Comparison

Pace It vs Sympathetic

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

Head to head
About

Pace It

This app helps runners analyze their training progress by tracking pace improvements across heart rate zones. It provides personalized training paces that adapt to your current fitness level, ensuring your workouts remain relevant. Monitor key metrics like VO2 max and training load for a comprehensive view of your development.

Highlights
  • Track pace progression across heart rate zones
  • Personalized adaptive training paces
  • Monitor VO2 max and training load
  • Build and run structured workouts on Apple Watch
  • Integrates with Strava and Apple Health
  • Shoe tracking and rotation
  • Personal best and yearly performance summaries
Features
Read full description

The feedback loop your training was missing. Built for runners who care about pacing accuracy, long-term progress beyond PBs and whether all that training is paying off. Am I getting fitter? See how your pace changes at the same heart rate across zones, month after month. Are my training paces still right? Get updated pace targets for 5K, 10K and threshold efforts based on your runs and current fitness. Am I doing too much? Compare your recent training load with your baseline to help balance training and recovery. What run makes sense today? Get a daily workout suggestion based on your training load and paces. Works with Apple Health. Compatible with Strava. No account needed. LONG-TERM FITNESS TRENDS - Average monthly pace trends by heart rate zone, Zone 1 to Zone 4 - Running efficiency: pace vs heart rate for every run over 90 days - Pace It Index: a 0 to 100 fitness score with a 30-day trend - VO2 max tracking & VDOT trends TRAINING LOAD & RUN SUGGESTIONS - Training Load Ratio: your last 7 days against your baseline, updated after every workout across all activities - Recovery time: estimate when your load will return to optimal range - Today's run: see a workout suggestion based on your load & paces, including a lower-load option when needed APPLE WATCH WORKOUTS - 5 running screens - 35+ configurable metrics - Build and run structured workouts with pace or heart rate targets & haptic alerts - Complications: steps, Training Load Ratio, weekly mileage, training distribution & Today's Run TRAINING PACES BUILT FROM YOUR RUNS - 7 paces from your last 60 days, with heart rate ranges, RPE & race-effort equivalents - Race estimates - Race calculator - Automatic or custom heart rate zones TRAINING DISTRIBUTION & VOLUME - Easy vs hard split, time in zone and load focus using LT1 and LT2 estimates - Weekly mileage, run goals and streaks RUN ANALYSIS: - Pace, heart rate, power, cadence, running dynamics, splits, segments & elevation - Automatic run categorization: easy, tempo, intervals, long run and more - Automatic personal best tracking: 5K, 10K, half, marathon & longest run INTEGRATIONS & MORE TOOLS - Strava: automatic run import and export, plus historical syncing - Shoe tracking - Share run stats: route, HR and pace - Home & lock-screen widgets - Yearly summaries ACCESS, SUBSCRIPTION & PURCHASE INFORMATION Pace It offers free and Pro features. The free version includes selected features but not the Apple Watch app. To access Pace It Pro you can choose between: - Lifetime Access: one-time purchase - Subscriptions: Monthly or Yearly plans Subscription plans include a 1-week free trial. Pro access includes the full Pace It experience, including pace trends, Training Load Ratio tracking, personalized training paces and the Apple Watch app. PAYMENT & RENEWALS - If you start a free trial, you will not be charged until the trial period ends. Unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the trial ends, your subscription will automatically renew at the selected price. - Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. - Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. - Manage or cancel your subscription at any time in your App Store account settings. PRIVACY Apple Health data is analyzed on your device. If you connect Strava, activities shared through Strava are stored on our servers for syncing, including workouts you export from Pace It. Pace It is not a medical device. It provides training insights for informational purposes only. TERMS & PRIVACY Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Additional Terms (Pace It Terms of Use): https://paceit.app/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://paceit.app/privacy-policy Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy: https://paceit.app/consumer-health-data-privacy

About

Sympathetic

Read full description

Find your pace. Explore your heart's response. Sympathetic brings guided breathing and personal physiology together on your iPhone. Follow a visual breathing guide with optional sound and haptic cues, choose a comfortable pace, and build a regular practice. BREATHE AT YOUR PACE Guided breathing is free and works without a chest strap. Choose your breathing rate, inhale/exhale balance and session length. Use Focus mode to keep the guide in view. EXPLORE WITH POLAR H10 A Sympathetic H10 subscription unlocks Polar H10 connections, heart-rate and HRV feedback, breathing assessments, adaptive feedback and ECG recording. Review your response during training, browse saved waveforms and export recordings for your own analysis. A Polar H10 is required for these features and is sold separately. SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS Choose an annual or monthly plan. The annual plan offers a lower cost than twelve monthly payments. Eligible new subscribers receive a two-week free trial, followed by automatic renewal at the price shown when subscribing unless cancelled. Manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings. Restore Purchases is available in the app. Previously saved records remain readable and exportable after a subscription ends. KEEP YOUR PRACTICE PRIVATE Your recordings and analysis stay on your iPhone unless you choose to export them. No app account, advertising or analytics. Apple processes subscription purchases. Optionally save confirmed breathing time to Apple Health as Mindful Minutes. Sympathetic is an independent app and is not affiliated with Polar. It is for personal exploration and general wellness. Its scores, breathing estimates, ECG observations and single-lead measurements are experimental and are not intended for diagnosis, treatment or medical decisions. Privacy: https://www.lucascamillomd.com/sympathetic/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Pace It4 screens
Sympathetic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Sympathetic at every 3 days against Pace It's every 2 weeks. Pace It's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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. Pace It sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Sympathetic sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pace It ships an update every 2 weeks, Sympathetic every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Pace It versus Sympathetic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPace ItSympathetic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB10 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDionysis KastellanisLucas Paulo de Lima Camillo

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pace It

Subscriptions2
  • Pace It Access (Monthly)7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Pace It Access (Yearly)7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$89.99
2 purchases

Sympathetic

Subscriptions2
  • H10 monthly14 Days trial$3.001 Month
  • H10 annual14 Days trial$20.001 Year

Questions

Is Pace It free?
Pace It is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sympathetic free?
Sympathetic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pace It or Sympathetic have ads?
Neither Pace It nor Sympathetic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pace It or Sympathetic?
Pace It ships an update every 2 weeks, and Sympathetic every 3 days. Most recently, Pace It was updated on October 25, 2026 and Sympathetic on October 29, 2026.

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