Comparison

VO2 Max vs VO2 max Hero

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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/

About

VO2 max Hero

This app analyzes your cardio fitness data from Apple Health using AI to provide personalized insights and actionable tips for improvement. Understand your VO2 max trends, compare yourself to elite levels, and receive tailored advice beyond generic fitness advice.

Highlights
  • AI-driven VO2 max analysis
  • Personalized fitness insights
  • Cardio trend tracking
  • Elite level benchmarks
  • Actionable improvement tips
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Your VO2 max, explained. Your Fitness Age, your trend, and a coach to talk it through. VO2 max Hero reads the cardio fitness estimate your Apple Watch saves to Apple Health and turns it into something you can act on: where you stand for your age, which way you're heading, and what moves it. FREE • Your latest VO2 max, the 30-day change and a 90-day chart • Why it moved: the outdoor walk, run or hike behind each new reading • Fitness Age: the age whose typical cardio fitness matches yours • Your best reading and your 30-day progress • An Apple Watch app with complications • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets • A note when a new reading lands PRO • Coach: ask about your numbers and get a short, plain answer, then follow up in the same thread • Monday brief: last week in one card • Your rank among people your age and sex, and how far your next Fitness Age is • Your full history, year over year, and your pace • Four more hero styles and four more colors Pro is a monthly or yearly subscription, with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. Coach has a fair-use daily limit. HOW READINGS WORK Apple Watch (Series 3 or later) estimates VO2 max during outdoor walks, runs and hikes recorded in the Workout app. Indoor workouts don't add readings. No Watch? Any VO2 max already in Apple Health still works. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads. No tracking. No account. Your Health data stays on your iPhone unless you ask Coach a question. Coach sends only the numbers it needs to a third-party AI service, and only after you allow it. You can turn that off in Settings at any time. Fitness Age compares your VO2 max with published treadmill norms for your sex (the FRIEND registry). VO2 max Hero gives general fitness guidance. It is not a medical device and doesn't diagnose or treat anything. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://negovskiy.github.io/VO2max-agreement/

Screenshots

VO2 Max4 screens
VO2 max Hero4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: VO2 max Hero at 5.0 against VO2 Max's 3.8. VO2 Max's advantage is review sentiment (26% vs 0%) and ratings volume (131 vs 1). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. VO2 Max sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and VO2 max Hero sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VO2 max Hero holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VO2 Max has 131 ratings behind it against 1, 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 Hero's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VO2 Max ships an update every 2 weeks, VO2 max Hero weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
VO2 Max versus VO2 max Hero: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVO2 MaxVO2 max Hero
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (131 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings131 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBernhard HeringAndrey Negovskiy

Customer experience

VO2 Max

All ratings131 ratings
Positive69.5%
Neutral5.3%
Negative25.2%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive26.0%
Neutral3.1%
Negative70.8%

VO2 max Hero

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

VO2 Max

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$22.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$79.99
2 purchases

VO2 max Hero

Subscriptions2
  • VO2 max Pro, monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • VO2 max Pro, yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is VO2 Max free?
VO2 Max is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is VO2 max Hero free?
VO2 max Hero is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, VO2 Max or VO2 max Hero?
VO2 max Hero is rated higher. VO2 Max averages 3.8 out of 5 from 131 ratings, while VO2 max Hero averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do VO2 Max or VO2 max Hero have ads?
Neither VO2 Max nor VO2 max Hero shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VO2 Max or VO2 max Hero?
VO2 Max ships an update every 2 weeks, and VO2 max Hero weekly. Most recently, VO2 Max was updated on October 26, 2026 and VO2 max Hero on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons