# RowingCoach vs RowHero

The clearest difference is review sentiment: RowHero at 100% against RowingCoach's 38%. RowHero also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). RowingCoach's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (117 vs 19). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

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

RowHero holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RowingCoach has 117 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of RowingCoach's written reviews are positive against 100% of RowHero's.

RowingCoach ships an update every 2 months, RowHero every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RowingCoach | RowHero |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (117 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rowingcoach/id1202290980/reviews) | **[4.6 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rowhero/id1475494233/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **117** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | 38.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 9 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gunther Cronenberg](https://appshunter.io/developer/1202290979) | [RowHero, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1475494232) |

## 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


### RowHero

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rowhero/id1475494233)

This app provides stroke-by-stroke rowing performance data for athletes and coaches, storing results indefinitely. It offers insights into technique and fitness to help users improve their rowing speed and performance.

**Highlights:** Stroke-by-stroke erg results, Wireless Concept2 PM5 connection, Permanent workout storage, Stroke length and potential split metrics, Personalized improvement insights, Team performance comparison

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RowingCoach free?

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

### Is RowHero free?

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

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

RowHero is rated higher. RowingCoach averages 3.3 out of 5 from 117 ratings, while RowHero averages 4.6 from 19 ratings.

### Do RowingCoach or RowHero have ads?

RowHero shows ads; RowingCoach does not.

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

RowingCoach ships an update every 2 months, and RowHero every 3 weeks. Most recently, RowingCoach was updated on October 8, 2026 and RowHero on September 26, 2026.

---

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