Comparison

SWIMTAG vs GutGuard

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SWIMTAG

This app helps swimmers track their progress in pools and open water. It allows users to see their performance, set new personal bests, and connect with a community for challenges and competitions. Compatible with various sports watches and fitness platforms.

Highlights
  • Track pool and open water swims
  • Monitor personal bests
  • Join swimmer community
  • Participate in challenges and competitions
  • Integrate with sports watches
  • Link to fitness platforms
Read full description

SWIMTAG is a social swim training aid and monitoring system that tracks your progress in the pool and in open water. See your swims, beat your personal bests, join a community of swimmers, take part in epic challenges and virtual swimming competitions. Create your account for free and upload your first swim using a SWIMTAG wristband, Apple Watch, Garmin or compatible sports watch. You can even generate your own swim manually using our simple editor. You can also link your SWIMTAG account to your favourite fitness and social platforms, including: - Apple Health - Garmin Connect - STRAVA - MYZONE - FitBit - RunKeeper - MyWellness - Facebook Terms of Use can be found here https://m.swimtag.com/legals.xhtml#termsPage

About

GutGuard

Features
Read full description

Every ingredient on a food label is doing something inside your body. Most of us just don't know what. GutGuard changes that. Point your camera at any ingredient list or paste text and get an instant, science-backed breakdown of what each ingredient actually does to your gut. NO GENERIC SCORES. REAL MECHANISMS. Most food-scanning apps give you a number. GutGuard tells you why. Our analysis is built on 7 peer-reviewed gut health mechanisms: • Emulsifiers that strip your gut's protective mucus layer • Refined seed oils that drive omega-6 inflammation • Artificial sweeteners that disrupt your microbiome • Refined sugars that spike glucose and feed harmful bacteria • Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) from ultra-processing • Nitrites in processed meat linked to gut damage • Palatability engineering designed to make you overeat Each flagged ingredient comes with its mechanism, severity level, and dose context so you understand the science, not just a traffic light. TWO WAYS TO SCAN • Photo - Point your camera at any ingredient label • Text - Paste an ingredient list from anywhere PERSONALISED TO YOU Set your health goal - whether that's gut comfort, energy, clean eating, curiosity, or family health. Add your sensitivities (IBS, bloating, heartburn, intolerances) and ingredients you're watching (gluten, dairy, emulsifiers, seed oils, and more). GutGuard matches every scan against your profile. The "For You" section highlights exactly what matters to you, including FODMAP alerts if relevant. WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN EVERY SCAN • Overall verdict - from "Looks great" to "Worth avoiding" • NOVA processing score (1-4) • Flagged ingredients with mechanisms and severity • Positive signals - fermented foods, live cultures, extra-virgin olive oil, and more • Personalised alerts matched to your profile • Context on occasional vs regular consumption • Plain-English summary of the full picture YOUR FOOD DIARY Every scan is saved locally on your device. Browse your history by day or week. See patterns in what you're eating. PRIVACY FIRST • No account required • Your food diary lives on your device • Anonymous sessions - we never know who you are BUILT ON SCIENCE, NOT TRENDS GutGuard's analysis framework draws on peer-reviewed research into intestinal permeability, microbiome disruption, and chronic inflammation. We don't follow fads - we follow the evidence. This is not a diet app. There's no calorie counting, no guilt, no judgement. Just clear information about what's in your food and what it does. Upgrade to GutGuard Pro for unlimited scans with full mechanism breakdowns. Weekly and annual plans are available. Download GutGuard and start understanding what's really in your food. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SWIMTAG4 screens
GutGuard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: SWIMTAG at 14.1 against GutGuard's 17.6. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. SWIMTAG sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and GutGuard sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SWIMTAG ships an update every 5 weeks, GutGuard every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 7 level
SWIMTAG versus GutGuard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSWIMTAGGutGuard
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.1 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer222 Sports LimitedRecursively Curious Ltd

Bugs and requests

SWIMTAG

Reported bugs

29 issues
  • App won't open
  • App freezes on loading screen
  • Stuck on loading screen
  • Cannot edit swim distance
  • Cannot delete swims
Show 24 more
  • Import from Apple Watch/Health fails
  • Stroke detection inaccurate (backstroke, butterfly)
  • App crashes when viewing swim details
  • Sync issues with Garmin Connect
  • Pool information incorrect
  • Leaderboard down for maintenance
  • Cannot find Apple Watch swims
  • Swim data not coming through to mobile
  • Pool shows offline when it's online
  • App not working since last update
  • Hit and miss whether app works after update
  • Cannot log in on phone
  • Error message when opening app
  • Password too long to manage
  • Keyboard not appearing on login screen
  • App refuses to accept gender
  • Syncs with Apple Health fails
  • Intro help messages not dismissed
  • Never syncs to Apple Health or Fitbit
  • App says to update but no updates available
  • Hangs on startup
  • Crashes when trying to sync to Strava
  • Error message on upload
  • Locks user into a dead end if login incorrect

Requested features

10 requests
  • See lengths during swim
  • Pause recording feature
  • Real-time length count on screen
  • Display fastest 400m per week
  • Trending data in results
Show 5 more
  • Simplified user interface
  • Swim editor feature on app
  • Dark mode option
  • Monitor heart rate
  • Link to Strava (mentioned as desired)

GutGuard

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

SWIMTAG

Subscriptions3
  • SWIMTAG Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
  • SWIMTAG Quarterly Subscription$9.993 Months
  • SWIMTAG Yearly Subscription$24.991 Year
2 purchases

GutGuard

Subscriptions2
  • GutGuard Pro (Weekly)$5.997 Days
  • GutGuard Pro (Annual)$49.991 Year

Questions

Is SWIMTAG free?
SWIMTAG is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GutGuard free?
GutGuard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SWIMTAG or GutGuard have ads?
Neither SWIMTAG nor GutGuard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SWIMTAG or GutGuard?
SWIMTAG ships an update every 5 weeks, and GutGuard every 4 weeks. Most recently, SWIMTAG was updated on October 24, 2026 and GutGuard on October 4, 2026.

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