Comparison

Crono Care Coach vs Pacing Guard

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

Head to head
About

Crono Care Coach

Features
Read full description

Living with a chronic condition often means learning to manage limited energy. How much can you handle in a day? Which activities cost more than you think? And how do you know if you're slowly improving when recovery is so gradual you barely notice it yourself? Crono Care Coach helps you answer these questions by tracking how you're doing each day. EASY TO RECORD Recording takes energy, and that's limited. That's why Crono Care Coach is built to make tracking effortless. With a few taps you record your activities, score your day and colour how you're doing. You can set up standard activities so you add them with a single tap. INSIGHT INTO PATTERNS Daily tracking reveals patterns. Maybe Mondays are always harder, or you notice certain triggers worsen your condition. Crono Care Coach shows these patterns in clear graphs. And that slow progress you don't notice yourself? It becomes visible. PROVEN METHODS The app is based on methods that have been used in healthcare for years: spoon theory for energy management, a 0-10 scale to measure fatigue and intensity, and action plans to stay in control of your condition. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS All your data stays on your own phone. No account needed, no servers storing your data, no company looking over your shoulder. You decide what to share with your healthcare provider. FEATURES * Score your day: measure your fatigue and intensity on a scale of 0-10 * Activity log: track what you do and how much energy it costs * Colour your day: mark your day parts with green, orange or red * Trigger tracking: discover which triggers worsen your condition * Personal action plan: know what to do in each phase of your condition * Insights: view patterns by week, month or year WHO IS IT FOR? Crono Care Coach is developed for people with chronic conditions where energy plays a role, such as long covid, ME/CFS, asthma, COPD, fibromyalgia, ME/CFS or acquired brain injury. ABOUT THE DEVELOPER Crono Care Coach is developed by someone who lives with long covid and severe asthma. Every feature has been tested with the question: does this work when you're tired and can't think clearly. --- Privacy Policy: https://cronocarecoach.com/privacy/app-privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Pacing Guard

This app provides structured activity and rest routines for individuals with chronic fatigue conditions. It uses voice cues and haptic feedback to guide users, with optional heart rate monitoring to ensure safe activity levels. All data is kept private and offline on the device.

Highlights
  • Customizable GO and REST intervals
  • Voice and haptic feedback for phase transitions
  • Bluetooth heart rate strap support
  • Aerobic threshold calculator
  • Offline and private operation
  • Session insights and trend analysis
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Pacing Guard helps people with ME/CFS, Long COVID, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue follow structured activity-rest routines - without watching the clock. Voice cues, haptic feedback, with optional support of a Bluetooth heart rate strap tell you when to go and when to rest. You focus on living. The app keeps the rest. TIMER • Customizable GO and REST intervals (5 to 120 seconds) • Voice announcements at each phase transition • Countdown alerts in the final 5 seconds before switching • Haptic feedback and sound cues at phase changes • Smooth visual progress ring with phase colour coding • Works in the background with screen off HEART RATE MONITORING • Connects to any Bluetooth heart rate strap (Polar, Garmin, Wahoo, and others) • Aerobic threshold calculator to find your personal safe HR limit • Voice and haptic alerts when approaching or exceeding your limit • Configurable repeat alerts so you stay informed without being overwhelmed • Periodic heart rate announcements at configurable intervals • Time above HR limit tracked for every session, even with alerts muted SLEEP MONITORING • Long-press Start for overnight heart rate tracking • No voice cues, no alerts - continuous silent recording • Session max HR saved to history SESSION INSIGHTS • Live stats during any session - tap the live stats button • Post-session HR chart with exceedance breakdown • 8-week trend analysis with sparkline charts • Monthly pacing calendar showing your compliance at a glance • Export session data as CSV • Save sessions to Apple Health as workouts PRIVATE & OFFLINE • No accounts, no ads, no tracking • No subscriptions or hidden costs • All data stays on your device • Works fully offline ACCESSIBLE • Full VoiceOver support with descriptive labels • Dynamic Type for all text sizes • Respects Reduce Motion preference • Minimum 44pt tap targets • High Contrast mode compatible --- Disclaimer: Pacing Guard is a general-purpose interval timer and self-management aid. It is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or disease prevention. The app does not make any claims about health outcomes. Heart rate monitoring is provided for informational purposes only. Any routines followed using this app are self-directed and used at your own discretion. Always seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition.

Screenshots

Crono Care Coach4 screens
Pacing Guard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Crono Care Coach at Free against Pacing Guard's $4.99. Pacing Guard's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Crono Care Coach is free to download; Pacing Guard costs $4.99 up front. Crono Care Coach sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Pacing Guard asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crono Care Coach ships an update every 3 weeks, Pacing Guard every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 4, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences Ā· 4 level
Crono Care Coach versus Pacing Guard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrono Care CoachPacing Guard
PriceFree — better$4.99
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.416.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB7 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNefkens software & Advies BVKim Syversen

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Crono Care Coach

Subscriptions4
  • Premium - Month14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Premium Family - Month14 Days trial$10.991 Month
  • Premium - Year1 Month trial$99.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium Family - Year1 Month trial$109.991 Year
None

Pacing Guard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Crono Care Coach free?
Crono Care Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pacing Guard free?
Pacing Guard costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Crono Care Coach or Pacing Guard have ads?
Neither Crono Care Coach nor Pacing Guard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Crono Care Coach or Pacing Guard?
Crono Care Coach ships an update every 3 weeks, and Pacing Guard every 9 days. Most recently, Crono Care Coach was updated on September 4, 2026 and Pacing Guard on September 23, 2026.

Other comparisons