Comparison

Freeletics vs Start Rowing

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

Head to head
About

Freeletics

This app provides a personalized AI fitness coach for workouts at home or in the gym. It adapts to your fitness level and goals, offering a variety of training styles and exercises. Join a large community for motivation and track your progress.

Highlights
  • AI-powered personalized training plans
  • Home and gym workout options
  • Variety of workout styles (HIIT, bodyweight, weights, cardio)
  • Real-time workout adjustments
  • Progress tracking and achievements
  • Community support and motivation
Features
Read full description

Europe's #1 fitness app lets you work out anytime, anywhere with the most advanced digital personal trainer – no gym required. Whatever your fitness level, build healthy habits and achieve your goals faster than ever with a personalized fitness plan tailored to you. Add cardio workouts, weights, gym machines, mix in some running intervals, or keep it classic Freeletics with bodyweight HIIT or calisthenics-style workouts at home. Every training plan features fully personalized workouts, complete with warm-ups, cooldowns, mobility, and recovery workouts, all designed to help you recover faster and achieve your goals quicker. WHY FREELETICS? - Freeletics means freedom to work out where you want, when you want – on your terms. Join a community of 60 million athletes training together to stay motivated and on track. - Develop strength, endurance, and flexibility with a fully holistic approach to fitness that helps you become a well-rounded athlete. - Your AI Coach customizes each workout to your fitness level, adjusting in real time based on your feedback to create a perfect workout every time. No two people get the same workout plan – it's fully personalized fitness. - Whether you want to build a six-pack, gain muscle, or lose weight, you’ll get a training plan with workouts to fit your needs. - Easily customize your workouts in seconds to match your setup for home workouts, gym sessions, or wherever you are to stay on track, support consistency, and see long-term results. The free version of the app contains 34 HIIT bodyweight workouts, 100+ exercises, and a community of millions. If you want to set yourself up for long-term success with the guidance of an expert personal trainer every step of the way, you can use the Freeletics Coach with a 14-day money-back guarantee. What you get by upgrading to the Freeletics Coach: TRAINING - Your AI personal trainer in your pocket creates every workout based on your goals, fitness level, training preferences, and more. - Travelling or short on time? Want to switch to an upper-body workout instead? No problem. Your digital personal trainer instantly adjusts your workout to match your needs. - Your personalized workout plan is part of a "Training Journey." Choose from 30 fitness plans in the app, each with a different fitness focus. - Pick your workout style. From cardio like running, cycling, and rowing, to classic Freeletics bodyweight HIIT workouts, calisthenics, weighted exercises, or gym machines – there’s a training plan for you. - With 1 trillion workout combinations, 700+ exercises, hundreds of workouts on demand, and even a tool to create your own workout routines, you’ll always find the perfect workout for you. - Control your workout from your Apple Watch and track your fitness data in the Apple Health app. - Track your fitness progress, performance, and achievements using badges, streaks, and skill progressions designed to help you improve. The Training Coach is included in the Training and Training & Nutrition Bundle. SUBSCRIPTIONS & TERMS We offer 6 auto-renewing subscription options: • Training (3 / 6 / 12 months) • Training & Nutrition (3 / 6 / 12 months) The Nutrition Coach is part of the separate Freeletics Nutrition app. Your subscription automatically renews if not cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You will be charged for the next subscription period up to 24 hours before the current subscription expires. Manage your subscription and disable automatic renewal anytime in your Apple account settings. You have the right to withdraw from your initial subscription within 14 days. By purchasing, you accept our Terms of Use (https://www.freeletics.com/en/pages/terms) and Privacy Policy (https://www.freeletics.com/en/pages/privacy). Contact us at https://help.freeletics.com/hc/ or follow @Freeletics on social media for daily workout inspiration. Your personal trainer is ready.

About

Start Rowing

This app provides structured rowing machine training plans for all experience levels, from beginner to advanced. It guides users through workouts with audio cues and a metronome, helping them build strength, burn calories, and improve rowing technique. Track progress and integrate with Apple Health for a comprehensive fitness journey.

