Comparison

Tonal vs Hydrow

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

Head to head
About

Tonal

This app provides a smart home gym experience with digital weight that adapts to your workouts. Access programs, track progress, and enjoy a variety of on-the-go exercises led by expert coaches. Connect with a community for motivation.

Highlights
  • Adaptive digital weight
  • Expert coach-led workouts
  • Personalized fitness programs
  • Progress tracking by muscle group
  • On-the-go workout library
  • Custom workout creation
  • Community motivation features
Features
Read full description

With the Tonal mobile app you can be your strongest—from home, on your own schedule. Tonal is the smartest home gym and personal trainer. Unlike traditional dumbbells, barbells, and exercise equipment Tonal uses advanced digital weight that continually adapts workouts so they’re most effective for you—all led by our expert coaches. Loved by beginners, exercise enthusiasts, and professional athletes alike, Tonal is reimagining the landscape of at-home fitness. Get stronger, faster with the Tonal app - Join a program: No matter where you are in your fitness journey, Tonal has individual workouts and multi-week programs to help you reach your goals. - Track your progress: See your strength grow. Tonal’s A.I. keeps track of your workouts, measuring your progress and breaking it down by muscle group and workout type. - Work out on-the-go: From high-intensity, to restorative yoga flows, Tonal has hundreds of workouts for you to try. Filter by focus, trainer, or time. - Create your own workout: Work out your way with Custom Workouts. Choose your favorite movements, reps, sets, and advanced weight modes, like Burnout and Eccentric to maximize your results, then save for later. - Get stronger, together: Connect with friends and stay motivated to get stronger while cheering on other members in the Tonal community. Tonal uses HealthKit to export your Tonal workouts into the Health app and to sync your weight and height.

About

Hydrow

Access over 5,000 on-and-off rower workouts led by elite athletes filmed in beautiful locations. Track performance, connect with a community, and share achievements. Compatible with Concept2 PM5 rowers for integrated metrics and leaderboards.

Highlights
  • 5,000+ on-and-off rower workouts
  • Elite athlete instructors
  • Global scenic filming locations
  • Performance tracking
  • Rowing community features
  • Strava and Apple Health integration
  • Concept2 PM5 rower compatibility
Features
Read full description

Hydrow offers more than just a full-body workout – access over 5,000 on-and-off rower workouts led by elite athletes and filmed in stunning locations around the globe. Feature overview: • Track your performance and stay connected to a passionate rowing community: cheer on fellow rowers, form racing teams, and review racing stats • Share your achievements on Strava • Apple Health integration for further personalization • Now compatible with Concept2 PM5 rowers, Hydrow offers serious rowers the variety they seek, allowing you to pair your iPhone or iPad for in-workout rowing metrics and participate in competitive leaderboards Whether you aim to build strength, improve endurance, or perfect your technique, Hydrow delivers the benefits of rowing wherever you are.

Screenshots

Tonal4 screens
Hydrow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tonal at none against Hydrow's 1. Tonal also leads on review sentiment (70% vs 59%) and ratings volume (11K vs 3.5K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Hydrow sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per month. Tonal asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Tonal against 4.8 for Hydrow. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11K and 3.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Tonal's written reviews are positive against 59% of Hydrow's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Tonal versus Hydrow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTonalHydrow
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (11K ratings) — better4.8 (3.5K ratings)
Positive reviews70.3% of reviews — better59.2% of reviews
Number of ratings11K — better3.5K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size187 MB186 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTonal Systems, Inc.Hydrow, Inc.

Customer experience

Tonal

All ratings10,833 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews172 reviews
Positive70.3%
Neutral10.5%
Negative19.2%

Hydrow

All ratings3,459 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive59.2%
Neutral18.4%
Negative22.3%

User reviews

Tonal

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient and effective workouts
  • 👍 Variety of workouts and programs
  • 🚀 Convenient home gym experience
  • 👍 Motivating and engaging coaches
  • 👍 Comprehensive fitness tracking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity and syncing issues
  • 💡 Lack of personalization options
  • 💡 Limited custom workout capabilities
  • 💡 Lack of language and accessibility options
  • 🔒 Facebook integration required for profile photo

Hydrow

From 3.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth motion
  • 🚀 Engaging video coaching
  • 👍 Variety of workouts
  • 👍 Motivating instructors
  • 👍 Convenient for travel

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App issues (no iPad support, audio sync, etc.)
  • 🔒 Lack of account management features
  • 💰 Expensive subscription cost
  • 💰 Requires expensive rower hardware

Bugs and requests

Tonal

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Membership activation and login issues
  • Inconsistent performance and app crashes
  • Syncing problems with Apple Health and other devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Calendar function to plan workouts
  • Ability to track and filter custom workouts
  • Customizable movement options and exercise libraries
  • Injury/condition-specific workout recommendations
  • Ability to use without subscription or disable features

Hydrow

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes during workouts
  • Difficulty logging in or syncing account
  • Inconsistent video/audio quality

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to search/filter workouts
  • More data analytics and tracking
  • Integration with other fitness devices/apps
  • Ability to manage account on app/website

In-app purchases

None

Tonal

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Hydrow

Subscriptions1
  • Digital Basic1 Month trial$29.991 Month

Questions

Is Tonal free?
Tonal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hydrow free?
Hydrow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tonal or Hydrow?
Tonal is rated higher. Tonal averages 4.9 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Hydrow averages 4.8 from 3.5K ratings.
Do Tonal or Hydrow have ads?
Neither Tonal nor Hydrow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tonal or Hydrow?
Tonal ships an update every 3 weeks, and Hydrow every 3 weeks. Most recently, Tonal was updated on October 19, 2026 and Hydrow on October 18, 2026.

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