Comparison

Start Elliptical vs Wattbeat

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

Head to head
About

Start Elliptical

This app offers guided elliptical workouts for beginners and experienced users to improve fitness and burn calories. It provides step-by-step instructions and audio coaching to ensure safe and effective training, with plans that gradually increase in difficulty.

Highlights
  • Beginner-friendly elliptical routines
  • Step-by-step workout guidance
  • Audio coaching for workouts
  • Workout logging and progress tracking
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Start Elliptical without any previous experience required. Get fitter, stronger and burn more calories. Our cross trainer app workout routines will train you for the next stage in your fitness journey. New to the elliptical machine? Begin with our Starter Plan. In 2 weeks you’ll be comfortable working out and ready for a new challenge. Start Elliptical will give you step by step instructions to guide you through your workout. You’ll know how hard to train and for how long so you can steadily improve with minimal risk of injury. Each plan is designed to gradually become more challenging so your body can adapt and grow, without you burning out. Spend under an hour a day, a few times a week. You’ll be fitter and healthier for it! Features Choose a training plan to suit your fitness level. Audio coach to guide you through your cycling workout. Log your workouts and keep track of your overall progress. APPLE HEALTH INTEGRATION: Connect your workouts to Health App to track your daily activity. Coming Soon More elliptical workouts so you can hit all of your goals. 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 Elliptical 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.startfitness.life/start-elliptical-terms.html, and our privacy policy at https://www.startfitness.life/start-elliptical-privacy.html.

About

Wattbeat

Features
Read full description

Matrix ICR50 (ICR-50) or Basic-Fit Smart Bike? See live cycling data and save your rides on iPhone. Tested with the Basic-Fit Smart Bike (Matrix ICR-BF); Matrix ICR50 has not been separately tested. Wattbeat puts your bike’s power, cadence, speed, distance, energy and bike time on a clear, focused dashboard. Your bike. Your data. Your pace. • Explore interactive time charts of power, speed, cadence and, when recorded, heart rate and resistance. Hold and slide, or tap for full screen. • See power move with your cadence and keep your maximum in view. • Reconnect automatically to your remembered bike and heart rate sensor. • Add a compatible Bluetooth heart rate sensor. • Record rides locally and share your measurements as CSV. • Forward real bike power to a compatible watch or bike computer as Wattbeat Power. • Explore a clearly labelled demo without equipment. • Use Wattbeat in English or Dutch. Your own interval timer Save custom timers with optional warm-up and cool-down, hard efforts and light recovery between repetitions. Follow the countdown, rounds and progress in Your ride, in portrait or landscape. Four countdown beeps and spoken phase cues guide each change; confetti celebrates the finish. You control the resistance. Turn on Use my watch once. Wattbeat remembers your choice, starts broadcasting when new real bike power arrives and stops when you disconnect the bike. Keep Wattbeat open and check that the receiving device displays and saves the watts. Your ride in Garmin Connect and Strava Record bike power on a compatible Garmin watch, then review the saved activity in Garmin Connect. When Garmin Connect is linked to Strava, the activity can sync with its recorded power. Wattbeat does not pair directly with or upload to Strava. Advanced Strava analysis may require a separate subscription. Which indoor bikes work? • Tested hardware: Basic-Fit Smart Bike, model Matrix ICR-BF. Check the model label on your bike. • Matrix ICR50 (ICR-50): the manufacturer specifies Bluetooth FTMS. This model has not been tested separately with Wattbeat; check for live Indoor Bike Data on your exact bike. • Other indoor bikes: designed for Bluetooth FTMS with live Indoor Bike Data; these models have not been individually verified. • A Basic-Fit or Matrix logo alone does not establish compatibility. Bikes in gyms and other models may use different connections. Equipment requirements Your bike must provide Bluetooth Fitness Machine Service (FTMS) with live Indoor Bike Data. A separate heart rate sensor must provide the standard Bluetooth Heart Rate Service. Receiving devices must support external Bluetooth Cycling Power sensors. Bluetooth phone syncing alone is not enough. ANT+ only devices cannot connect directly to Wattbeat. Available measurements, pairing steps and simultaneous connections vary by equipment; compatibility is not guaranteed for every model. Speed and distance use metric units. On recognised JOHNSON Q24 firmware, Wattbeat learns intermediate power steps from cadence and resistance. This smooths reported steps without calibrating absolute watts. Other bikes and insufficient or invalid data retain original watts. Wattbeat does not control resistance. Calories are the bike’s estimate. A dash means no recent measurement has arrived. Only power is forwarded to a watch; other sensors can connect directly to that watch where supported. Your recordings stay on your iPhone unless you choose to share them. No Wattbeat account, ads, subscriptions or in-app purchases. Keep the app open while riding; test background operation and reconnection with your equipment. Wattbeat is an independent app, not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Basic-Fit, Matrix, Garmin or Strava. Brand and model names identify equipment and services only.

Screenshots

Start Elliptical4 screens
Wattbeat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Wattbeat at none against Start Elliptical's 3. Wattbeat also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). Start Elliptical's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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. Start Elliptical sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Wattbeat asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Start Elliptical ships an update every 3 weeks, Wattbeat every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Start Elliptical versus Wattbeat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStart EllipticalWattbeat
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (49 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings49 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVigour Group LtdEdward Bos

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Start Elliptical

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
None

Wattbeat

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Start Elliptical free?
Start Elliptical is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Wattbeat free?
Wattbeat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Start Elliptical or Wattbeat have ads?
Neither Start Elliptical nor Wattbeat shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Start Elliptical or Wattbeat?
Start Elliptical ships an update every 3 weeks, and Wattbeat every 2 days. Most recently, Start Elliptical was updated on October 24, 2026 and Wattbeat on October 26, 2026.

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