Comparison

SmartRow vs asensei rowing

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

Head to head
About

SmartRow

Transform your WaterRower into a high-precision ergometer. Track detailed workout metrics including force curves and heart rate, and monitor fitness indicators like Watts-per-Beat. Sync your progress seamlessly with Apple Health.

Highlights
  • Lab-grade ergometer conversion
  • Detailed force curve analysis
  • Heart rate graphing
  • Workout tracking and history
  • Fitness metrics (Watts-per-Beat, Watts-per-Kilogram)
  • Apple Health synchronization
Read full description

The SmartRow App (together with the SmartRow-conversion) will turn your WaterRower into a lab grade ergometer. It will not only show you power, distance, work-per-stroke, calories etc., it will show you each force-curve, heart rate graph and much, much more! It keeps track of your workouts, and even shows you well-known fitness metrics like 'Watts-per-Beat' and 'Watts-per-Kilogram'. It even syncs your workout data with Apple Health. This is the best training tool you can invest in—after hiring a coach, of course!

About

asensei rowing

Enhance your rowing performance with guided workouts from world-class athletes and AI coaching. Connect to compatible rowing machines for real-time analysis and personalized training programs designed to improve your technique and fitness.

Highlights
  • Personalized training programs
  • World-class athlete coaching
  • Real-time performance analysis
  • AI-driven technique correction
  • Hundreds of guided workouts
  • Compatibility with major rowing machines
Read full description

Workout with your Concept 2, Rogue Echo, WaterRower or FluidRower rowing machine. Be guided by world-class athletes and instructors. Follow structured training programs to improve yourself and your times or just choose your own workout. asensei customizes challenges to meet your capability and pushes you to your potential. asensei rowing guides and monitors your practice on and off your rowing machine. Hundreds of workouts, no need to plan - get a recommendation every time! Structured programs - build strength and fitness alongside skill and technique as you are guided, monitored and corrected by great coaches assisted by your personal AI coach, asensei. asensei rowing talks to the monitor on your rowing machine, analyzes your performance and uses that to inform your practice. Are you losing power at higher stroke rates? Are you losing length when you’re tired? Do you find it hard to hold lower stroke rates consistently? Are you rushing the recovery? Compensating for poor leg drive with over-use of your arms? asensei knows. And she’ll be sure to let you know. Practice. Perfected. FEATURES: PROGRAMS, PERSONALIZED: there's a program for you whether it's a 2km, 6km or 30min challenge you are looking for. Designed to challenge, improve and adapted for you. COACHING, UNPARALLELED: Some of the world´s best coaches. Olympic Gold Medalist Eric Murray, British Rowing, Johan Quie, Shane Farmer of Dark Horse Rowing. Watching, responding, adjusting, encouraging - just as they would live. ANALYSIS, DELIVERED: Row - record - watch - rewind - remember. asensei watches you move, as you move, responds in the moment and evaluates over time. PERFECT FOR: * Beginners - if you are new to rowing learn correct technique and be challenged as you workout. * Intermediate rowers - refresh your skills, learn new tips, get back into the groove and take things to the next level. * High-school or college athletes who wish to get win a seat in the boat, get recruited, or compete nationally and internationally. * Indoor Rowers or Crossfit (TM) athletes who wish to improve their indoor rowing technique and scores. * Getting fitter and stronger, the excitement of a studio fitness class and the attention of a personal trainer REQUIREMENTS: Requires a compatible rowing machine: * Concept 2 with a PM5 performance monitor * Rogue Echo Rower with Bluetooth * WaterRower with Bluetooth S4 monitor, S4+ComModule or NEW PowerPulley Performance Ergo * FluidRower with a Bluetooth console. We connect to the Health app to monitor heart rate on some workouts. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: “I was fortunate enough to have great coaches from the very beginning of my rowing career. This meant I wasn’t taking thousands of bad rowing strokes, ingraining bad habits. The potential for asensei to provide quality feedback before bad habits are formed is really exciting", Helen Glover, 2x Olympic Gold Medallist and World #1 Rower. "Just when you thought (sports) technology couldn't get any cooler, along comes asensei", CBS Television "... the next frontier in the fitness tech revolution ... a wildly ambitious goal ... able to guide you through everything from form and recovery to metrics and goals while improving your individual results ... future of personal training", Men's Health Here's what users had to say: "someone keeping an eye on you the whole time is really cool because ... it keeps you honest, keeps you on track in a way that I don't think a coach normally can unless you are doing a one on one session, so it was the benefit of a one on one, with the class dynamic, which I really like!" "It's a cool product. I've never ever seen anything like that. In 5 minutes I learned how to row, I thought I was doing it right, but I wasn't" "(asensei) said don't worry there's a bunch of exercises I'm going to give to you afterwards that are going to help you on that. ... that's amazing. ... this is not just about now, it's like building a relationship."

