Zef vs Hoolan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Zef
Track and organize your rides for various sports, including nautical activities. Features include race organization, jump height estimation, and social sharing of sessions and spots. Integrates with Health app for comprehensive data recording.
- Race organization and championship management
- Jump height estimation using drone technology
- Support for a wide range of sports
- GPX file import from watches
- Health app integration
- Social feed for friends and spots
- Live tracking and notifications
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Zef — Ride. Track. Connect. Zef is a multi-sport tracking app built for riders, with a strong focus on nautical sports. Track your sessions, analyze your performance, discover spots, and see your friends live — all in one app. Key Features Track your rides Record your sessions with your iPhone or Apple Watch. Zef integrates with the Health app and supports GPX imports from most watches. Advanced performance analytics Get detailed session stats including speed, distance, duration, speed polar, and health data. Sessions can be replayed to analyze each maneuver. Jump analysis Measure jump height using only your iPhone or Apple Watch. Powered by algorithms inspired by drone technology. Races & challenges Create private or public races for training or competition. Visual guidance and wind angles are displayed directly on your iPhone or Apple Watch. Spots & live activity Discover spots around you and see when riders are active. Follow spots and get notified when sessions start. Friends & live tracking Follow riders by username and get notified when friends go live. Watch their sessions live on the map and stay connected. Supported Sports Sailing, Windsurfing, Kitesurfing, Wingfoil, Kitefoil, Windfoil, SUP Foil, Surfing, Wakeboard, Kayaking, Paddling, Snowkiting, Landkiting, Cross-country skiing, Skating, Bike, Electric Bike, Parawingfoil, and more with custom tags. Apple Ecosystem • iPhone & Apple Watch support • Health app integration • Optimized for the Apple ecosystem Important Sessions must be recorded from the ground to be validated. Legal Terms of Service https://zef.watch/terms-and-conditions.html Privacy Policy https://zef.watch/privacy-and-security-policy.html
Hoolan
This app tracks and analyzes kitesurfing, wingfoiling, and windsurfing sessions. It provides detailed statistics on jumps, speed, and transitions, helping users monitor their progress and improve their performance. Sessions can be logged with weather and equipment details, and achievements can be shared.
- Session tracking via Apple Watch or Garmin
- Detailed performance statistics (jumps, speed, transitions)
- Log sessions with spot, wind, and kit details
- Compare sessions and view progression over time
- Share session achievements on social media
- Export data in GPX format
- Health data integration (heart rate, calories)
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Hoolan is a FREE performance tracking and analysis app for kitesurfers, wingfoilers and windsurfers who want to track their sessions, share the stoke with their friends and improve every time they ride. Track directly from your Apple Watch or Garmin, see live stats while you ride and unlock detailed insights after each session. TRACK ON APPLE WATCH OR GARMIN Hoolan is built exclusively for smartwatch tracking, giving you the best experience on the water. Record your jumps and GPS tracks, and see your speed, distance and jump data live on your watch during your session. Your data automatically syncs to the phone app for detailed analysis. *No watch calibration needed to track your jumps* TRACK MULTIPLE WIND SPORTS KITE: Kiteboarding (twintip), kitesurfing (directional), kite foiling, kite buggying, kite landboarding, snowkiting WING: Wing foiling, wing SUP, snow winging, wing landboarding WINDSURF: Windsurfing, windfoiling PARAWING SAIL: Sailing, land yachting LOG & PROGRESS Track your progression over time with a full history of your sessions. - Personal bests & session bests by activity type - Log spots, wind, waves and gear - Add session notes ADVANCED PERFORMANCE STATISTICS Understand your performance: Jumps - height, airtime, jump distance, takeoff speed, max airspeed, tack & totals. Runs - distance, upwind gain, downwind gain, max speed, max speed over 100m, max speed over 500m, tack and stops. Transitions - success rate, average speed, max speed, entry & exit speed, duration, tack and stops. Health - max heart rate and calories burned. DEEP SESSION ANALYSIS Go deeper into your stats and view, filter and compare every run, transition or jump. Relive your session visually on a map, or view your statistics in a list to scan, compare and focus down on a particular aspect of your performance. RECORD HEALTH DATA Hoolan integrates with Apple's health and activity apps. Your sessions will contribute towards your activity rings and you will be able to see your heart rate and calories burned. FOLLOW FRIENDS Follow your friends, see their sessions in your feed, celebrate their achievements and fuel the stoke. SHARE YOUR SESSIONS Create shareable highlights with your session map and stats. Choose your best metrics and post directly to social media or send to friends. EXPORT YOUR DATA Direct Strava integration, Apple Health sync, GPX and FIT file exports. ACCURATE. RELIABLE. FREE - Doppler-based speed accuracy - Advanced jump detection - Optimised battery efficiency - Secure cloud storage All features are completely FREE. SUPPORTED DEVICES Garmin watches (2017+) Apple Watch (Series 4+/ watchOS 9.0 +) iPhone (iPhone 8+ / iOS 16+) PRIVACY FIRST Your data belongs to you. Sessions are private by default, and if you choose to connect with friends and share sessions, you stay in control of what's visible at all times. We do not sell or share your personal data. ABOUT HOOLAN Hoolan is built by riders, for riders. Our small, self-funded team is focused on delivering the most detailed, accurate GPS tracking, jump analytics and performance statistics - completely free from your smartwatch. No ads, no selling of user data. Every download, review and donation helps us keep building for the community.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hoolan at none against Zef's 3. Hoolan also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (99% vs 91%). Zef's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and device support (5 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, ads and monetization model 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. Zef sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Hoolan asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hoolan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41 and 72 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Zef's written reviews are positive against 99% of Hoolan's.
Zef ships an update fortnightly, Hoolan every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Zef | Hoolan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (41 ratings) | 4.9 (72 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.7% of reviews | 98.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 41 | 72 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 58 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Kieffer | Hoolan Ltd |
Customer experience
Zef
Hoolan
Bugs and requests
Zef
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Hoolan
Reported bugs
5 issues- App fails to load on some Apple Watch models
- Session stops unexpectedly mid-activity
- Vibration notification doesn't always trigger for jumps
- Watch crown depression accidentally stops sessions
- Mysterious session drop-outs and data loss
Requested features
10 requests- Rotation/trick identification during maneuvers
- Pumpfoiling and flatwater paddle-up tracking
- Social leaderboards and friend activity feeds
- Easy session editing/cropping to remove driving home
- Garmin watch compatibility
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- Session sharing via text/messaging
- Average heart rate statistics
- Automatic Strava upload
- Port/starboard tack and gybe differentiation
- User accounts with better profile management
In-app purchases
Zef
- Premium for one month7 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Summit for one year$26.991 Year
- Premium for one year$34.991 Year
Hoolan
No in-app purchases








