Comparison

Zen vs Pacely Step

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

Head to head
About

Zen

Train your focus by tapping a screen and noticing when your mind wanders. Consistent short daily sessions can improve attention span, reduce stress, and enhance concentration.

Highlights
  • Focus training through screen tapping
  • Mind wandering detection
  • Improved attention span
  • Stress and anxiety reduction
  • Short daily practice sessions
Features
Read full description

Anyone can keep track of how many times they tap a screen, that isn't the point of this training. While you count, you will get bored and your mind will start to wander. Catching yourself getting distracted IS THE REAL EXERCISE. Practicing 5 to 10 minutes a day can yield lasting benefits like: - Longer attention span - Higher quality of focus - Stress and anxiety reduction Short daily sessions have better results than occasionally doing a long session.

About

Pacely Step

Read full description

Every step becomes a journey. Your daily walking distance carries you around Tokyo's Yamanote Loop, one stop at a time, and every flight of stairs adds up to a real landmark. A calm, beautifully simple pedometer and step counter. ■ What Pacely Step does - Steps, distance, calories and stairs — tracked automatically Reads your iPhone's Motion & Fitness data to log daily steps, walking distance, pace, and floors climbed. - Journey: walk your way along real routes Your walking distance moves you around the Yamanote Loop (about 34.5 km). "1.3 km to the next stop" and "4 stops reached today" give every walk somewhere to go. - Climb to world landmarks Your height climbed is measured in Eiffel Towers, Mt. Fuji, the Empire State Building and more. "1.5× Eiffel Tower this month" turns the stairs into a small adventure. - Calorie estimates that reflect how you walk Estimates use your walking speed and stair activity with MET-based calculations. - A calendar that keeps your progress Goal days are marked in vermillion. See your streak, best steps day, best height day and monthly progress at a glance. ■ Who it's for - Anyone who found step counts alone weren't enough to keep walking - Daily walkers and commuters who want a reason to go one stop further - People who prefer a quiet, minimal design over busy fitness apps - Anyone tired of subscriptions and looking for a one-time purchase - Anyone who wants a reason to take the stairs ■ Privacy - No account required - Your step records stay on your iPhone and are never sent anywhere - No access to HealthKit or your location - No advertising identifier (IDFA), no third-party ads or tracking - To show our other apps, the app may fetch public App Store information (app names and icons) Distances, calories and heights are estimates based on your iPhone's measurements.

Screenshots

Zen3 screens
Pacely Step4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Zen at none against Pacely Step's 1. Zen also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Pacely Step sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Zen asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zen ships an update fortnightly, Pacely Step every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Zen versus Pacely Step: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZenPacely Step
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael Garciatorankirite

In-app purchases

None

Zen

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Pacely Step

One-time1
  • Premium$3.99

Questions

Is Zen free?
Zen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pacely Step free?
Pacely Step is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Zen or Pacely Step have ads?
Neither Zen nor Pacely Step shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zen or Pacely Step?
Zen ships an update fortnightly, and Pacely Step every 2 months. Most recently, Zen was updated on October 24, 2026 and Pacely Step on October 14, 2026.

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