VO2 Max vs VO2 Max Trainer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
VO2 Max
Track your body's oxygen absorption at peak effort with detailed insights and performance estimates for running and cycling. Visualize trends, compare personal bests, and understand your cardio fitness level with a redesigned dashboard and Apple Watch integration.
- VO2 max estimation for running and cycling
- Performance estimates (W/kg, FTP)
- Redesigned dashboard with trends and personal bests
- Interactive charts with customizable date ranges
- Apple Watch complications and iPhone widgets
- Cardio fitness level comparison by age and sex
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VO₂ Max shows how much oxygen your body can absorb at peak effort. The redesigned dashboard puts the latest measurement, rolling averages, and your personal best in one view so you immediately see how training affects cardio fitness. ESTIMATES FOR RUN & BIKE - New tab turns VO₂ max + weight + power into W/kg and FTP estimates for running and cycling. - Compare modeled race times and power against your actual HealthKit FTP/power. NEW DASHBOARD - Trend cards highlight the 7-day average, any selected range, and your best value with percentage deltas. - The interactive chart responds to 1W, 2W, 1M, 3M, 1Y, or All filters and animates every new HealthKit reading. - Entry tiles list the test type, source, and timestamp so you can compare prediction and max-exercise tests. INSIGHTS & GUIDANCE - The info sheet matches your value with the correct age and sex bracket to explain whether it is poor, good, or superior. - Manual refresh, HealthKit warnings, and empty states keep permissions and sync issues obvious. - Trial countdown and subscription access stay a tap away. APPLE WATCH + WIDGETS - All complication families are supported, so your latest VO₂ max is available on every watch face. - iPhone Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets follow the dashboard range you selected. - The Widget Showcase walks you through pinning widgets or complications and previewing layouts. HOW VO₂ MAX IS CAPTURED 1. Wear Apple Watch for at least 24 hours, then record several Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Run, or Hiking workouts with heart rate and GPS. 2. Apple may need several qualifying workouts and passive measurements before the first VO₂ max estimate appears. 3. Give this app read access to Cardio Fitness (VO₂ Max) in Apple Health so the dashboard, widgets, and complications can display the data. Requires Apple Watch Series 3 or later. VO₂ Max makes it easy to see if your cardio fitness plan is working today, over the last weeks, and all time. Terms and conditions: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
VO2 Max Trainer
Measure, track, and improve your VO2 Max with a variety of fitness tests and personalized training plans. Features include HIIT and Zone 2 workouts, progress tracking, and integration with Apple Watch and HealthKit.
- Measure VO2 Max with 5 fitness tests
- HIIT and Zone 2 training
- Track progress and compare to leaderboards
- Apple Watch integration
- HealthKit integration
- Training readiness scoring
- Fitness age calculation
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Boost your VO2 max, one of the strongest predictors of endurance performance and of how long and how well you live. Measure your true VO2 max in 15 minutes or less, raise it with Zone 2 and HIIT workouts, and beat the rest of the world on a verified global leaderboard. iPhone and Apple Watch. NEW: GHOST RACE Race a ghost during your Cooper test, Balke test or 1.5 mile (2.4 km) run. Pick your best run, your 12-week goal, the athlete 10 places above you on the leaderboard, the #1 of your age group, an Olympic record, or any VO2 max you choose. The gap shows live in meters or yards, green when you lead and orange when you chase, with voice cues when you pass or get passed. Follow the race on the Lock Screen, in the Dynamic Island and on your Apple Watch, even without your iPhone. The result saves as a normal test, and you can share a "Me vs ghost" card. MEASURE YOUR VO2 MAX - Beep test 20 m and 15 m (bleep test, PACER test, multistage fitness test, Leger shuttle run) - Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery test, levels 1 and 2 (YYIR1, YYIR2) - Cooper test (12-minute run) - Balke test (15-minute run) - 1.5 mile / 2.4 km run test Results are compared with age and sex norms. FIND YOUR TRUE MAX HEART RATE AND LACTATE THRESHOLD The 220 minus age formula can