Row Forge vs ErgZone
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Row Forge
This app acts as a personal rowing trainer, offering personalized workouts and a scalable training program designed to improve your performance. It tracks your metrics and stats, providing targeted interval training and conditioning programs. Gamified elements like badges add a fun aspect to your fitness journey.
- Personalized signature workouts
- Targeted High Intensity Interval Training
- Effective conditioning program
- Eleven baseline tests
- Build a performance profile
- Earn badges
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FORGE A STRONGER ENGINE. Your Concept2 erg gives you numbers. Row Forge turns them into a personal training system: know where you stand, train with purpose, and see the progress. Connect your PM5 over Bluetooth and every session is captured as you row. Then Row Forge does what a spreadsheet never could. It tells you what the numbers mean and what to do next. MEET ROW FORGE INTELLIGENCE • Today's Workout — one clear session, chosen for you from your fitness tests, training history, and campaign progress, with the reasoning behind it. • Post-Workout Analysis — see what each workout meant and what to carry into the next one, grounded in the work Row Forge recorded. • Ask Row Forge — a training conversation that knows your history. Ask what to train, how a session went, or where to focus next. TRAIN WITH A SYSTEM Test. Train. Learn. Improve. Row Forge connects the pieces so every session has a place and a purpose. • Viking Power Profile — establish your baseline, see your strengths and biggest opportunities, and train to targets built from your own results. • Fitness Tests — benchmark the distances that matter and retest to measure the difference. • Signature Workouts — structured sessions with targets set to your ability. • HIIT — interval work with adaptive power targets that move with you. • Campaigns — training blocks that give every session a sequence and a purpose, from your first row to a stronger engine. • Free Row, Free Ski, and Free Cycle — build your own session on any Concept2 erg. • Live session view — watts, pace, stroke rate, heart rate, and interval targets in real time, with your Apple Watch along for the row. • Logbook — your complete performance history with analytics, achievements, and sync with your Concept2 Logbook. • Cold Impact — track cold exposure alongside your training and see how it relates to your rowing. BUILT FOR THE ERG Row Forge is made for Concept2 RowErg, SkiErg, and BikeErg with a PM5 monitor. Pair once and your erg data flows into the app automatically. Your account follows you across iPhone, Android, Apple Watch, and the web. BECOME A BETTER ATHLETE Rowing is a sport of honest numbers. Row Forge helps you understand them, act on them, and prove your progress against your own history. Whether you are chasing a faster 2K, building endurance, or rowing for a stronger life, you will know what to do today and why. MEMBERSHIP Free Row and your logbook are free. Row Forge membership unlocks Row Forge Intelligence, Viking Power Profile, personalized targets, Fitness Tests, Signature Workouts, HIIT, premium campaigns, and performance analytics. Monthly and semi-annual plans are available, and eligible new members can start with a 14-day trial. Membership is an auto-renewing subscription billed to your Apple ID. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel any time in your App Store account settings. Prices are shown in the app before purchase. Privacy Policy: https://rowforge.com/privacy Train with purpose. Perform with confidence.
ErgZone
Optimize indoor training with real-time performance data, personalized pacing, and engaging challenges. Seamlessly integrates with various fitness machines, automating setup and providing critical metrics to enhance your workouts.
