We see you. You want to run a team competition, but you’re on the free plan. So you create a bunch of separate Individual Leaderboard challenges, name them after teams, and try to stitch it all together.

It works… kind of. But let’s be real: it’s messy, confusing, and way more work than it should be.

Here’s why “hacked leaderboards” don’t cut it — and why upgrading to Unlimited (the only way to unlock Team Leaderboard Mode) is the smarter, smoother option.

Why hacked leaderboards don’t cut it

Groups often “hack” the app by running multiple individual leaderboard challenges and treating each challenge as one team. Sounds clever, but here’s why it sucks:

• Not everyone is in one challenge. Each team is siloed. Participants only see their own scores, and have no idea if they’re in first or last. Plus, they’re only able to chat with their own team, not the broader group!
  
• No cross-team visibility. There’s no single leaderboard that shows how all teams compare, or who the top stepper is on each team. Not very motivating if you can’t see who you’re outstepping.
• Admin overload. You’re managing multiple challenges, pulling data manually, and constantly sending updates to participants.
  
• Reporting nightmare. At the end, you have to combine data across multiple leaderboards just to calculate final results. 

Sound familiar? That’s exactly why Stridekick Unlimited exists.

How Team Leaderboard works in Unlimited

With Unlimited, you get access to Team Leaderboard Mode. Everyone joins a single challenge and then joins or creates a team inside the app.

Here’s how it works:

• Scoring: Teams compete based on your chosen metric — total steps, distance, or active minutes. The leaderboard updates in real time.
  
• Filtering: You can filter leaderboards by different metrics to see how competition shifts. Filter by total and average steps, distance and active minutes.
  
• Team rankings: The leaderboard shows overall team standings, updated in real time.
  
• Teammate rankings: Within a team, members see a ranked leaderboard of their own teammates. Tap on another team to see their top steppers!
  
• Detailed Breakdowns: Tap into any team to view each individual’s contribution.

Team creation options

You’ve got flexibility depending on how structured (or social) you want to make it:

• User-created teams. Participants can join or create their own team. This is fun, social, and often leads to creative team names. (Need inspiration? Check out our list of team name ideas).
  
• Admin-created teams. You can predefine teams based on things like location, department, or internal setup. Users then pick from your list when they join the challenge.
  
  • Pro tip: If you care about who’s on what team, send out team assignments when you share your challenge link.
    
• Profile photos. Teams can upload a photo or logo for their team identity.

Why Unlimited Team Leaderboard is better

• Everyone in one challenge. All teams are visible in a single leaderboard — no more splitting participants across multiple challenges.
  
• More connection. There’s one challenge-wide chat for announcements and banter, plus a private chat for each team.
  
• Less admin work. Scores and rankings update in real time. You don’t have to calculate or share results manually.
  
• Richer leaderboards. Participants can see overall team rankings, their own team’s score, their teammates’ rankings, and even dive into other teams.
  
• Flexible team formation. Create predefined teams or let people form their own — no more clunky workarounds.
  
• Fair competition. Stridekick’s scoring adjusts automatically so teams of different sizes can compete fairly. No more worrying about perfectly balanced teams.
  
• Detailed reporting. At the end of the challenge, you can pull comprehensive reports showing participant and team data by day.

Hacked Leaderboards vs Unlimited (Team Mode)

Still not convinced? Here’s a side-by-side look at why Unlimited Team Mode makes life easier for admins and more engaging for participants:

The bottom line

If you’ve been piecing together “team competitions” with hacked leaderboards, it’s time to stop the madness. Unlimited unlocks Team Leaderboard Mode — the easiest, fairest, and most engaging way to run team challenges in Stridekick.

👉 Ready to level up? Upgrade to Unlimited and build your first Team Challenge today.