Comparison

MATRIX PowerWatch 2 vs RunOn

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

Head to head
About

MATRIX PowerWatch 2

This smartwatch is powered entirely by your body heat and solar energy, eliminating the need for traditional charging. It integrates with Apple HealthKit to provide an active lifestyle experience.

Highlights
  • Body heat powered
  • Solar powered
  • Always-on display
  • Untethered from chargers
  • Apple HealthKit integration
Features
Read full description

PowerWatch was born out of a mission to create the best active lifestyle smartwatch experience powered by the energy of the user. We’re working to build a world powered by you, where devices can remain always-on and untethered from wasteful chargers. The series of smartwatches powered by only body-heat and solar power, are energized by MATRIX’s Gemini and Mercury modules, and a custom low-powered operating system designed specifically for PowerWatch. PowerWatch works with Apple HealthKit.

About

RunOn

Features
Read full description

Run On is a minimal running log: real map routes, live pace, and a route card or video after every run. No ads, no subscription, no sign-up. BEFORE YOU RUN — A CLEAR ANSWER Live weather and air quality feed a daily Run Index that answers two things in one line: should you run today, and what should you wear. No squinting at humidity, wind speed and PM2.5 to decide. WHILE YOU RUN — EVERYTHING AT A GLANCE Real map route, live pace, distance, duration, calories and heart rate, read from Apple Watch via HealthKit rather than estimated. Pedometer calibration keeps distance honest. Take photos mid-run, pause any time, and lock the screen to stop accidental taps — a Live Activity keeps your progress visible on the Lock Screen while the route keeps recording. AFTER YOU RUN — A CARD AND A SHARE Your real route is drawn automatically with kilometre markers and photo pins. Pick a map template (frosted glass, minimal, midnight) and export a card in one tap — or turn the whole route into a video replay with music. Share straight to WeChat, Moments and Xiaohongshu. YOUR MILEAGE BUILDS ITSELF Total distance, run count, calories, weekly chart, weekly goal progress, full history and a badge wall. Milestone badges and personal-best tiers unlock as you go (1K under 9:00 / 7:00 / 5:00 / 4:00 / 3:00, and 3K / 5K / 10K / half marathon / marathon across five tiers). IT CLOSES THE LOOP Every finished run is written to Apple Health — distance, duration, calories and heart rate count toward your Fitness rings, with no manual entry. IPHONE + APPLE WATCH Apple Watch can record a run on its own and sync it back to your phone. A home screen widget shows whether you have run today. WHY PEOPLE SWITCH - No splash ads, no pop-ups - No subscription, no in-app purchase - No social feed to distract you - No account required; data stays on your device - Dark, full-screen interface built for one thing PRIVACY No account, no upload of workout data, no ads, no third-party analytics SDK, no profiling or tracking. Location and workout data are stored on your iPhone and Apple Watch by default; with iCloud sync on, they live in your own private Apple cloud space, which we cannot access. Policy: https://murphy-zhu.github.io/runlog-privacy/ Support: https://github.com/Murphy-zhu

Screenshots

MATRIX PowerWatch 24 screens
RunOn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: RunOn at every 4 days against MATRIX PowerWatch 2's every 3 weeks. MATRIX PowerWatch 2's advantage is iOS requirement (12.1 vs 15.6). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MATRIX PowerWatch 2 ships an update every 3 weeks, RunOn every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MATRIX PowerWatch 2 versus RunOn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMATRIX PowerWatch 2RunOn
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (68 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews34.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings68 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS12.1 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatrix Industries, Inc.玉秋 朱

Bugs and requests

MATRIX PowerWatch 2

Reported bugs

58 issues
  • App cannot connect to internet
  • App shows 'you are offline' despite connection
  • App cannot login
  • App cannot send email
  • Watch becomes bricked
Show 53 more
  • GPS module not working
  • No certificate for GPS
  • App requires reinstallation for sync
  • App not updated for years
  • App not functioning with iOS 15+
  • Watch frozen in time
  • Watch not charging from body heat
  • Solar charging not working
  • App scan not functioning
  • Cannot get latest update to load (timeout, OTA failure)
  • Sync times exceptionally slow
  • Sync often fails
  • App doesn't store step/workout data
  • No info shown in app despite tracking
  • Cannot login or register new account
  • Login error on multiple devices
  • Watch not syncing after iOS update
  • Firmware updates delete saved data
  • App stalls or crashes when syncing
  • No data updated or saved
  • App data basic and unsophisticated
  • Watch not receiving notifications
  • Watch not staying connected to Bluetooth
  • Notifications stopped working after update
  • Watch restarts and deletes data
  • Watch displays wrong time
  • Syncing broken, erases recent data
  • Syncing issues with iOS 13.4.1
  • Watch not syncing with iPhone after iOS update
  • Firmware updates make watch unusable
  • Watch turns off and on
  • App settings for notifications disappeared
  • Watch not receiving email/call notifications
  • Syncing fails with communication timeout
  • Error during re-pairing
  • Watch not working with previous watches
  • Calorie counter unrealistic after update
  • Notifications not set up correctly, requires program restart
  • Watch not receiving notifications
  • Watch not staying connected to Bluetooth
  • Messages not working with iOS APPLE
  • Half of functions not working
  • Notifications not working
  • Syncing failed with communication timeout
  • Error during re-pairing
  • Watch restarts and deletes data
  • Sync doesn't work
  • History doesn't work
  • Data doesn't link with Health kit
  • Syncing issues
  • Sync operation unclear
  • Syncing failed with communication timeout
  • Error during re-pairing

Requested features

12 requests
  • Add Vietnamese language support
  • Add Russian language support
  • Display battery level in percentage
  • Expand sport types
  • Display seconds on watch face
Show 7 more
  • Option to take heart rate live on watch
  • GPS toggle
  • Permanent backlight option with level control
  • More explanation regarding interfaces (e.g., red ring)
  • Strava integration fix
  • More data in Apple Health
  • Option to change watch face

RunOn

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MATRIX PowerWatch 2

No in-app purchases

None

RunOn

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MATRIX PowerWatch 2 free?
MATRIX PowerWatch 2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RunOn free?
RunOn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MATRIX PowerWatch 2 or RunOn have ads?
Neither MATRIX PowerWatch 2 nor RunOn shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MATRIX PowerWatch 2 or RunOn?
MATRIX PowerWatch 2 ships an update every 3 weeks, and RunOn every 4 days. Most recently, MATRIX PowerWatch 2 was updated on October 22, 2026 and RunOn on October 24, 2026.

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