Comparison

RowingCoach vs RowUp

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

Head to head
About

RowingCoach

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
Read full description

RowingCoach, available also for the Apple Watch, allows you to track your rowing sessions, compare your workouts and see your overall progress – whether you train on land or on water. == RowingCoach displays the following metrics: • Your current and overall stroke rate (SPM) • The distance covered • Your current and overall pace • Your pulse • Your calories burned == Use the app as suits you best: • Track your session on the iPhone • Only use your Apple Watch to record the training (and leave your iPhone onshore!) • Use the iPhone as display for your Apple Watch recording. Very useful for indoor rowing. == RowingCoach also offers these features: • Use Siri to start and stop your workout • Automatic Stroke detection • Get notified after a certain distance covered, strokes reached or time passed • Display your workout on a map • Speed/pulse shown in color-coding • Share your rowing track with iMessage • Weather conditions are recorded for outdoor workouts • iCloud synchronisation: Have your workouts on all your devices. • Apple Health App integration • Watch Complication: See your weekly progress at a glance • Use Force Touch in the Watch app to quickly start and stop a workout • Today Widget: See your weekly and monthly progress from the Today screen • Add notes (to remember who was cox for example) == Export and upload your workouts to other platforms: • Upload to Strava • Export to RowsAndAll • Upload to MapMyFitness • Upload to TrainingPeaks • Upload to Concept2 Logbook • Upload to Intervals.icu External bluetooth heart rate monitors are supported. If you want to export your workouts via e-mail or want to record more than 3 workouts - you can get to a subscription right in the app.

About

RowUp

Features
Read full description

RowUp turns your indoor rower into a coached session. Pair a Bluetooth erg and a heart-rate strap, pick a workout, and get live splits, stroke rate, power, and pace the whole way through. Built for people who actually row: steady-state mornings, sharp interval days, and everything between. CONNECT YOUR GEAR - Pairs with Bluetooth rowing machines and heart-rate monitors - Live stroke rate, split, pace, power, and distance as you pull - Stroke calibration so your numbers match your machine TRAIN THE WAY YOU WANT - Free row: no timers, no targets, just pull - Intervals: alternating work and rest, built your way - Set targets by time, distance, or stroke count - Training plans: structured programs that build week over week SEE EVERY SESSION - A clean live screen with the metrics that matter, front and center - Full workout summaries: splits, heart-rate zones, power, and pace - History that keeps every row so you can track progress over time APPLE WATCH - Start and run workouts from your wrist - Heart rate from the Watch feeds straight into your session SYNCS WHERE IT COUNTS - Workouts and heart rate save to Apple Health - iCloud keeps your history and plans in sync across your devices RowUp is free to use. RowUp Premium unlocks the full experience with a one-time purchase (no subscription), and there's a 30-day free trial so you can try everything before you decide. Questions or ideas? Get in touch through the support link. RowUp is built by a rower who wanted better numbers on the water indoors.

Screenshots

RowingCoach4 screens
RowUp4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: RowUp at every 3 days against RowingCoach's every 2 months. RowingCoach's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. RowingCoach sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and RowUp sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RowingCoach ships an update every 2 months, RowUp every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
RowingCoach versus RowUp: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRowingCoachRowUp
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (117 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews38.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings117 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGunther CronenbergFernando Balandran

Bugs and requests

RowingCoach

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • 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%)
Show 15 more
  • Distance values wildly inaccurate (2-3x actual distance)
  • Workouts not appearing in app history despite being tracked
  • Subscription validation fails on Apple Watch
  • App hangs on workout start
  • Data not uploading to Apple Health
  • Clock overlay blocking metrics on Apple Watch
  • Display elements overlapping when phone is rotated
  • SPM showing zero for entire workouts
  • Metrics switching between metric and imperial units mid-workout
  • App freezing when trying to save workouts
  • PM5 connection showing as connected but not syncing data
  • Strava export missing distance data for indoor rows
  • Watch app not appearing after installation
  • Contact/feedback link in app not functional
  • Inconsistent heart rate detection

Requested features

18 requests
  • Calibration settings for different rowing machines
  • Automatic pause/resume detection
  • Customizable workout countdown timers
  • Bluetooth connectivity for Concept2 PM5
  • Improved calorie burn calculations
Show 13 more
  • Watt power output calculations
  • Distance per stroke efficiency metric
  • Audible stroke rate announcements
  • Always-on display support for Apple Watch
  • Manual workout editing capabilities
  • Automatic Strava uploads
  • Detailed heart rate and pace graphs
  • Training plan integration
  • Ghost/challenge mode for self-competition
  • Garmin Connect integration
  • Multiple language support (French, German)
  • Improved watch display optimization for larger screens
  • Better contrast for outdoor visibility

RowUp

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

RowingCoach

One-time3
  • Unltd. recs & export (1 Month)$0.99
  • Unltd. recs & export (3 Months)$1.99
  • Unltd. recs & export (1 Year)$4.99
1 purchases

RowUp

One-time1
  • RowUp Premium$4.99

Questions

Is RowingCoach free?
RowingCoach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RowUp free?
RowUp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do RowingCoach or RowUp have ads?
Neither RowingCoach nor RowUp shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RowingCoach or RowUp?
RowingCoach ships an update every 2 months, and RowUp every 3 days. Most recently, RowingCoach was updated on October 8, 2026 and RowUp on September 27, 2026.

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