Desk Control vs WorkOutDoors
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Desk Control
This app helps you improve your health and work habits by encouraging you to stand at your desk. Set personal challenges, track your progress with statistics, and receive reminders to stand. It also allows you to control your adjustable desk via Bluetooth to set favorite positions.
- Personalized standing challenges
- Progress tracking with statistics
- Stand reminders
- Bluetooth desk control
- Set favorite sit/stand positions
- Automatic drive to favorite positions
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Pick your personal challenge for standing at your desk and improve your health and work habits over time. Choose between 3 challenges (or create your own) and follow your progress on your smartphone through elaborate statistics. Let the app remind you when to stand. Pairing via Bluetooth® wireless technology allows you to drive the desk up/down and set your favourite position. The LINAK® Desk Control™ App works with LINAK desk systems using either of the DPG Desk Panels: DPG1M, DPG1B, or DPG1C. Also LINAK systems with a Bluetooth® Adaptor (BLE2LIN002) apply. Features: - Easy pairing of desk and mobile device through Bluetooth® wireless technology - Fast onboarding with intuitive built-in guide - Set favourite sit and stand positions - Set your own goal – time standing, etc. - Display your statistics - Automatic drive to favourite positions - Stand reminders based upon your chosen challenge - Auto-connect when you arrive at your desk
WorkOutDoors
This advanced workout app for Apple Watch offers extensive customization for outdoor activities like running, cycling, and hiking. It features detailed maps, navigation, and over 800 data fields for comprehensive workout tracking and analysis.
- Advanced vector maps with navigation
- Configurable workout screens with 800+ data fields
- Route import and turn-by-turn directions
- Customizable alerts and interval schedules
- Waypoint creation and navigation
- Workout export (FIT/TCX/GPX) and Strava integration
- Offline map support
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WorkOutDoors is the most advanced and most configurable workout app for the Apple Watch. It's perfect for running, cycling, hiking and any other indoor or outdoor activity. Note: WorkOutDoors requires an Apple Watch Series 4 or later. It is not necessary to have your iPhone with you during a workout. The app uses Apple’s workout system, so all workouts are saved to the Health system. However it also provides many extra features over Apple's app, such as: - a super-smooth vector map that can be shown during a workout; - multiple configurable screens with metrics and graphs from a pool of 800+ data fields; - route files can be imported and used for navigation (including turn by turn directions); - dozens of configurable alerts (e.g. every mile; high heart rate; low pace; off-route etc); - interval schedules can be created using the larger screen of the phone app; - climbs and descents are supported with notifications and on-screen data and graphs; - waypoints can be created, navigated to, and exported; - use shortcuts to associate operations with gestures (e.g. double tap to hear configurable metrics); - compare pace against a target or a previous workout (using metrics and a dot on the map); - show zones for pace and power as well as heart rate (with optional coloured backgrounds); - auto-pause is available for all outdoor activities; - shows GPS and heart rate before starting a workout, so that you can wait for good signals; - configure distance and pace for running / walking to come from Apple’s pedometer or from GPS; - workouts can be exported in FIT / TCX / GPX files, or automatically sent to Strava; - workouts created by the app can be analysed in great depth in the iPhone app. The app also has many more features. The map is a particular highlight. It uses OpenStreetMap, which provides worldwide coverage and includes the trails necessary for outdoor workouts. It also has several features that help you navigate during a workout: - maps can be smoothly panned and zoomed, and can rotate according to the compass; - a breadcrumb trail of your whole route is displayed on the map during the workout; - topographic data can be shown, with configurable contour colours and hill shading; - map-only mode is provided for when you don't want to start a workout and just need a map; - a circular scale is shown when you zoom, making it easy to see the distance to features; - maps can be stored on the watch for use when offline (they are downloaded as required if online); - a red compass points north and a green compass points to the start; - choose a waypoint to see a compass and distance to it in the corner of the map; - you can also navigate to waypoints on the map, such as hospitals, sights, cafes etc. If you load a route from a GPX / TCX / FIT file then navigation is even easier: - your position is shown on an elevation profile of the route; - the remaining distance, time and ascent can also be displayed; - you can get alerted when you go off-route; - when off-route then a compass is shown which points to the nearest part of the route; - if the route contains turn by turn directions then these can be used like a sat nav; - if there are no directions then the app can use “bend detection” to generate them; - the next direction is shown as an icon and distance in the corner of the map; - the map can automatically zoom in when you are approaching a turn; - you can use shake gestures to hear the distance to the next turn or the end of the route; - routes are coloured by gradient: from red for steep uphill to blue for steep downhill; - you can configure what information is displayed during a climb or descent. All this is included for a single one-off payment. No extra in-app purchases or subscriptions are required (although there is a completely optional in-app tip jar which was requested by long-term users). If you own an Apple Watch and do any form of exercise, then WorkOutDoors is the app for you. Give it a go!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: WorkOutDoors at 88% against Desk Control's 23%. WorkOutDoors also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.9) and ratings volume (1.7K vs 10). Desk Control's advantage is price (Free vs $8.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 5). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Desk Control is free to download; WorkOutDoors costs $8.99 up front. WorkOutDoors sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Desk Control asks for nothing beyond the download.
WorkOutDoors holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WorkOutDoors has 1.7K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Desk Control's written reviews are positive against 88% of WorkOutDoors's.
Desk Control ships an update every 4 months, WorkOutDoors every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Desk Control | WorkOutDoors |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $8.99 |
| Rating | 1.9 (10 ratings) | 4.7 (1.7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 23.4% of reviews | 87.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10 | 1.7K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #7 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LINAK | CCS Ltd |
Customer experience
Desk Control
WorkOutDoors
User reviews
Desk Control
From 10 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Works fine with IKEA desk
- 🚀 Easy and simple to use
- 🚀 Pairing works smoothly
- 👍 Favorite positions feature
Room to improve
- 🐛 Favorite positions not working
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Bluetooth connection issues
- 🐛 Loses saved settings and preferences
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications and reminders
WorkOutDoors
From 1.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Highly customizable
- 🗺️ Excellent offline maps and navigation
- 📊 Comprehensive data and metrics
- 👍 Seamless Strava integration
- 💻 Responsive developer support
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes or freezes
- 🌐 Lack of language support (only English)
- 🔍 Difficult to find specific routes/tracks
Bugs and requests
Desk Control
Reported bugs
5 issues- Favorite positions not working
- App crashes on connection
- Desk height not syncing correctly
- Bluetooth connection issues
- Saved settings getting lost
Requested features
7 requests- One-tap favorite position adjustment
- Siri/Shortcuts integration
- iOS widget support
- More than 3 favorite positions
- Ability to remove favorite positions
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- Default to control tab instead of challenges
- Language selection option
WorkOutDoors
Reported bugs
3 issues- Heart rate tracking issues
- Inconsistent distance/pace tracking
- Trouble connecting to Apple Watch
Requested features
5 requests- Turn-by-turn navigation
- Shoe tracking
- Cumulative workout stats (weekly/monthly)
- Ability to edit/trim recorded workouts
- Automatic pause/resume during workouts
In-app purchases
Desk Control
No in-app purchases
WorkOutDoors
- Tip$0.99
- Generous Tip$1.99
- Very Generous Tip$4.99
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- Massive Tip$9.99
- Fanatical Tip$19.99