be off by 10 to 20 beats per minute. Run a beep test with a heart rate monitor and the app records your real maximum heart rate and estimates your lactate threshold from how your heart rate responds as the pace rises, with no lab and no blood test. Your Zone 2 and HIIT zones are then built from your own threshold. TRAIN TO IMPROVE IT - Zone 2 training with personal heart rate limits and Apple Watch haptics when you drift out of zone - HIIT and interval workouts: Norwegian 4x4, Tabata, Gibala, 30/30, EMOM, Myoreps - Free mode to log any session - Custom workout builder: work, rest, repeat blocks, warm-up and cool-down - A 12-week training plan built from your current fitness level - An AI coach on the Plan tab that tells you what to do today and why GLOBAL LEADERBOARD WITH VERIFIED RESULTS Compare your VO2 max with athletes worldwide by age, sex, country and job. A score only reaches the leaderboard after anti-cheat checks: GPS, heart rate (Apple Watch or a chest strap), cadence and vehicle detection. Verification badges show how each result was checked. O2 POINTS AND RANKS VO2 max moves slowly, so O2 Points show the work you put in every day. Every minute with heart rate earns points, harder zones earn more, and 80/20 training, following your plan and retesting give boosts. Climb 7 ranks, from Reserve Duty to Norwegian Cyborg. LIVE ACTIVITIES AND WIDGETS Every test, Zone 2 session and interval workout shows on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island: level, time, heart rate and zone without unlocking. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets show your next workout, readiness, fitness age, VO2 max progress, Zone 2 minutes, O2 rank and leaderboard position. KNOW YOUR BODY - Training readiness score (1 to 100) from HRV, resting heart rate, sleep and recent load - Fitness age, from your VO2 max and other health markers - Race time predictions from 5K to marathon - Post-workout analysis: effort score, time in each zone, pace, intervals - Editable history with monthly and yearly charts APPLE WATCH AND HEALTH Leave the phone at home: tests, Zone 2 and intervals run on the watch with haptics and audio. Workouts sync with Apple Health, and workouts from other apps can be imported. WHO IT'S FOR Athletes and runners who want to go faster for longer. Soccer, rugby, basketball and hockey players. People preparing for military, police or firefighter fitness tests, PE teachers, students and coaches. And anyone who wants a stronger heart and lungs, a younger fitness age and more healthy years. Built by one independent developer. Questions? Message me in the app. Terms of use (Apple standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: VO2 Max at 26% against VO2 Max Trainer's 0%. VO2 Max also leads on ratings volume (131 vs 4). VO2 Max Trainer's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 3.8). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. VO2 Max sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and VO2 Max Trainer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
VO2 Max Trainer holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VO2 Max has 131 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 26% of VO2 Max's written reviews are positive against 0% of VO2 Max Trainer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
VO2 Max ships an update every 2 weeks, VO2 Max Trainer weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VO2 Max | VO2 Max Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (131 ratings) | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 26.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 131 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 286 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bernhard Hering | Kevin Floch |
Customer experience
VO2 Max
VO2 Max Trainer
In-app purchases
VO2 Max
- Monthly Subscription$2.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription$22.991 Year
- Lifetime Access$79.99
VO2 Max Trainer
- VO2_Weekly3 Days trial$1.997 Days
- VO2_Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- VO2_Annually7 Days trial$14.991 Year
- VO2_Lifetime_Upgrade$9.99
- VO2_Lifetime_Upgrade2$14.99
- VO2_Lifetime$19.99
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- VO2_Lifetime2$29.99
Questions
Is VO2 Max free?
Is VO2 Max Trainer free?
Which has better reviews, VO2 Max or VO2 Max Trainer?
Do VO2 Max or VO2 Max Trainer have ads?
Which is updated more often, VO2 Max or VO2 Max Trainer?
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