the world's largest sports community of more than 100 million users, reportedly let go at least 40 employees, including product designers and product managers.

> REVIEW: Strava Premium (annual subscription)

Strava has not made a public statement about the layoffs, believed to be around 14 per cent of staff, but did tell road.cc the subscription price increase was made to "reflect the growing subscription features, as well as local market changes".

"The last pricing release for annual subscriptions took place about a decade ago while monthly subscriptions have seldom fluctuated," Strava said. "We are consistently investing in the value of our subscription experience to deliver a best-in-class digital experience."

Strava also today announced the acquisition of FATMAP – a mobile app for discovering, planning and navigating outdoor adventures and confirmed Strava subscribers will have access to the full FATMAP offering.

Will you be keeping your subscription? Does the price hike make it less likely you'll be picking one up? And are the subscriber features worth the increase? Let us know your thoughts in the comments...