Comparison

Pacer Pedometer Step Counter vs Duffy

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

Head to head
About

Pacer Pedometer Step Counter

This app tracks your daily activity, including steps, distance, and calories burned, to help you reach your fitness goals. It offers GPS mapping for outdoor exploration, personalized fitness plans, and community features for motivation and support.

Highlights
  • Effortless activity tracking (steps, distance, calories)
  • GPS mapping for outdoor routes
  • Personalized fitness plans and weight management
  • Community challenges and groups
  • Syncs with Apple Health and Apple Watch
  • No extra devices needed
Features
Read full description

Whether you’re just starting out or chasing big goals, wanting to get active or lose weight, Pacer’s insightful data, outdoor routes, and personalized plans help you move more, feel great, and stay on track—like your 24/7 walking buddy. Join over 12 million happy walkers and find motivation every step of the way. WHY YOU'LL LOVE PACER - Effortless Activity Tracking Tracks steps, flights climbed, calories burned, distance, and active time—whether your phone is in your hand, pocket, or bag. Syncs with Apple Health and Apple Watch for seamless data. - Motivation & Community Support Join walking groups, compete in friendly challenges, and share progress with friends and family in real time—no matter what phone they use. - Explore Outdoors with GPS Mapping Explore local gems—routes, trails, and parks. Record every walk, hike, run, or ride with precision maps. - Personalized Fitness Plans & Weight Management Set daily goals, track your weight and BMI, and use guided workouts designed to help you lose weight and get fit. - Simple Setup, No Extra Devices Needed Just download and start—no wristbands or hardware required. HEAR FROM OUR HAPPY WALKERS: - “Best Walking App. Period. I love this app and use it for every walk.” — James T. - “I'm 73 and I especially like that if I start an activity and want my kids to be able to monitor where I am I can turn live tracking on in Pacer.” — Dr J. - “…Tracks all progress and more! Love the challenges and clubs to join all while sharing and interacting with others all the hard earned work. Definitely recommend.” — Lustine K. - “Cheaper and better than a gym membership and 1000x more effective!” — Covette92 READY TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP? Download Pacer for free today and start your journey to better health with the happiest walking community! Note: - Pacer offers both a free version and a premium subscription with additional features. If you choose to subscribe, payment will be charged to your Apple ID upon confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. - Pacer has an optional feature for more accurate tracking that uses of iOS's location based services. - Terms of Service https://www.mypacer.com/termsofservice/ - Privacy Policy: https://www.mypacer.com/privacy

About

Duffy

This app displays your daily step count directly on your Apple Watch face as a complication. It offers a full watch app for detailed stats and goal notifications, plus a companion iPhone app for deeper data analysis and trends. Access your fitness data at a glance without opening the Activity app.

Highlights
  • Watch face complication for step count
  • Full watch app for steps, flights, distance
  • Daily step goal notifications
  • Companion iPhone app for trends
  • HealthKit data integration
Features
Read full description

Duffy provides quick access to your step count directly on your Apple Watch face as a complication. I was surprised to find that a steps complication wasn’t included on Apple Watches out of the box. Being a veteran iOS developer, I decided to build one in my spare time. I really loved my prototype version and thought there were more people who would love it too. So I put in the extra effort to release it to the App Store for everyone! Duffy is completely free, has no ads, and is even open source so if you’re also a developer, you can help me enhance it. Duffy is a simple app, but it will probably turn into the most used app on your Apple Watch. No more opening the Activity app and scrolling around to find your steps. It’s now available at a glance. Duffy is more than just an elegant Apple Watch complication. Use the full watch app for easy access to your steps, flights climbed and distance travelled for today and the past week. Set a daily steps goal and be notified on your watch when you reach it. The companion iPhone app provides the same access to your steps, flights and distance on a much larger, easier-to-read surface while also allowing you to dig deeper into your data to see trends and statistics over time. Duffy reads the steps, flights climbed, distance travelled, and activity energy from your iPhone and Apple Watch from the Health app (via the HealthKit API).

Screenshots

Pacer Pedometer Step Counter4 screens
Duffy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pacer Pedometer Step Counter at every 3 weeks against Duffy's every 5 months. Pacer Pedometer Step Counter also leads on ratings volume (335K vs 784) and review sentiment (98% vs 84%). On price, rating, 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. Pacer Pedometer Step Counter sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Duffy sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pacer Pedometer Step Counter holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pacer Pedometer Step Counter has 335K ratings behind it against 784, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 98% of Pacer Pedometer Step Counter's written reviews are positive against 84% of Duffy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pacer Pedometer Step Counter ships an update every 3 weeks, Duffy every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Pacer Pedometer Step Counter versus Duffy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPacer Pedometer Step CounterDuffy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (335K ratings) — better4.7 (784 ratings)
Positive reviews98.3% of reviews — better83.8% of reviews
Number of ratings335K — better784
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#149 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size515 MB8 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPacer Health, IncThink Tank Productions

Customer experience

Pacer Pedometer Step Counter

All ratings331,698 ratings
Positive98.4%
Neutral0.8%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews18,855 reviews
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.6%
Negative1.1%

Duffy

All ratings757 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral2.6%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews376 reviews
Positive83.8%
Neutral5.1%
Negative11.2%

Bugs and requests

Pacer Pedometer Step Counter

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Steps/distance disappearing from history
  • GPS issues causing inaccurate location tracking
  • App crashes or freezes on certain devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to edit/delete recorded activities
  • Integration with other fitness trackers
  • Personalized step/calorie goals based on user profile
  • More free access to advanced analytics and insights

Duffy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Pacer Pedometer Step Counter

Subscriptions9
  • Premium Subscription with Trial7 Days trial3 variants$3.991 Month
  • Premium Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Premium with Free Trial7 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Premium with Free Trial7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium with Free Trial$9.991 Month
  • Premium Subscription$19.991 Year
  • Premium Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • 1 Year Access (with Trial)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Pacer Premium Yearly1 Year trial$49.991 Year
4 purchases

Duffy

One-time4
  • Tip $1$0.99
  • Tip $2$1.99
  • Tip $3$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Tip $5$4.99

Questions

Is Pacer Pedometer Step Counter free?
Pacer Pedometer Step Counter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Duffy free?
Duffy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pacer Pedometer Step Counter or Duffy?
Pacer Pedometer Step Counter is rated higher. Pacer Pedometer Step Counter averages 4.9 out of 5 from 335K ratings, while Duffy averages 4.7 from 784 ratings.
Do Pacer Pedometer Step Counter or Duffy have ads?
Neither Pacer Pedometer Step Counter nor Duffy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pacer Pedometer Step Counter or Duffy?
Pacer Pedometer Step Counter ships an update every 3 weeks, and Duffy every 5 months. Most recently, Pacer Pedometer Step Counter was updated on October 29, 2026 and Duffy on October 26, 2026.

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