ErgData vs Back Country Workout
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ErgData
This app acts as a personal training partner for Concept2 equipment. It allows users to set up custom workouts, view real-time stats, track progress, and sync data with online platforms. It also offers workout of the day challenges and detailed post-workout analysis.
- Custom workout setup
- Real-time workout stats
- Progress tracking
- Sync with Concept2 Logbook
- Workout of the Day
- Post-workout analysis
- Apple Watch compatibility
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ErgData from Concept2 is your personal training partner. Set up workouts from your phone or tablet, view customized stats and information during workouts, track your progress, sync with the Concept2 Online Logbook, take part in the Workout of the Day and much more. Features -Set up workouts from your phone, making it simple to create even the most complex of interval workouts. You can choose to store workouts as favorites or rerow past efforts straight from ErgData. -Set the Concept2 Workout of the Day on the monitor with a single tap. -Compatible with the Apple Watch. Watch users can now see real-time heart rate data on the screen during the workout and in analysis afterwards. -Choose from different workout display options, including small, medium and large data screens, a pace graph screen, an interval and split table or a pace boat. Easily swipe between screens during your workout. Customize the data shown to suit you. -Syncs with the Concept2 Online Logbook, making it easy for you to take part in our many challenges. From the Online Logbook, your workouts can get sent to platforms such as Strava, Garmin Connect or Training Peaks. -Detailed post-workout analysis helps you know exactly what happened during your workout. See all your interval and split data, as well as pace and rate graphs, plus how long you spent in each heart rate zone. -Optional voice guidance to send audible workout data and results. Technical Specifications -Compatible with the PM5. -Compatible with the Concept2 RowErg, SkiErg and BikeErg -Connects to Apple Health -Connects to PM5 via Bluetooth only Note: Please do not have a USB stick in the PM5 at the same time as using ErgData, as this may prevent workouts being saved.
Back Country Workout
Record your cross-country skiing sessions with detailed metrics and map your routes. Track your progress over time and share your adventures with friends. Integrates seamlessly with Apple Health and Strava.
- Record cross-country ski workouts
- View routes on phone map
- Customize location names
- Show photo locations on map
- Lifetime workout statistics
- Upload routes to Strava
- Integrates with Apple Health
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BackCountry Workout is your premier gateway to recording Cross Country Skiing workouts on Apple Watch and iPhone! - Record workouts - View your routes on your phone - Customize names for locations and experiences you have in the great white outdoors - Show locations on your map of where you took photos - Lifetime workout statistics - Upload workout routes to Strava Workouts are recorded in Apple Health and show up as workouts in the Apple Activity app. Requires Apple Watch running watchOS 5.0 or greater.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ErgData at Free against Back Country Workout's $2.99. ErgData also leads on ratings volume (6K vs 125). Back Country Workout's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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
ErgData is free to download; Back Country Workout costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for ErgData against 4.6 for Back Country Workout. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ErgData has 6K ratings behind it against 125, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 46% of ErgData's written reviews are positive against 53% of Back Country Workout's.
ErgData ships an update fortnightly, Back Country Workout every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.
| Parameter | ErgData | Back Country Workout |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (6K ratings) — better | 4.6 (125 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 45.6% of reviews | 52.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6K — better | 125 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Concept2, Inc. | Wayne Hartman |
Customer experience
ErgData
Back Country Workout
User reviews
ErgData
From 6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great app
- 👍 Excellent stats
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Seamless sync with Concept2 logbook
- 👍 Customizable heart rate zones
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connection issues with PM5
- 🐛 Unreliable heart rate monitoring
- 🐛 Sync issues with Apple Health
- 🐛 Crashes and data loss
- 🐛 Frequent disconnections
Back Country Workout
From 125 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Best app for XC skiing
- 👍 Integrates with Apple Health
- 👍 Tracks GPS tracks well
- 👍 Works seamlessly with Apple Watch
- 👍 Easy to use
Room to improve
- 🐛 Distance recording inaccurate
- 🐛 GPS track starts far from actual location
- 🐛 Does not show correct distances
- 🐛 Data all gone
- 🐛 Not calculating Kms properly
Bugs and requests
ErgData
Reported bugs
6 issues- Workout data not saving
- Heart rate data freezing
- Disconnects during workouts
- Sync issues with Apple Health and Strava
- Login issues and frequent logouts
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Incompatibility with older firmware versions
Requested features
8 requests- Add friend mode
- Integrate Apple Watch support
- Add manual workout entry
- Implement landscape mode for iPad
- Integrate pace calculator
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Add recovery heart rate tracking
- Display METS data
- Allow custom heart rate zones in logbook
Back Country Workout
Reported bugs
33 issues- Adds all kinds of distance
- Zig zag lines on track
- IOS 26.2 appears to have broken app
- Stuck in initializing state
- Stopped working on iOS 18.2
Show 28 moreShow fewer
- Phone portion unresponsive
- App doesn't open
- Data All Gone & Not Calculating Kms Properly
- Recorded distances are all over the map
- Whole lot of distance added for route changes
- Doesn’t Track Distance or Route
- GPS Track Start in random locations
- Does not show correct distances
- Terrible at recording miles skied accurately!
- Time lapse isn't visible
- Only records part of data
- Never once recorded elevation, distance etc.
- Distance, heart rate graph data not synched
- Elevation gain/loss and splits not synched
- Can't delete a workout
- Accidentally forgotten to end the workout
- App says I skied less than actual distance
- Shows only a yellow notes page
- Starting elevation incorrect
- Highest elevation incorrect
- Total elevation gain incorrect
- Only shows 46 seconds of workout
- Pinned my starting location as half a mile away
- Said I was going 61.7 mph at that start
- Not sure if any of the stats from this trip are accurate
- Shows just a yellow notes page
- It’s not on my watch yet either
- Can’t reach a page that gives me the option to download it to my watch
Requested features
13 requests- Integrate a “pause workout” function
- Integrate physical button pinch to pause
- Show season totals
- Option to measure distances in kilometers
- Add workout distance to Apple Health
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Report speed in minutes per mile
- Delete a workout
- Pause workout function
- Integrate physical button pinch to pause
- Show season totals
- Option to measure distances in kilometers
- Add workout distance to Apple Health
- Report speed in minutes per mile
In-app purchases
ErgData
No in-app purchases
Back Country Workout
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ErgData free?
Is Back Country Workout free?
Which has better reviews, ErgData or Back Country Workout?
Do ErgData or Back Country Workout have ads?
Which is updated more often, ErgData or Back Country Workout?
Other comparisons
