Comparison

RowHero vs RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach

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

Head to head
About

RowHero

This app provides stroke-by-stroke rowing performance data for athletes and coaches, storing results indefinitely. It offers insights into technique and fitness to help users improve their rowing speed and performance.

Highlights
  • Stroke-by-stroke erg results
  • Wireless Concept2 PM5 connection
  • Permanent workout storage
  • Stroke length and potential split metrics
  • Personalized improvement insights
  • Team performance comparison
Read full description

Coaches: get 100% accurate, stroke-by-stroke erg results for your team, stored forever Here's how it works: • Before a workout, every athlete quickly connects RowHero to their Concept2 PM5. It's all wireless. • Every piece/interval result then gets sent directly to your app at the end of every piece. • You get access to everything you're used to, plus stroke-by-stroke breakdown of every piece, and new metrics like stroke length and potential split. And because workouts are saved forever, so you get to see your team's progress over time without trying to put together the right set of spreadsheets every single time. Rank results by raw speed or performance improvement to provide opportunities for everyone to shine. Athletes, find personalized ways to get faster As a former youth coach, my goal is to help you be the best competitive rower you can be. Here's what RowHero can do for you: • Never have to wonder about your 2K or 6K PR again. It's all right in the app for you. • Getting faster is all about understanding where you have the biggest area to grow: technique, fitness, and mindset. RowHero can help you identify where to focus based on its stroke length and potential speed metrics. • When you row with a team you can automatically you see how you stack up against others, so you can use your teammates as motivation to keep pushing for more. Stats are only part of the equation, but if you're driven to improve, you can build your confidence tremendously with what RowHero shares with you. Are you in? Questions, feedback, suggestions? Check out our website https://rowhero.com or contact us at support@rowhero.com. We are very open to helping you create the rowing data solution you need!

About

RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach

This platform connects to rowing and cycling machines via Bluetooth to automatically log workouts. It provides athletes with live performance data, historical analysis, and readiness scores. Coaches can monitor team progress, build training plans, and review technique videos.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth PM5 connection
  • Live performance metrics
  • Full workout history
  • Readiness scoring
  • Strava & Concept2 Logbook export
  • Coach training plan tools
  • Athlete technique video review
Features
Read full description

RowIQ is the rowing training app that connects to your Concept2 PM5 over Bluetooth. Log every stroke on the RowErg or BikeErg, see your force curve live, and get coaching built on your own data. Athletes train smarter. Coaches see the whole squad live. CONNECTS TO YOUR CONCEPT2 • Pairs with the PM5 monitor over Bluetooth — RowErg and BikeErg • Live split, pace, watts, stroke rate, distance, calories and heart rate • Load a planned workout onto the PM5 with one tap, or just row • The monitor is the source of truth: your debrief matches the PM5's own summary SEE THE SHAPE OF YOUR STROKE • Force curve drawn live on every stroke (RowErg) • Shape a target Optimal Force Curve and row against it with a live accuracy score • Debrief: your average curve vs. target, peak timing, stroke length and a cue for next time VIRTUAL COXSWAIN • Set a goal split, a stroke rate, or both before you row • Spoken pace calls tell you the split to hold, easing off when you're ahead and picking up when you fade • Works on single distance or time pieces on the RowErg AI COACH • Ask a coach that has your training history in front of it • Smart Plans: a personalised training plan from your goal, 2K, race date and weekly availability • Readiness from Apple Health — HRV, resting heart rate and sleep — combined with training load • Plain-English insights after every piece and weekly recaps TRAIN AND TRACK • Coach-assigned, built-in, self-built and AI-generated plans on a calendar • Full history with splits, stroke trends and force curves; personal records by distance, time and interval format • Fitness vs. fatigue, weekly effort and progress trends • Lift tracking, Erg Engine stroke video analysis, friend races and a community meters leaderboard SYNC EVERYWHERE • Automatic upload to the Concept2 Logbook with per-split and per-interval data • Strava export with the full stream • Bluetooth heart-rate straps and armbands connect directly to RowIQ FOR COACHES • Link athletes with an invite link or coach code • Live race board: every athlete's split, rate and force curve in real time • Build and publish training plans, push a workout straight to an athlete's erg • Team roster with readiness, weekly meters and compliance; Film Room technique video review • Coach web dashboard at rowiqapp.com COMPATIBILITY Concept2 PM5 over Bluetooth on the RowErg and BikeErg. The SkiErg and the older PM3/PM4 monitors are not supported. Requires iPhone with iOS 17 or later. APPLE HEALTH RowIQ reads HRV, resting heart rate and sleep from Apple Health to calculate daily readiness. Your health data is never used for advertising or shared with third parties. SUBSCRIPTION RowIQ is free to download and use for basic workout logging. RowIQ Premium unlocks the AI coach and Smart Plans, Virtual Coxswain live coaching, advanced analytics, the Optimal Force Curve comparison, premium training plans, video review and the full weekly calendar. • Monthly and annual plans available RowIQ Premium subscription terms: Eligible new subscribers may receive a 7-day free trial for RowIQ Premium. After the free trial ends, the subscription automatically renews at the price shown at purchase unless canceled. RowIQ Premium is available monthly or annually. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase or, when a free trial applies, after the free trial period ends. To avoid being charged, turn off auto-renewal in your Apple ID Account Settings at least 24 hours before the end of the free trial or current subscription period. Subscriptions, renewals, cancellations and refunds are managed by Apple. Terms of Use: https://rowiqapp.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://rowiqapp.com/privacy

Screenshots

RowHero4 screens
RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RowHero at none against RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach's 5. RowHero also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. RowHero asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for RowHero against 4.7 for RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 13 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RowHero ships an update every 3 weeks, RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
RowHero versus RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRowHeroRowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (19 ratings)4.7 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings19 — better13
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB54 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperRowHero, LLCRowIQ LLC

Customer experience

RowHero

All ratings19 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach

All ratings13 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

RowHero

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach

Subscriptions5
  • RowIQ Premium Weekly$3.997 Days
  • RowIQ Premium Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Influencer Coach Access Premium$89.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Row IQ Premium7 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Influencer Coach Access$99.991 Month

Questions

Is RowHero free?
RowHero is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach free?
RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, RowHero or RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach?
RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach is rated higher. RowHero averages 4.6 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach averages 4.7 from 13 ratings.
Do RowHero or RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach have ads?
Both RowHero and RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach show ads.
Which is updated more often, RowHero or RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach?
RowHero ships an update every 3 weeks, and RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach every 4 days. Most recently, RowHero was updated on October 12, 2026 and RowIQ | Rowing & Erg Coach on October 3, 2026.

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