- Easy monitor setup
- Live performance metrics
- Smart interval pacing
- Real-time workout alerts
- Workout variety options
- Performance history tracking
- Community challenges
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ErgZone is a cutting-edge fitness platform designed to optimize your indoor training sessions. By seamlessly integrating with your Concept2, RP3, Rogue, WaterRower, Assault Fitness or FTMS-enabled machines, ErgZone provides real-time performance data, personalized pacing, and engaging challenges to push your limits. Why Choose ErgZone? Designed to streamline your training, ErgZone minimizes setup time, automates monitor configurations, and calculates critical metrics so you can focus on performance, not prep. Key Features: • Easy Monitor Setup: No need to manually set intervals – simply connect to the ergometer, and the app handles the rest. Start moving right away. • Live Metrics: View real-time data during workouts, including time, distance, pace, strokes/minute (SPM), calories, watts, heart rate (HR) zones, and more. • Smart Interval Pacing: Suggested pace per interval based on personal benchmarks (1K, 2K, 5K for rowing and skiing; 2K, 4K, 10K for cycling). • Real-Time Alerts: Instant feedback if your pace, SPM, or split time drifts from the target. • Workout Variety: Options to train by time, distance, or calories with flexibility for mixed or weighted workouts. • Daily Workouts: Access the Concept2 Workout of the Day, plus discover workouts and training plans from top coaches. • Performance History: Save your favorite workouts, track heart rate progress, and monitor key metrics. • Compete & Connect: Join challenges, follow ErgFlix workouts, and interact with our partner coaches who release weekly free workouts. • Beyond Default Metrics: Track advanced metrics like stroke count, drag factor (DF), calories, watts, SPI, HR zones, and more. • Automatic Syncing: Results are automatically uploaded to the Concept2 LogBook. Unlock ErgZone+ for Premium Tools: • Enhanced Metrics & Graphs: View each interval's post-workout heart rate and power zones in a single graph. • Expanded Metrics: Access Drive Length, Max Power, Avg. Force, Force Curve, and more. The app remembers your last-used metrics for easy setup. • Time Cap & AMRAP: For added versatility, use automatic time-capped workouts and AMRAP (as many rounds as possible). • Flexible Targets: Set workout intensity using power metrics like FTP (Functional Threshold Power), SPI, or Watts percentage. • ReRow, ReSki, ReRide: Revisit previous sessions and strive to beat your pace or time. • Communities: Create and join communities, share workouts, and engage with friends. Enable leaderboards for a fun, competitive edge. • Apple Health Integration: Sync workouts and heart rate data directly to Apple Health. • Heart Rate Monitor: Connect your favorite Bluetooth HRM to track your heart rate in real-time during workouts. • Web Dashboard: Manage workouts, schedule training, and view live stats on a computer. • MultiErg Workouts: Create custom workouts incorporating two or all three Concept2 machines in a single workout. • Dynamic Interval Intensity: Set workout pace based on a previous interval. • Apple Watch Integration: Capture heart rate data from our Apple Watch app. • Organize Your Training: Create groups, libraries, and training plans to manage better and organize your workouts. • FIT Workouts: Track non-erg workouts such as weight training, HYROX, CrossFit, etc. Requirements: • Supported Machines: Concept2 RowErg, BikeErg, SkiErg with PM5, RP3 Rower, Rogue Echo Bike or Rower, WaterRower S4 (with ComModule or CR BLE), FTMS-enabled machines. • Device: iPhone or iPad Terms of Use: https://www.erg.zone/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ErgZone at 4.8 against Row Forge's 3.9. ErgZone also leads on ratings volume (458 vs 35) and review sentiment (81% vs 68%). Row Forge's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Row Forge sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and ErgZone sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ErgZone holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ErgZone has 458 ratings behind it against 35, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Row Forge's written reviews are positive against 81% of ErgZone's.
Row Forge ships an update fortnightly, ErgZone every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Row Forge | ErgZone |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (35 ratings) | 4.8 (458 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 67.9% of reviews | 80.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 35 | 458 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 13.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 75 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Row Forge LLC | ERGZONE LLC |
Customer experience
Row Forge
ErgZone
Bugs and requests
Row Forge
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
ErgZone
Reported bugs
9 issues- Heart monitor sync issues with Samsung Galaxy watch
- Workouts not appearing in logbook when connected to ErgData
- Inaccurate total time in uploads
- Rest distance not included in Strava upload
- Group membership premium features unclear
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- Workouts not shown chronologically
- Occasional hesitation to connect to PM5
- Cannot figure out how to connect to PM5
- Workout completion and upload to logbook could be more intuitive
Requested features
7 requests- Sync with Samsung Galaxy watch
- Add a beep function for interval changes
- Confirmation pop-up for unsaved workout changes
- Require unique names for workouts
- Apple Health integration
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- Native Apple Health synchronization
- Sharing with Apple Health
In-app purchases
Row Forge
- Monthly1 Month trial$8.991 Month
- Row Monthly Subscription$29.991 Month
- Row Monthly with Two Week Trial14 Days trial$29.991 Month
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- Annual1 Month trial$89.991 Year
- Regular Six-Month Membership$143.996 Months
- Six-Months with Two Week Trial14 Days trial$143.996 Months
ErgZone
- EZ+ Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- EZ+ Annual$49.991 Year









