Comparison

Fitness Coach vs Start Rowing

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

Head to head
About

Fitness Coach

Personalized workout plans adapt to your fitness goals and level, whether you train at home, the gym, or outdoors. Access numerous training sessions and hundreds of exercises to target all muscle groups. Track your progress over time and stay motivated with 30-minute sessions.

Highlights
  • Personalized workout programs
  • Goal-based training adaptation
  • Dozens of training sessions
  • Hundreds of exercises
  • Progress tracking
  • 30-minute sessions
Features
Read full description

Follow programs adapted to your goals directly via your iPhone or iPad. Whether at home, at the gym, or outdoors, stay in shape with Fitness Coach! - Choose your GOAL and we make you a program according to your LEVEL. - Dozens of SESSIONS of various trainings. - A HUNDREDS of exercises to progress on all the MUSCLES of your body. - Choose your RHYTHM and train in a 30-minute session. - FOLLOW your evolution and PROGRESS over the weeks. " I had a hard time getting into fitness ... now I get what I needed " - "Easy to use, all you need to progress" - "A very complete application to achieve its physical purpose!" This app uses HealthKit to track and log your water consumption, steps, and activities SUBSCRIPTIONS - You can subscribe for this app to get access premium features - Subscription options are: 1-week with 3-day trial, 1-year with 3-day trial, 3-months - Privacy : http://privacy.appfeedbacks.com/1472638797 - Terms of Use : https://www.iubenda.com/terms-and-conditions/44220384

About

Start Rowing

This app offers structured rowing workout plans for all experience levels, helping users build strength, burn calories, and improve rowing technique. It provides guidance on intensity and rest, with features like an audio coach and metronome for effective training sessions.

Highlights
  • Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced training plans
  • Session-based Challenger workouts
  • Audio coach guidance
  • Rowing metronome
  • Workout logging and progress tracking
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Start Rowing without any previous experience needed. Get in shape, build strength and burn calories. Our rowing app's workout plans will train you for the next stage in your rowing journey. Never rowed before? Start with our beginner plan. In 8 weeks you’ll be comfortable rowing 2000 meters with correct technique. Experienced erger? Use our intermediate and advanced plans to improve your overall fitness while increasing your rowing capacity. Start Rowing will guide you step by step, letting you know when to change rowing intensity and when to rest. Each plan is designed to slowly become more challenging so your body can adapt and gain endurance while minimising any risk of injury. Spend just 10-30 minutes a day, 2-5 days a week. You’ll be fitter, stronger and a much better rower! Features - Choose from Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced training plans. - Session based Challenger workouts to exercise your whole body. - Audio coach to guide your through your rowing workout. - Rowing metronome to help you keep in time. - Log your workouts and keep track of your overall progress. - Share your progress. - APPLE HEALTH INTEGRATION: Connect your workouts to Health App to track your daily activity. Legal Disclaimer This app and any information given by it are for educational purposes only. They are not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should always consult your healthcare provider before beginning any fitness program. If you upgrade to a premium Start Rowing subscription, payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. There is no increase in cost when renewing. Subscriptions can be managed and auto-renewal turned off in Account Settings in iTunes after purchase. Once purchased, the current period cannot be cancelled. Any unused portion of a free trial period is forfeited if you choose to purchase a premium subscription. Find the full terms and conditions at https://www.vigour.fitness/terms, and our privacy policy at https://www.vigour.fitness/privacy.

Screenshots

Fitness Coach4 screens
Start Rowing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Start Rowing at free with in-app purchases against Fitness Coach's subscription. Start Rowing also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 40%) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). Fitness Coach's advantage is ratings volume (73K vs 682). 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. Fitness Coach sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Start Rowing sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Start Rowing holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fitness Coach has 73K ratings behind it against 682, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Fitness Coach's written reviews are positive against 73% of Start Rowing's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fitness Coach ships an update monthly, Start Rowing every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Fitness Coach versus Start Rowing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFitness CoachStart Rowing
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (73K ratings)4.7 (682 ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.8% of reviews73.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings73K — better682
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size209 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLuniVigour Group Ltd

Customer experience

Fitness Coach

All ratings73,101 ratings
Positive86.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews480 reviews
Positive39.8%
Neutral11.3%
Negative49.0%

Start Rowing

All ratings682 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews97 reviews
Positive73.2%
Neutral9.3%
Negative17.5%

User reviews

Fitness Coach

From 73K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great workouts
  • 🚀 Diverse workout options
  • 🚀 Helpful meal plans
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Tracks progress well

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 💰 Paywall for many features
  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes
  • 🐛 Workouts too intense for some
  • 🐛 Doesn't recognize allergies in meal plans

Start Rowing

From 682 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helpful for beginners
  • 🚀 Structured workout plans
  • 👍 Easy to follow
  • 👍 Enjoyable and motivating
  • 🚀 Useful metronome and pacing features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues (blank screen, spinning circle)
  • 🔋 High battery drain
  • 💰 Misleading about free access, requires subscription
  • 👎 Limited customization and flexibility
  • 👎 Inconsistent performance (stroke rate changes, screen shutoff)

Bugs and requests

Fitness Coach

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Videos don't load properly
  • Workout progress not tracked accurately
  • Subscription issues and inability to cancel

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow customization of workouts
  • Add audible cues during workouts
  • Provide more free workout options
  • Improve user interface and navigation

Start Rowing

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Blank screen during workouts
  • Inconsistent stroke rate changes
  • Automatic screen shutoff during workouts

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow custom workout creation
  • Improve volume control for metronome and audio
  • Add more advanced workout options
  • Enhance user interface and navigation
  • Improve sync and data tracking across devices

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Fitness Coach

Subscriptions9
  • 1 Week Fitness Premium7 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • 1 Week Fitness Premium3 Days trial2 variants$5.997 Days
  • 1 Week Fitness Premium3 Days trial$6.997 Days
Show 6 more
  • 1 Month Fitness Premium3 Days trial$15.991 Month
  • 1 Month Fitness Premium3 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • 1 Month of Fitness7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Coach +3 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • 1 Quarter Fitness Premium3 Days trial$29.993 Months
  • 1 Quarter Fitness Premium3 Days trial$49.993 Months
7 purchases

Start Rowing

Subscriptions6
  • Start Rowing Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly2 variants$14.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Premium Yearly$79.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium7 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$179.99

Questions

Is Fitness Coach free?
Fitness Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Start Rowing free?
Start Rowing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Fitness Coach or Start Rowing?
Start Rowing is rated higher. Fitness Coach averages 4.5 out of 5 from 73K ratings, while Start Rowing averages 4.7 from 682 ratings.
Do Fitness Coach or Start Rowing have ads?
Neither Fitness Coach nor Start Rowing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fitness Coach or Start Rowing?
Fitness Coach ships an update monthly, and Start Rowing every 3 weeks. Most recently, Fitness Coach was updated on November 10, 2026 and Start Rowing on November 10, 2026.

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