Steps vs StepNova
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Steps
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Steps - Simple Step Counter Track your daily steps with a beautifully designed app that focuses on what matters: your progress. Steps is the step counter you've been looking for. No overwhelming features, no confusing menus, no subscriptions. Just open the app and see your steps, beautifully displayed with a satisfying progress ring that fills as you walk toward your daily goal. FEATURES Daily Step Tracking See today's steps front and center with a gorgeous circular progress ring. Watch it fill up as you get closer to your goal—and enjoy a confetti celebration when you hit it! Beautiful Charts Track your progress over time with elegant charts showing your weekly, monthly, and yearly step history. Tap any bar to see detailed stats for that day. Insights & Analytics Discover your best day of the week, track your current streak, see weekly trends, and view personal records. All your stats, beautifully visualized. History Browser Dive into your complete step history with all-time statistics, year-by-year comparisons, and a custom date range picker to analyze any period you want. Theme Customization Make Steps yours with 8 accent colors and 4 chart styles. Your theme syncs across iPhone, Apple Watch, and all widgets. Home Screen Widgets Add stunning widgets to your home screen in small, medium, or large sizes—now with weekly charts and theme support. Apple Watch App Your steps, right on your wrist. The companion Watch app shows your daily progress and weekly chart, with complications that match your chosen theme. Customizable Goals Set your own daily step goal. Your goal syncs automatically between your iPhone and Apple Watch. Privacy First Steps reads your step data from the Health app and that's it. No accounts, no cloud sync, no tracking. Your health data stays on your device. WHY STEPS? Simple by design: No bloat, no unnecessary features No subscription: Free forever No ads: A clean, distraction-free experience Haptic feedback: Feel satisfying taps as you interact Lightweight: Minimal battery impact POWERED BY HEALTHKIT Steps uses Apple HealthKit to read your step data. This means it works with your iPhone's built-in motion sensors, or any connected fitness devices like Apple Watch. You don't need to carry your phone in a specific way or enable any special tracking. If HealthKit has your steps, Steps shows them.
StepNova
Track your daily movement with GPS, map routes, and receive coaching for intervals. Set personal records, follow training plans, and stay motivated with achievements and streaks. Share your live location for safety and log your post-activity feelings.
- GPS route tracking
- Interval training programs
- Personal records and route bests
- Structured training plans
- Live location sharing
- Home and lock screen widgets
- Post-activity journal
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StepNova is a focused activity tracker for everyday movement. Whether you're walking, running, cycling, or hiking — StepNova counts every step, maps your route, coaches you through intervals, and celebrates every personal record along the way. SMART ACTIVITY TRACKING Automatic step, distance, calorie, and pace tracking using your iPhone's built-in sensors. Supports walking, running, cycling, hiking, and elliptical — indoors or out. PERSONAL RECORDS & ROUTE BESTS StepNova tracks your all-time bests for steps, distance, calories, and pace. Save your favorite routes and StepNova will tell you every time you beat your personal record on them — with a full-screen celebration to mark the moment. INTERVAL TRAINING Choose from 5 guided interval programs — Walk-to-Run, C25K Week 1, HIIT 40/20, Tabata, and Active Recovery — or build your own with StepNova Pro. Voice prompts guide you through every work and rest phase automatically. WALK WINDOWS See the best upcoming hours to head outside based on real-time weather — AQI, temperature, UV index, wind, and rain chance, all ranked so the ideal window is always visible on your dashboard. LIVE MAPS & PERFORMANCE GRAPHS GPS route tracing with pace, elevation, and speed graphs. Review your splits, see your elevation profile, replay your exact path, and share your route after every activity. INTERACTIVE DASHBOARD DRILL-DOWNS Your dashboard is built for exploration. Tap cards, charts, and key stats to open deeper breakdowns, trends, and detailed views across your activity data. STREAKS & ACHIEVEMENTS Build daily streaks, unlock 50 achievement badges across Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum tiers, and compete with friends on a weekly step leaderboard. TRAINING PLANS Follow structured multi-week training plans — beginner, endurance, or race-ready — with daily targets and CloudKit sync across all your devices. A shareable completion card marks every milestone. SAFE WALK Share your live location with a trusted contact while you walk solo. They see your real-time position and path for peace of mind — yours and theirs. POST-WALK JOURNAL Log notes, mood, and photos after each activity to track how you feel over time. HOME SCREEN & LOCK SCREEN WIDGETS Glanceable step count, daily goal progress, and streaks — right on your home screen or lock screen without opening the app. VOICE COACHING Milestone announcements and interval cues spoken in your device's language. StepNova keeps you informed without you ever having to look at your phone. Your health, location, and activity data stays on your device and in your private iCloud account — never sold, never shared. ——— StepNova Pro Unlock the full StepNova experience: • Custom interval program creation • Unlimited saved routes • Unlimited friends on leaderboard • 25 more achievements to unlock • All training plans & structured challenges • Safe Walk live location sharing • Custom app themes Try StepNova Pro free for 30 days (available for eligible new subscribers). After the trial, your subscription automatically renews at $9.99/year unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the trial period. Monthly plan available at $1.99/month (no trial). Lifetime access available as a one-time purchase. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Steps at none against StepNova's 6. Steps also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days). StepNova's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). 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
Both are free to download. StepNova sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Steps asks for nothing beyond the download.
Steps ships an update every 2 days, StepNova every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on May 17, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Steps | StepNova |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.9 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 8 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CORNELIUS BOTHA THIART | NAVEEN CHOWDARY PUTHUMBHAKU |
In-app purchases
Steps
No in-app purchases
StepNova
- StepNova Pro — Monthly$1.991 Month
- StepNova Pro — Annual1 Month trial$9.991 Year
- Keep StepNova Free$0.99
- Fund New Features$2.99
- Power Future Updates$6.99
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- StepNova Pro — Lifetime$29.99





