Comparison

RideByHeart vs PaceVault

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

Head to head
About

RideByHeart

This app offers indoor cycling training without a subscription. It connects to FTMS-compatible smart trainers and heart rate monitors for professional-grade workouts. Enjoy structured training, real-time metrics, and workout export features.

Highlights
  • FTMS-compatible smart trainer connection
  • Bluetooth heart rate monitor support
  • Structured workouts
  • FTP-based power training
  • Heart rate zone training with automatic resistance
  • Real-time metrics (power, cadence, speed, HR, calories)
  • Workout recording and TCX export
Features
Read full description

Indoor cycling training without the subscription. RideByHeart connects to any FTMS-compatible smart trainer and Bluetooth heart rate monitor for professional-grade workouts. TRAIN YOUR WAY No subscriptions. No accounts. No forced updates. Free during the introductory testing phase. (In future ... if free app is unsustainable we might ask for a one time pay, train forever) SMART TRAINER SUPPORT • Tested and verified: Wahoo KICKR • Should work with any FTMS-compatible trainer: - Tacx Neo, Flux, and Flow - Elite Direto, Suito, and Justo - Saris H3 and M2 - Other Bluetooth FTMS trainers Note: App uses the standard FTMS protocol. While tested on KICKR, it should work with all FTMS-compatible trainers. Feedback welcome! FEATURES • Structured workouts • FTP-based power training • Heart rate zone workouts with automatic resistance (You choose an HR zone to train and the trainer resistance will adjust to keep your heart-rate in that zone) • Real-time metrics: power, cadence, speed, heart rate and calories • Workout recording and TCX export for Strava • BIAS control for mid-workout adjustments • Import custom workouts via .zwo files • Direct Strava upload for completed workouts • Expanded structured workout library

About

PaceVault

Analyze your running history with best efforts, route matching, and lifetime trends. This private app provides insights into your personal records and wellness signals, all processed on your device.

Highlights
  • Best efforts and PR detection
  • Route matching and ranking
  • Year-over-year trend analysis
  • Wellness signal tracking
  • 100% on-device processing
  • No account or cloud required
Features
Read full description

Best-efforts records, matched routes, and lifetime trends — all on your iPhone, all private. PaceVault turns your Garmin activity history into the analytics you've been missing. • Best efforts — every PR across every distance, auto-detected • Route matching — see every run of your favorite loop, ranked • Year-over-year trends across your whole history • Wellness signals gathered in one place — how you feel is yours to read • 100% on-device. No account, no cloud, nothing leaves your phone Free, forever. Every feature, for every user.

Screenshots

RideByHeart1 screens
PaceVault4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RideByHeart at none against PaceVault's 3. RideByHeart also leads on ratings volume (7 vs 1). PaceVault's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model 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. PaceVault sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. RideByHeart asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PaceVault holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RideByHeart has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of RideByHeart's written reviews are positive against 100% of PaceVault's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RideByHeart ships an update weekly, PaceVault every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
RideByHeart versus PaceVault: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRideByHeartPaceVault
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (7 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7 — better1
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerjithu josephZACHARY THOMAS MULLEN

Customer experience

RideByHeart

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

PaceVault

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

RideByHeart

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

PaceVault

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99

Questions

Is RideByHeart free?
RideByHeart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PaceVault free?
PaceVault is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, RideByHeart or PaceVault?
PaceVault is rated higher. RideByHeart averages 4.7 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while PaceVault averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do RideByHeart or PaceVault have ads?
Neither RideByHeart nor PaceVault shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RideByHeart or PaceVault?
RideByHeart ships an update weekly, and PaceVault every 6 days. Most recently, RideByHeart was updated on October 24, 2026 and PaceVault on October 10, 2026.

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