Comparison

start walking vs Step Guard

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

Head to head
About

start walking

This app helps you reduce phone usage and build healthy habits by blocking distracting apps until you meet your daily step goals. It integrates with health tracking to encourage physical activity and improve focus.

Highlights
  • Smart App Blocking
  • Automatic Step Tracking
  • Personalized Goals
  • Usage Analytics
  • Streak Tracking
  • Premium Design
Read full description

Transform your relationship with your phone by turning every step into digital freedom. Start Walking blocks distracting apps until you reach your daily step goal, helping you break phone addiction while building healthy habits that stick. **As of June 2025, Start Walking users have walked over 2 million steps while breaking their scrolling habits.** Many wellness enthusiasts and productivity professionals trust Start Walking to help them build better phone habits. You can too. "Start Walking helped me reduce my Instagram time by 3 hours daily while getting my 10K steps" – Sarah, Wellness Coach "This app changed everything. I used to scroll for hours, now I take evening walks instead." – Michael, Software Engineer "Finally, an app that makes healthy habits rewarding instead of restrictive!" – Emma, Marketing Director "Game-changer for phone addiction. My screen time dropped 40% in the first week." – David, Teacher BENEFITS: Walk an average of 2,847 more steps per day while reducing mindless scrolling by 1 hour and 37 minutes. * 96% of Start Walking users report feeling more in control of their phone habits * 93% say they're more physically active throughout the day * 90% experience reduced anxiety from constant notifications * 91% discover new hobbies and interests outside their phone Added benefits: - Break the cycle of endless scrolling and phone addiction - Increase daily physical activity naturally - Improve focus and productivity at work - Better sleep quality from reduced evening screen time - Stronger real-world connections and relationships - Enhanced mental clarity and reduced digital overwhelm - Build sustainable, long-term healthy habits - Feel accomplished and motivated every single day FEATURES (requires in-app-purchase) - Smart App Blocking: Choose which apps distract you most and unlock them by reaching your step goals - Automatic Step Tracking: Seamless integration with Apple HealthKit for accurate, privacy-first tracking - Personalized Goals: Set daily step targets that match your fitness level and lifestyle - Usage Analytics: Beautiful visualizations of app usage, screen time, and phone pickup patterns - Streak Tracking: Build momentum with daily streaks - Animated Feedback: Delightful animations and transitions that make every interaction joyful - Goal Flexibility: Adjust targets based on your schedule, weather, or energy levels - Progress Insights: Track weekly trends in both walking and phone usage - Premium Design: Clean, modern interface with custom illustrations and smooth animations CREATE YOUR PERSONAL WELLNESS ROUTINE Easily select which apps are your biggest distractions and set realistic daily step goals. Start Walking does the rest, automatically tracking your progress and rewarding healthy choices. PRIVATE & SECURE We use Apple's HealthKit and FamilyControls frameworks to track steps and manage app access. Setup is simple and takes just minutes on your iPhone. Unlike other apps, Start Walking works entirely on your device and your personal health and usage data never leaves your phone. Your privacy is our priority – your data stays yours, always. TERMS, PRIVACY & CONDITIONS Read on https://startwalking.app/privacy-and-terms & https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Step Guard

This app transforms your steps into screen time, locking distracting apps and websites until you reach your daily step goal. It encourages physical activity by making movement the key to accessing your phone.

Highlights
  • Set daily step or walk goals
  • Lock selected apps and websites
  • Automatic unlock upon goal achievement
  • Syncs with Apple Watch and Apple Health
  • Group challenges for accountability
  • Detailed movement insights (Premium)
Features
Read full description

Turn your steps into screen time. Step Guard locks the apps and websites that distract you and unlocks them only when you've hit your daily step goal — turning a walk into the key to your phone. Whether you want to cut mindless scrolling, build a walking habit, or just move more without thinking about it, Step Guard makes distance the price of admission. How It Works Set a daily step or walk goal that fits your routine Choose which apps and websites to lock Walk to unlock them automatically as you hit your goal Track your progress with simple, clear insights Syncs automatically with Apple Watch and Apple Health Compete With Friends Create a group, share your progress, and stay accountable with people working toward the same goal. Free vs Premium Free: Set a daily step or walk goal Lock up to 2 apps, with a custom goal for each Basic progress tracking Automatic unlock when you hit your goal Premium: Lock unlimited apps and websites Detailed movement insights Compete with friends in shared groups Priority customer support Early access to new features Premium is available as a 3-Month, Annual or Lifetime plan — pick whichever fits you, all unlock the same full experience. Step Guard uses Apple's Screen Time API to monitor and block the apps and sites you choose. Setup takes under a minute, and it all runs on your device — your browsing data never leaves your phone. Take control of your screen time, one step at a time. Privacy Policy: https://stepguard.fit/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

start walking4 screens
Step Guard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: start walking at 9 against Step Guard's 1. 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. start walking sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Step Guard sells 4 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 — 5.0 for start walking against 5.0 for Step Guard. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: start walking has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

start walking ships an update every 4 days, Step Guard every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
start walking versus Step Guard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterstart walkingStep Guard
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (9 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.218.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCole SchafferEugene Ondora

Customer experience

start walking

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Step Guard

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

In-app purchases

6 purchases

start walking

Subscriptions5
  • unlimited (1 week)7 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • unlimited (1 year)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • unlimited (1 year)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • unlimited (1 year)7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • unlimited (1 year)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • friends and familyFree
4 purchases

Step Guard

Subscriptions3
  • StepGuard Weekly$4.997 Days
  • StepGuard Monthly$8.991 Month
  • StepGuard Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access2 variants$19.99

Questions

Is start walking free?
start walking is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Step Guard free?
Step Guard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, start walking or Step Guard?
start walking and Step Guard are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 9 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do start walking or Step Guard have ads?
Neither start walking nor Step Guard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, start walking or Step Guard?
start walking ships an update every 4 days, and Step Guard every 5 days. Most recently, start walking was updated on October 11, 2026 and Step Guard on October 6, 2026.

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