Swimming Lap Tracker vs TetherSwim

Swimming Lap Tracker is a precise lap counter, interval timer and swim workout log for Apple Watch and iPhone. Mark laps with the Digital Crown or the Action Button on Apple Watch Ultra. You control exactly when each lap or interval is recorded, without relying on automatic lap detection. Live swim metrics stay visible on your wrist, with detailed analysis waiting on iPhone. BUILD CUSTOM SWIM SETS Create structured training sessions in the Set Builder, then sync them to Apple Watch. • Build complete workouts with multiple named stages • Set distance or repeats with a separate interval distance • Choose stroke, drills, equipment, rest and notes • Add breathing targets and bilateral breathing • Reorder stages and keep multiple training sets • Follow stage-by-stage prompts and progress on Apple Watch • Sync new, edited and deleted sets between iPhone and Watch PRECISE LAP AND INTERVAL TRACKING • Fast manual lap marking with the Digital Crown • Action Button support on Apple Watch Ultra • Manual Lap Mode for separate swim and rest timing • Interval modes with distance, fixed rest or manual rest • Repeat intervals with optional send-off times • Mixed-distance interval sessions • Metres and yards • Pool presets or custom lengths from 1m to 250m or 1y to 250y • Open Water Mode with GPS distance LIVE METRICS ON APPLE WATCH See lap time, total time, distance, completed lengths, strokes and heart rate while you swim. Custom workouts also show the current stage, interval progress, stroke, drill, equipment, breathing target and rest. DETAILED SWIM ANALYSIS ON IPHONE Review total distance, duration, average pace, individual lap and interval times, custom workout stages, heart rate, strokes, active calories, motion charts and recorded swim locations. Motion data can also be exported as CSV. Swimming Lap Tracker supports metre and yard results and saves completed workouts to Apple Health. HOW IT WORKS Choose your pool length or Open Water Mode, select a workout mode and tap Start Swim. Mark each lap or interval from your wrist while Swimming Lap Tracker records your workout for later review. PERMISSIONS Health access is required to record workouts and heart rate. Motion access enables stroke and movement analysis. Location access enables swim locations and open-water GPS distance. APPLE WATCH ULTRA ACTION BUTTON After installation, open Settings on Apple Watch and choose Action Button. Select Swimming Lap Tracker as the app, set First Press to Start a Workout, and choose Swim Laps as the workout. Open Swimming Lap Tracker with the Action Button before using it to mark laps. Requires iOS 18.2 or later and watchOS 11.2 or later.

TetherSwim is built for swimmers training with resistance cords, swim tethers, or endless pools. Traditional swim trackers can struggle with these sessions, giving you wildly inaccurate distances or ignoring your efforts altogether. With TetherSwim, your distance is estimated intelligently based on your real stroke count, SWOLF, and previous swim history — all from your Apple Watch. Features: • Accurate distance estimates – Uses your stroke rate, efficiency, and past workouts to calculate real swim distance. • Automatic SWOLF tracking – Measures your swim efficiency in tethered conditions. • Calories, heart rate, and more – Full workout data, just like in regular pool swims. • Exclude test swims – Keep your baselines clean by excluding warm-ups or experiments. • Strava integration – Upload your tethered swim sessions directly. • Water Lock mode – Automatically engages when you start, so your watch screen won’t go crazy mid-session.