Tacho vs Smartycle
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tacho
Track your cycling workouts with this app, which functions as a bike computer on your Apple Watch and iPhone. It records key metrics like speed, heart rate, and elevation, syncing data to Apple Health.
- Bike computer functionality
- Track speed, heart rate, elevation
- Syncs with Apple Health
- Auto-pause feature
- Barometric altimeter for accuracy
- Real-time weather data
Read full descriptionHide full description
Tacho is a bike computer for the Apple Watch and iPhone. With the Tacho Watch app, you can track your bike workouts and save them to the Apple Health app on your iPhone. You can use the Tacho Watch app with or without an iPhone. Start your tracking on the Apple Watch. With the Tacho iPhone app, you can then see key metrics like speed, heart rate, elevation, incline, wind speed and direction, and air temperature. On the Apple Watch, you'll also see average and maximum speed, pulse, and ascent and descent. With the auto-pause function, only the time and distance you are actually moving is counted. The barometric altimeter ensures accurate altitude measurement. It automatically calibrates itself based on the GPS signal as you move. Weather data is updated every 5 to 15 minutes depending on your speed and location. The following data is stored in the Apple Health app on your iPhone: - ride time - distance - route - altitude (ascent/descent) - speed - pulse - calories burned - air temperature - air humidity - weather condition - events (pause start/end, movement start/end) In the Settings app on your iPhone, you can configure the Tacho app to your liking. You can choose between altimetry via GPS or barometer, configure units of measurement, customize the appearance and disable the auto-pause functionality. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Smartycle
Read full descriptionHide full description
Smartycle is an Apple Watch app designed for tracking your cycling activities. It utilizes a specialized Bluetooth sensor placed on your bicycle. With this sensor, you can achieve much more precise and reliable results than when using GPS, all while significantly conserving your watch's battery. If you don't yet own the sensor, the app can also operate in GPS mode. Features: * Reliable speedometer * Smart notifications * Rich ride analysis * Apple Health integration * Screen rotation * GPS support and route tracking * Multiple sensors support Your privacy at first place. No cloud no registration no ads. Your data is stored on device only.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Smartycle at Free against Tacho's $4.99. Smartycle also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.5). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Smartycle is free to download; Tacho costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Tacho ships an update every 6 weeks, Smartycle every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tacho | Smartycle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Friedemann Bartels | Androworks s.r.o. |
In-app purchases
Tacho
No in-app purchases
Smartycle
No in-app purchases
