# Rowtrain vs Rowing Workout

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Rowtrain at none against Rowing Workout's 4. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Rowing Workout sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Rowtrain asks for nothing beyond the download.

Rowtrain ships an update monthly, Rowing Workout every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rowtrain | Rowing Workout |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.6 (208 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rowing-workout/id6470894043/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **208** |
| Positive reviews | — | 68.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Size | 33 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Benjamin Hinz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1535387771) | [Christoph Gogolin](https://appshunter.io/developer/511901280) |

## What reviewers say

### Rowtrain

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rowtrain/id1535387769)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Rowing Workout

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rowing-workout/id6470894043)

Track your indoor rowing sessions with detailed stroke analysis and real-time progress monitoring. Compete with yourself and others on leaderboards, and seamlessly export your data to popular fitness platforms.

**Highlights:** Precise stroke and distance tracking, Real-time iPhone display of metrics, Automatic workout pause/resume, GameCenter leaderboards and challenges, Export to Strava & Concept2 Logbook, Bluetooth connectivity for rowers, Detailed performance analytics (subscription)

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro - monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| All Pro features (monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Pro yearly | $12.99 | per year |
| All Pro features (yearly) | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean, intuitive, Apple-like interface design
- 📊 Comprehensive rowing metrics and analytics
- ⌚ Excellent Apple Watch integration
- 🏥 Seamless Apple Health synchronization
- 🎮 Engaging gamification with Game Center leaderboards

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent Bluetooth connectivity issues with rowers
- 🐛 Apple Watch syncing delays and failures
- ⚠️ Inaccurate stroke counting at low rowing speeds
- ⚠️ Inconsistent distance measurement recording
- 🐛 App lags 10-30 seconds behind watch display

**Reported bugs**

- Bluetooth connection drops between app and PM5/rowers
- Apple Watch connection failures and sync issues
- Stroke detection unreliable at slow rowing speeds
- Distance calculations significantly undercount actual distance
- Phone app metrics lag behind watch display

**Requested features**

- Support for additional rower types beyond PM5 (FTMS protocol support)
- Landscape orientation for iPhone app
- Strava integration and syncing
- Ability to edit distance in completed workouts
- Custom heart rate zone configuration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rowtrain free?

Rowtrain is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Rowing Workout free?

Rowing Workout is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Rowtrain or Rowing Workout have ads?

Neither Rowtrain nor Rowing Workout shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Rowtrain or Rowing Workout?

Rowtrain ships an update monthly, and Rowing Workout every 3 weeks. Most recently, Rowtrain was updated on September 8, 2026 and Rowing Workout on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*