Comparison

b4 vs AthXcel

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

Head to head
About

b4

Enhance your baseball batting with advanced AI analysis. Track key metrics like exit velocity and launch angle, analyze biomechanics, and receive real-time feedback. Improve your swing and performance with detailed reports and video playback.

Highlights
  • Comprehensive swing analysis
  • Exit velocity and launch angle tracking
  • Bat contact point analysis
  • Real-time playback and analytics
  • Immersive pitch simulation
  • AI-driven performance reports
Features
Read full description

Revolutionize your baseball training experience. Enhance your batting skills, analyze your performance, and take your game to the next level. Get cutting-edge batting stats, biomechanics analysis, and real-time feedback—all with just an iPhone and a tripod! Developed with multiple Major League players. Key Features • Comprehensive Metrics: Access a complete baseball swing analysis toolset, including exit velocity, launch angle, bat path, and biomechanics analysis, to refine your skills and elevate your game. • Bat Contact Point (BCP): Precisely tracks where the bat hits the ball, giving players actionable insights on every swing. • Real-Time Playback: Review and learn from past performances with slow-motion videos, and track your progress with real-time analytics. • Immersive Pitch: An innovative feature that simulates live incoming pitches, refining your timing and reaction down to the millisecond—all from your iPhone. • Dynamic Visualizations: Easily track progress and identify your strengths. • AI Report: Gain deeper insight into your hitting performance. Track SwSp%, xwOBA, exit velocity, launch angle, and more. Batting Statistics Overview • Bat Contact Point Analysis: Your contact point range with minimum, maximum, and distribution to understand patterns and improve consistency session by session. • Bat Path Visualization: Gain in-depth insights into your bat control and make informed adjustments. • Exit Velocity Tracking: Accurately measure the speed of your hits to monitor your progress and aim for new personal bests. • Launch Angle Optimization: Perfect your launch angles for maximum performance and increase hitting probability. • Comprehensive Biomechanics Analysis: Refine your technique by understanding your stride, weight shift, and head movement. • Advanced AI Report: Track hit classifications, analyze SwSp%, xBA, xwOBA, ground-ball to fly-ball ratio, and more to pinpoint and boost your game performance. Subscriptions Our app is free for everyone to use! Access lab-level swing analysis at no cost. The Starter plan lets you analyze up to 30 swings per month. Upgrade anytime for more power! Starter Pass (Free) • 30 swings per month • Perfect for casual swing analysis and quick check-ins Essential • 100 swings per month • More reps, deeper insights, and faster improvement Premium • Unlimited swings per month • Built for dedicated athletes committed to real progress Choose Your Plan Essential • $39.99 / Yearly — Save with our annual subscription • $3.99 / Monthly — Flexible monthly subscription Premium • $149.99 / Yearly — Save with our annual subscription • $14.99 / Monthly — Flexible monthly subscription Coach Access+ • Explore enhanced plans designed specifically for coaches at all levels. Experience Future Tech Today! Dive into advanced batting metrics, enhance your sports performance in real-time, and start your science-backed journey to improvement with the b4-app – all at your fingertips.

About

AthXcel

This virtual sports coach helps athletes aged 13+ train smarter and perform better. It offers personalized, sport-specific training plans, progress tracking, and AI-powered video analysis to help users achieve their competitive goals.

Highlights
  • Individual assessments for customized plans
  • Personalized weekly workouts
  • Progress tracking with data insights
  • AI-powered video analysis (coming soon)
  • Multi-sport support
  • Strength, speed, recovery, and mobility training
Read full description

The Virtual Coach for Competitive Athletes Train Smarter. Perform Better. AthXcel is your personal virtual coach - built for athletes aged 13 and up who want to maximize performance and stay ahead of the competition. Whether you're chasing a scholarship, aiming for varsity, or trying to level up your training, AthXcel delivers personalized, sport-specific programs designed to help you reach your goals. Key Features: -Individual Assessments: Every journey starts with you. AthXcel captures your physical profile, current skill level, and goals to build a customized performance plan. -Personalized Training Plans: Get weekly workouts designed specifically for your sport, your position, and your season. From strength and speed to recovery and mobility—every rep has purpose. -Progress Tracking: Track your workouts, see your gains, and stay motivated with real-time feedback and data insights. Visualize your improvement across key metrics over time. -Video Analysis: Upload training clips to get AI-powered analysis and suggestions to improve your form, mechanics, and efficiency - right from your phone. (Coming Summer 2025) -Multi-Sport Support: Play more than one sport? No problem. AthXcel adapts to your seasonal changes and balances workload to help you stay healthy and ready to compete year-round. Start your training transformation today with AthXcel. No guesswork. No generic plans. Just a clear path to your next level. A Locker Room Central Product For our terms of service, visit https://athxcel.com/Terms/Platform_Terms_and_Conditions.html

Screenshots

b44 screens
AthXcel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: AthXcel at 4.7 against b4's 4.2. AthXcel also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). b4's advantage is ratings volume (152 vs 20). On price, review sentiment, 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. b4 sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and AthXcel sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AthXcel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: b4 has 152 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of b4's written reviews are positive against 87% of AthXcel's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

b4 ships an update every 3 weeks, AthXcel every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
b4 versus AthXcel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterb4AthXcel
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (152 ratings)4.7 (20 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.6% of reviews86.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings152 — better20
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size222 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKeepTossingLabLocker Room Central

Customer experience

b4

All ratings151 ratings
Positive80.8%
Neutral4.0%
Negative15.2%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral4.8%
Negative14.5%

AthXcel

All ratings20 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.3%

Bugs and requests

b4

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Exit velocity readings fail after first swing
  • Login fails repeatedly even after reinstalling app
  • App stops providing readings mid-session
  • Inaccurate measurements in certain temperature conditions
  • Setup configuration not recognized despite proper calibration
Show 2 more
  • App crashes and becomes unresponsive
  • Inconsistent accuracy across different users and conditions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Distance tracking in feet for hit balls
  • More in-depth analytics and statistics
  • Support for older iPhone models
  • Enhanced data visualization and reporting

AthXcel

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

b4

Subscriptions4
  • Essential Plan$3.991 Month
  • Premium Plan$14.991 Month
  • Essential Plan$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium Plan$149.991 Year
1 purchases

AthXcel

Subscriptions1
  • AthXcel Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$9.991 Month

Questions

Is b4 free?
b4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AthXcel free?
AthXcel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, b4 or AthXcel?
AthXcel is rated higher. b4 averages 4.2 out of 5 from 152 ratings, while AthXcel averages 4.7 from 20 ratings.
Do b4 or AthXcel have ads?
Neither b4 nor AthXcel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, b4 or AthXcel?
b4 ships an update every 3 weeks, and AthXcel every 9 days. Most recently, b4 was updated on November 3, 2026 and AthXcel on October 30, 2026.

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