# RowingCoach vs SmartRope

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SmartRope at none against RowingCoach's 3. SmartRope also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and rating (3.5 vs 3.3). RowingCoach's advantage is review sentiment (38% vs 30%). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. RowingCoach sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. SmartRope asks for nothing beyond the download.

SmartRope holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 117 and 266 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 38% of RowingCoach's written reviews are positive against 30% of SmartRope's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

RowingCoach ships an update every 2 months, SmartRope weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RowingCoach | SmartRope |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (117 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rowingcoach/id1202290980/reviews) | **[3.5 (266 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartrope/id1434035222/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 117 | **266** |
| Positive reviews | **38.4% of reviews** | 29.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 9 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gunther Cronenberg](https://appshunter.io/developer/1202290979) | [Tangram Factory Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1035507605) |

## What reviewers say

### RowingCoach

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rowingcoach/id1202290980)

Track your rowing sessions on land or water with detailed metrics like stroke rate, distance, pace, and calories burned. Use your iPhone or Apple Watch independently or together for flexible workout recording and progress analysis. Syncs with iCloud and Apple Health, and exports to popular fitness platforms.

**Highlights:** Track stroke rate, distance, pace, pulse, and calories, Use iPhone or Apple Watch for recording, Siri integration for workout control, Automatic stroke detection, Workout display on map, Export to Strava, TrainingPeaks, and more, iCloud synchronization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unltd. recs & export (1 Month) | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unltd. recs & export (3 Months) | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unltd. recs & export (1 Year) | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⌚ Excellent Apple Watch integration
- 🗺️ Accurate GPS tracking for on-water rowing
- ❤️ Heart rate monitoring functionality
- 📊 Comprehensive workout statistics and metrics
- 🔄 Seamless syncing with Apple Health

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 📏 Inaccurate distance estimation (especially indoors)
- ⚠️ Strokes per minute (SPM) consistently underreported
- 🔋 Excessive battery drain on Apple Watch
- ❌ Data loss after pausing workouts

**Reported bugs**

- Distance resets to zero when workout is paused
- SPM not displaying in real-time during workouts
- App crashes when receiving phone calls
- GPS tracking stops working after iOS updates
- Stroke count significantly underreported (off by 30-50%)

**Requested features**

- Calibration settings for different rowing machines
- Automatic pause/resume detection
- Customizable workout countdown timers
- Bluetooth connectivity for Concept2 PM5
- Improved calorie burn calculations


### SmartRope

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartrope/id1434035222)

Track your jump rope workouts in real time and manage your fitness progress. This app offers various training modes, performance tracking, and global leaderboards to motivate your exercise routine. It's designed to help you achieve your daily fitness goals and burn calories effectively.

**Highlights:** Real-time workout stats, Interval training modes, Global leaderboards, Workout history tracking, Calorie burn calculation, Apple Health integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Accurate jump counting
- 🚀 Convenient and travel-friendly
- 💡 Motivating with leaderboards and challenges
- 👍 Nice rope design and build quality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes or disconnects during workouts
- 🐛 Inaccurate jump counting or data loss
- 🐛 Connectivity issues with the rope
- 🐛 App resets progress or jumps for no reason
- 🐛 Poor Apple Health/Fitness integration

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- Jumps not recorded accurately
- Connectivity issues with the rope
- Progress/data loss during workouts
- Inability to update email address

**Requested features**

- Custom interval training options
- More workout metrics and analytics
- Ability to manually add/edit jumps
- Better sync between phone and Apple Watch
- Offline mode or local data storage


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RowingCoach free?

RowingCoach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SmartRope free?

SmartRope is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, RowingCoach or SmartRope?

SmartRope is rated higher. RowingCoach averages 3.3 out of 5 from 117 ratings, while SmartRope averages 3.5 from 266 ratings.

### Do RowingCoach or SmartRope have ads?

Neither RowingCoach nor SmartRope shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RowingCoach or SmartRope?

RowingCoach ships an update every 2 months, and SmartRope weekly. Most recently, RowingCoach was updated on September 21, 2026 and SmartRope on September 12, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*