Garmin Connect™ vs SAM Trainer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Garmin Connect™
Track your health and fitness activities with detailed statistics and personalized insights. Create custom workouts, build courses, and challenge friends. Syncs with compatible devices and other popular fitness apps.
- Activity tracking and health metrics
- Detailed statistics analysis
- Custom workout and course creation
- Personalized home screen
- Earn achievement badges
- Sync with other apps
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The Garmin Connect™ app is your one-stop source for health and fitness data. Whether you’re training for a race, keeping active or just staying on top of your health, Garmin Connect provides the information and inspiration you need to reach your goals. Once you pair your phone(1)with a Forerunner®, Venu®, fēnix® or another compatible Garmin device(2), you can review your tracked activities and health metrics. Plus, you can create workouts, build courses and challenge your friends on the leaderboard. With Garmin Connect you can: - Personalize your home screen, so the most helpful information is instantly visible - Analyze your activities with detailed statistics(3) - Create customized workouts and courses - Review trends in health metrics like heart rate and steps - Earn badges for accomplishments - Sync with other apps like Apple Health, MyFitnessPal and Strava - Get support for Garmin devices and their features Learn more about Garmin devices and how they work with the Garmin Connect app at Garmin.com. (1) See compatibility requirements at Garmin.com/BLE (2) See a full list of compatible devices at Garmin.com/devices (3) See Garmin.com/ataccuracy Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
SAM Trainer
Learn to operate a HeartSine Automated External Defibrillator (AED) with this training application. It simulates the experience of using specific AED models, guiding users through the process with interactive steps and instructional videos.
- Simulates HeartSine AED models
- Interactive step-by-step guidance
- Instructional videos
- Multi-language support
- Adjustable CPR duration
- Easy app restart
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The SAM Trainer is designed to educate potential rescuers on the basics of the HeartSine Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) use. It is designed to work in conjunction with the HeartSine vTrainer to generate a user experience similar to that of the HeartSine SAM 350P, SAM 360P and SAM 500P with CPR Advisor (the SAM 500P is not available in the US). For more information visit www.heartsine.com/heartsine_vtrainer/ Simply download the SAM Trainer app and: 1. Select your language. 2. Choose from a semi-automatic SAM 350P or SAM 500P, or fully automatic SAM 360P. 3. Push the green ON button to begin. The app will guide you through the use of a HeartSine AED! Features: • 23 languages available • User adjustable CPR duration (Under the “i” tab on the Device selection screen) • Quick access to “How to Use” videos for the SAM 350P, SAM 360P and SAM 500P. • Easy restart of app at any stage by pressing the back button
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SAM Trainer at 5.0 against Garmin Connect™'s 4.4. SAM Trainer also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.2). Garmin Connect™'s advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 12 months) and ratings volume (59K vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SAM Trainer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin Connect™ has 59K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Garmin Connect™ ships an update every 2 weeks, SAM Trainer every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Garmin Connect™ | SAM Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (59K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 39.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 59K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 12 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #30 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 693 MB | 107 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Garmin | Sugar Rush Creative |
Customer experience
Garmin Connect™
SAM Trainer
Bugs and requests
Garmin Connect™
Reported bugs
5 issues- App constantly requiring device setup
- Weather data not syncing correctly
- Workout data not recording properly
- Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
- Inability to edit or customize activities
Requested features
5 requests- Customizable sleep tracking and goal settings
- Better integration with third-party apps
- Improved offline functionality
- More detailed workout analysis and planning
- Enhanced social features and challenges
SAM Trainer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Garmin Connect™
No in-app purchases
SAM Trainer
No in-app purchases
