Lap Swim vs SWim
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lap Swim
This app automatically counts laps and tracks swim times on your Apple Watch. It detects stroke type and count, and graphs your performance on a paired iPhone. Enjoy a large font display for easy viewing during your workout.
- Automatic lap counting
- Stroke detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke)
- Kickboard lap detection
- Large font display
- Stopwatch function
- Workout graphing on iPhone
- Health and Activity app integration
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Automatic Lap Counter with Stopwatch and LARGE FONTS; Lap Swim is an Apple Watch (Series 2 and later) App that automatically detects, displays, records and graphs the lap count and elapsed time of a swim session. Detects and displays the type of stroke and stroke count during each lap. - Detects and displays the lap direction and lap count while swimming using the gyroscope in the Apple Watch - LARGE FONT display of time and lap count - Stopwatch function while swimming - Auto start/stop mode detects swimming and automatically starts (or stops) the stopwatch - Lap counter counts up from 0 or counts down from preset lap goal - Senses and displays freestyle strokes, backstrokes, and breaststrokes - Detects and counts kickboard laps - Records and graphs (on the paired iPhone) the following: ------ Date and time of a swim session ------ Time for each lap and of entire swim session ------ Number of laps ------ Average speed and speed for each lap ------ Stroke count and type of stroke (freestyle, back, breast or kick board) ------ Distance in meters or yards - Enters workout information into the Health and Activity apps Lap Swim uses the gyroscope and accelerometer in the Apple Watch to detect the type of stroke and the orientation of the swimmer. Using this information it displays the lap count of a swim session. Lap Swim also has a standard stopwatch function. The swim session information is transmitted to the paired iPhone and displayed on both a table and a graph. Lap Swim is free and fully functional for the first 250 laps. After that, Lap Swim continues to function but it requires a low cost IAP to display the lap count. Screenshots: -Apple Watch: 1) Large 2 line display - Swimming return half of 51st lap after 49:35 2) 3 line display - returning on lap 10 after 9:10; 11 breaststrokes taken this half lap 3) 3 line display - after turning and starting lap 11; showing last half lap stroke count (11) and elapsed time (34.6) 4) 3 line display - going out on lap 12; this lap you have taken 3 freestyle strokes, 2 backstrokes, 5 breaststrokes, and over 15 seconds using a kickboard 5) Starting a Workout Session in 2 second and turning on water lock. 6) Lap length set to 25 yards. 7) Settings options - 2 or 3 line display, split times half or full lap, automatic or manual start/stop, set lap length. -iPhone: 1) Home screen also showing the app on the Apple Watch 2) Graph of the average speed in over 200 swim sessions from 12/16 to 7/20. 3) Graph of the total times in over 200 swim sessions from 12/16 to 7/20. 4) Data collected in a single swim session available for editing. ----
SWim
This app provides detailed, lap-by-lap feedback on your swimming performance, offering personalized insights into technique, speed, and determination. It uses on-device intelligence to analyze your swims and suggests specific drills and focus areas for improvement, helping you track progress and achieve personal bests.
- Instant lap-by-lap feedback
- Stroke-by-stroke analysis
- Personalized drills and focus areas
- Technique, speed, and determination scores
- Swimmer Map for progress visualization
- Journey and achievement tracking
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Swim better every week. SwimWise gives you instant feedback after every swim, lap by lap and stroke by stroke, in a level of detail no other app gives, and then tells you exactly what to work on next. WHAT YOU GET AFTER EVERY SWIM - A headline for the session: the one thing that defined it, backed by your own numbers - What went well and what to improve, each tied to a specific lap, stroke or metric - Drills chosen for your weak spots, with targets taken from this swim - One focus for your next session, so every swim has a purpose - Scores for technique, speed and determination, and medals when you beat your personal best COACHED BY APPLE INTELLIGENCE, PRIVATELY Your coaching runs on your iPhone with Apple Intelligence. Nothing leaves the device, there is no waiting for a server, and your swims stay yours. Requires iOS 26 on iPhone 15 Pro or newer; on other devices the coaching card explains what is needed. THE DETAIL BEHIND THE FEEDBACK - SWOLF, distance per stroke, stroke rp and every stroke style - Freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly analyzed separately in Styles - Lap-by-lap breakdown in Laps, so you and where it flew - Distance and SWOLF charts that animate as your session loads SWIMMER MAP A quality map of your swimming across tency, Pace and Technique. Each petalfills to your current level compared with your own history, not a world ranking, and a short narrative tells you where you are strongest and next. STAY ON TRACK - Journey and Achievements: weekly streaks, lifetime milestones and badges on your Highlight screen - Trends: technique, speed and determi your latest medal in each area - After-swim nudge: a notification after each swim compares it with your usual session, encouraging on shorter days and celebrating the lon WORKS WITH YOUR SWIMS Record your swims with Apple Watch or any app that writes to Apple Health. SwimWise reads them with your permission, and every session is mbered. BUILT FOR PRIVACY Analysis stays on your phone. Your account uses your email or Sign in with Apple. SWIMWISE PRO Pro unlocks the Swimmer Map and Enhanc-renewing subscription, monthly oryearly, with the price shown in the app before you subscribe. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation; the subscription renencelled at least 24 hours before theend of the current period, and you can manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://swim-wise.app/ SwimWise provides swimming performance motivation. It is not a medical device and does not give medical advice.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Lap Swim at 3.2 against SWim's 1.0. Lap Swim also leads on ratings volume (31 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). SWim's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Lap Swim sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SWim sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Lap Swim holds the better App Store score, 3.2 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lap Swim has 31 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Lap Swim ships an update every 3 months, SWim every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lap Swim | SWim |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (31 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 62.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 31 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Peter Kramer | YGL LIVING WELL |
Customer experience
Lap Swim
SWim
In-app purchases
Lap Swim
- upgrade from 250 laps to unlimited laps$1.99
SWim
- SWim-WiSe Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month
- SWim-WiSe Yearly$53.991 Year








