On June 1, 2026, Strava announced a series of changes to its developer program alongside the launch of its official MCP Connector. The moves come as Strava, which confidentially filed for an IPO earlier in 2026, tightens control over how its data is accessed and used.
If you build on the Strava API — or are thinking about it — here are the changes that matter, and what to do about them.
1. A new developer subscription fee
The headline change: Strava is introducing a flat monthly fee for developer access. The Strava API was previously available through a free, tiered access program. According to reporting from TechCrunch, the new fee is a flat $11.99 per month for all developers, though the price may vary by geography.
Strava has framed this as a sustainable, predictable model — explicitly a flat fee rather than the usage-based pricing that drew backlash when other platforms changed their API terms.
A growing developer community
Strava's developer community has grown from roughly 185,000 members a year ago to about 241,000 in 2026. The company has said it plans to continue supporting that ecosystem alongside these changes.
2. Some API endpoints are being retired
Strava plans to retire certain API endpoints to better protect user data. Developers are being given a 90-day grace period before these changes take effect, so existing integrations have time to adapt.
Alongside the retirements, Strava is shipping new developer tooling. Its official API changelog for June 1, 2026 lists a new deauthorization endpoint, the application's access tier now surfaced in the API Settings Dashboard, and self-service expanded access so developers can request additional permissions directly.
Action item
Audit which endpoints your app depends on and watch the official changelog closely during the 90-day window. Check your application's tier in the API Settings Dashboard and use the new self-service flow if you need expanded access.
3. Tighter anti-scraping measures
A core motivation behind the changes is curbing data scraping. Strava is increasing security around its website and will now require authentication to view certain data that was previously public. CEO Michael Martin pointed to AI companies “ruthlessly scraping public websites, given their endless need for training data” as part of the rationale, and the company has said it declined data-licensing offers from major AI labs.
This builds on Strava's updated API agreement from November 2024, which already established two key rules that remain in force:
- Display data only to its owner — third-party apps may only show a user's Strava activity data back to that same user, not to other users.
- No AI/ML training — third parties may not use data obtained through the API to train artificial intelligence or machine-learning models.
At the time, Strava said those 2024 changes would affect fewer than 0.1% of applications, with the large majority of use cases — including coaching and performance-analysis tools — remaining permitted.
4. Official MCP support for AI access
Rather than allowing AI tools to scrape or repurpose API data, Strava is channeling AI access through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — an open standard that lets AI assistants access external data in a structured, permission-scoped way. The first product of that strategy is the consumer-facing Strava MCP Connector, which lets subscribers query their own data through Claude. For Strava, MCP offers tighter control over exactly what gets shared and how.
What this means for developers
For the overwhelming majority of legitimate apps — training analytics, visualizations, automation, and the like — building on Strava remains very much viable. The practical takeaways:
- Budget for the new monthly developer fee if you maintain a Strava integration.
- Review your endpoint usage now and track the changelog through the 90-day grace period.
- Confirm your app only surfaces a user's data back to that same user, and that you aren't feeding API data into AI/ML training.
- If your use case involves AI analysis, design around official MCP access rather than scraping.
New to the platform or need a refresher on the fundamentals? Start with our Strava API getting-started guide and the full developer documentation, covering authentication, webhooks, and best practices.