Highlights
  • Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced training plans
  • Audio coach guidance
  • Rowing metronome
  • Workout logging and progress tracking
  • Apple Health integration
  • Session-based Challenger workouts
Features
Read full description

Start Rowing without any previous experience needed. Get in shape, build strength and burn calories. Our rowing app's workout plans will train you for the next stage in your rowing journey. Never rowed before? Start with our beginner plan. In 8 weeks you’ll be comfortable rowing 2000 meters with correct technique. Experienced erger? Use our intermediate and advanced plans to improve your overall fitness while increasing your rowing capacity. Start Rowing will guide you step by step, letting you know when to change rowing intensity and when to rest. Each plan is designed to slowly become more challenging so your body can adapt and gain endurance while minimising any risk of injury. Spend just 10-30 minutes a day, 2-5 days a week. You’ll be fitter, stronger and a much better rower! Features - Choose from Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced training plans. - Session based Challenger workouts to exercise your whole body. - Audio coach to guide your through your rowing workout. - Rowing metronome to help you keep in time. - Log your workouts and keep track of your overall progress. - Share your progress. - APPLE HEALTH INTEGRATION: Connect your workouts to Health App to track your daily activity. Legal Disclaimer This app and any information given by it are for educational purposes only. They are not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should always consult your healthcare provider before beginning any fitness program. If you upgrade to a premium Start Rowing subscription, payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. There is no increase in cost when renewing. Subscriptions can be managed and auto-renewal turned off in Account Settings in iTunes after purchase. Once purchased, the current period cannot be cancelled. Any unused portion of a free trial period is forfeited if you choose to purchase a premium subscription. Find the full terms and conditions at https://www.vigour.fitness/terms, and our privacy policy at https://www.vigour.fitness/privacy.

Screenshots

Freeletics4 screens
Start Rowing4 screens

Verdict

The call

Freeletics and Start Rowing both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 73% of Start Rowing's written reviews are positive against 53% of Freeletics's. Start Rowing also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Freeletics's advantage is ratings volume (22K vs 681). 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. Freeletics sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $34.99 per 3 months and Start Rowing sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Freeletics against 4.7 for Start Rowing. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Freeletics has 22K ratings behind it against 681, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 53% of Freeletics's written reviews are positive against 73% of Start Rowing's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Freeletics ships an update weekly, Start Rowing every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Freeletics versus Start Rowing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFreeleticsStart Rowing
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (22K ratings)4.7 (681 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.7% of reviews73.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22K — better681
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size157 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFreeletics GmbHVigour Group Ltd

Customer experience

Freeletics

All ratings22,259 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral3.4%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews674 reviews
Positive52.7%
Neutral9.2%
Negative38.1%

Start Rowing

All ratings681 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews97 reviews
Positive73.2%
Neutral9.3%
Negative17.5%

User reviews

Freeletics

From 22K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great workouts
  • 👍 Customizable
  • 💪 Effective for fat loss
  • 🤸‍♀️ Convenient for home workouts
  • 🙌 Motivating community

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🤖 Lack of personal coaching
  • 🔁 Repetitive exercises
  • 🤕 Potential for injuries
  • 🔌 Requires internet connectivity

Start Rowing

From 681 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helpful for beginners
  • 🚀 Structured workout plans
  • 👍 Easy to follow
  • 👍 Enjoyable and motivating
  • 🚀 Useful metronome and pacing features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues (blank screen, spinning circle)
  • 🔋 High battery drain
  • 💰 Misleading about free access, requires subscription
  • 👎 Limited customization and flexibility
  • 👎 Inconsistent performance (stroke rate changes, screen shutoff)

Bugs and requests

Freeletics

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Workout progress not saved
  • App freezes and crashes
  • Inaccurate exercise tracking

Requested features

6 requests
  • Offline mode
  • Apple Watch app
  • Ability to customize/swap exercises
  • Better progress tracking
  • More diverse workout options
Show 1 more
  • Improved exercise instructions

Start Rowing

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Blank screen during workouts
  • Inconsistent stroke rate changes
  • Automatic screen shutoff during workouts

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow custom workout creation
  • Improve volume control for metronome and audio
  • Add more advanced workout options
  • Enhance user interface and navigation
  • Improve sync and data tracking across devices

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Freeletics

Subscriptions8
  • Training Coach2 variants$34.993 Months
  • Training Coach3 Months trial$34.993 Months
  • Training and Nutrition Bundle2 variants$49.993 Months
Show 5 more
  • Training and Nutrition Bundle3 Months trial$49.993 Months
  • Training Coach$59.996 Months
  • Training Coach$74.991 Year
  • Training Coach$79.991 Year
  • Training and Nutrition Bundle$89.996 Months
7 purchases

Start Rowing

Subscriptions6
  • Start Rowing Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly2 variants$14.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Premium Yearly$79.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium7 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$179.99

Questions

Is Freeletics free?
Freeletics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Start Rowing free?
Start Rowing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Freeletics or Start Rowing?
Start Rowing is rated higher. Freeletics averages 4.6 out of 5 from 22K ratings, while Start Rowing averages 4.7 from 681 ratings.
Do Freeletics or Start Rowing have ads?
Neither Freeletics nor Start Rowing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Freeletics or Start Rowing?
Freeletics ships an update weekly, and Start Rowing every 2 weeks. Most recently, Freeletics was updated on September 24, 2026 and Start Rowing on September 11, 2026.

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