Screenshots

SmartRow4 screens
asensei rowing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: asensei rowing at 4.8 against SmartRow's 3.8. asensei rowing also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 46%) and ratings volume (4K vs 73). SmartRow's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

asensei rowing holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: asensei rowing has 4K ratings behind it against 73, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of SmartRow's written reviews are positive against 76% of asensei rowing's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SmartRow versus asensei rowing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartRowasensei rowing
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (73 ratings)4.8 (4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.0% of reviews76.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings734K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB95 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperErgometer Innovations B.V.ASensei Inc

Customer experience

SmartRow

All ratings73 ratings
Positive64.4%
Neutral15.1%
Negative20.5%
Written reviews200 reviews
Positive46.0%
Neutral28.0%
Negative26.0%

asensei rowing

All ratings4,030 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews206 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral9.7%
Negative14.1%

User reviews

SmartRow

From 73 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate data and metrics
  • 🔍 Detailed performance tracking
  • 📊 Integration with Strava and Apple Health
  • 🔧 Customizable display and settings
  • 🤖 Seamless Bluetooth connectivity

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unstable Apple Watch integration
  • 🔍 Limited data export options
  • 🕰️ Lack of pause/resume functionality
  • 🔢 Distance-based intervals not supported
  • 🔌 Occasional connectivity issues

asensei rowing

From 4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great coaching and feedback
  • 🚀 Seamless integration with Concept 2 rower
  • 💡 Personalized workouts and performance tracking
  • 🤩 Motivating and engaging experience
  • 🌟 Excellent customer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional connectivity issues
  • 🕹️ Unintuitive user interface
  • 🕰️ Slow workout downloads
  • 💾 Limited data tracking and export options
  • 🔇 Music volume issues

Bugs and requests

SmartRow

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes during long rows
  • Workout data not saving properly
  • Connectivity issues with Bluetooth devices
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

6 requests
  • Distance-based interval workouts
  • Audible cues and prompts during workouts
  • Ability to duplicate/sort custom workouts
  • Integration with Garmin devices
  • More advanced performance analytics
Show 1 more
  • Customizable heart rate zone settings

asensei rowing

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inconsistent pace and split time calculations
  • Workout history not saving properly
  • Bluetooth connectivity problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to select and customize workout programs
  • Integration with Apple Health and Strava
  • More detailed performance analytics and progress tracking
  • Live/virtual rowing classes and competitions
  • Support for more rowing machine models

In-app purchases

None

SmartRow

No in-app purchases

None

asensei rowing

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SmartRow free?
SmartRow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is asensei rowing free?
asensei rowing is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SmartRow or asensei rowing?
asensei rowing is rated higher. SmartRow averages 3.8 out of 5 from 73 ratings, while asensei rowing averages 4.8 from 4K ratings.
Do SmartRow or asensei rowing have ads?
asensei rowing shows ads; SmartRow does not.
Which is updated more often, SmartRow or asensei rowing?
SmartRow ships an update every 2 months, and asensei rowing every 2 months. Most recently, SmartRow was updated on October 5, 2026 and asensei rowing on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons