Comparison

Pacer Pedometer Step Counter vs Challenge Tracker

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

Challenge Tracker

Track your progress towards monthly health and fitness goals, including steps, distance, and exercise minutes. Integrates with Apple Health to visualize your progress with rings and charts. Supports various activities and is fully accessible.

Highlights
  • Set monthly goals
  • Track various activities (walking, running, exercise, steps, cycling, swimming)
  • Integrates with Apple Health
  • Progress rings and bar charts
  • VoiceOver and Apple Audio Graph accessibility
  • Supports iPhone and iPod
Read full description

Set a monthly goal or use suggested goal and keep track on the progress throughout the month or number days in a month that you want to achieve the daily goal. Set different types of activities - Walking + Running Distance - Exercise ** - Steps Count - Cycling Distance (App or device may be needed) - Swimming Distance (App or device may be needed) - Move (Apple Watch required or iPhone on iOS16 or later) - Wheelchair Distance Activities integrates with Apple Health app to be able to show a progress ring so each day you can see if you are on target for the month and a bar chart showing each day amount compared to the goal each day. Fully accessible with Voice Over and Apple Audio Graph. ** Movement equal to or exceeding the intensity of a brisk walk counts towards your Exercise minutes. Apple Watch not required for some of activities but recommended. Apple and Apple Watch are a trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Screenshots

Pacer Pedometer Step Counter4 screens
Challenge Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Challenge Tracker at none against Pacer Pedometer Step Counter's 11. Pacer Pedometer Step Counter's advantage is ratings volume (332K vs 1) and chart position (#134 vs unranked). On price, rating, 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

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. Challenge Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Pacer Pedometer Step Counter against 5.0 for Challenge Tracker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pacer Pedometer Step Counter has 332K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and August 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Pacer Pedometer Step Counter versus Challenge Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPacer Pedometer Step CounterChallenge Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (332K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews98.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings332K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#134 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size516 MB1 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPacer Health, IncNigel Gee

Customer experience

Pacer Pedometer Step Counter

All ratings331,698 ratings
Positive98.4%
Neutral0.8%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews18,061 reviews
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.6%
Negative1.1%

Challenge Tracker

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Challenge Tracker

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
None

Challenge Tracker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pacer Pedometer Step Counter free?
Pacer Pedometer Step Counter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Challenge Tracker free?
Challenge Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pacer Pedometer Step Counter or Challenge Tracker?
Challenge Tracker is rated higher. Pacer Pedometer Step Counter averages 4.9 out of 5 from 332K ratings, while Challenge Tracker averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pacer Pedometer Step Counter or Challenge Tracker have ads?
Neither Pacer Pedometer Step Counter nor Challenge Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pacer Pedometer Step Counter or Challenge Tracker?
Pacer Pedometer Step Counter ships an update every 3 weeks, and Challenge Tracker every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pacer Pedometer Step Counter was updated on September 29, 2026 and Challenge Tracker on August 26, 2026.

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