Comparison

Pacing Guard vs Pacely Step

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

Head to head
About

Pacing Guard

This app provides structured activity and rest routines for individuals with chronic fatigue conditions. It uses voice cues and haptic feedback to guide users, with optional heart rate monitoring to ensure safe activity levels. All data is kept private and offline on the device.

Highlights
  • Customizable GO and REST intervals
  • Voice and haptic feedback for phase transitions
  • Bluetooth heart rate strap support
  • Aerobic threshold calculator
  • Offline and private operation
  • Session insights and trend analysis
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Pacing Guard helps people with ME/CFS, Long COVID, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue follow structured activity-rest routines - without watching the clock. Voice cues, haptic feedback, with optional support of a Bluetooth heart rate strap tell you when to go and when to rest. You focus on living. The app keeps the rest. TIMER β€’ Customizable GO and REST intervals (5 to 120 seconds) β€’ Voice announcements at each phase transition β€’ Countdown alerts in the final 5 seconds before switching β€’ Haptic feedback and sound cues at phase changes β€’ Smooth visual progress ring with phase colour coding β€’ Works in the background with screen off HEART RATE MONITORING β€’ Connects to any Bluetooth heart rate strap (Polar, Garmin, Wahoo, and others) β€’ Aerobic threshold calculator to find your personal safe HR limit β€’ Voice and haptic alerts when approaching or exceeding your limit β€’ Configurable repeat alerts so you stay informed without being overwhelmed β€’ Periodic heart rate announcements at configurable intervals β€’ Time above HR limit tracked for every session, even with alerts muted SLEEP MONITORING β€’ Long-press Start for overnight heart rate tracking β€’ No voice cues, no alerts - continuous silent recording β€’ Session max HR saved to history SESSION INSIGHTS β€’ Live stats during any session - tap the live stats button β€’ Post-session HR chart with exceedance breakdown β€’ 8-week trend analysis with sparkline charts β€’ Monthly pacing calendar showing your compliance at a glance β€’ Export session data as CSV β€’ Save sessions to Apple Health as workouts PRIVATE & OFFLINE β€’ No accounts, no ads, no tracking β€’ No subscriptions or hidden costs β€’ All data stays on your device β€’ Works fully offline ACCESSIBLE β€’ Full VoiceOver support with descriptive labels β€’ Dynamic Type for all text sizes β€’ Respects Reduce Motion preference β€’ Minimum 44pt tap targets β€’ High Contrast mode compatible --- Disclaimer: Pacing Guard is a general-purpose interval timer and self-management aid. It is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or disease prevention. The app does not make any claims about health outcomes. Heart rate monitoring is provided for informational purposes only. Any routines followed using this app are self-directed and used at your own discretion. Always seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition.

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. β–  What Pacely Step does - Steps, distance, calories and stairs β€” 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. "1.5Γ— 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. β–  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 β–  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

Pacing Guard4 screens
Pacely Step4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pacely Step at Free against Pacing Guard's $4.99. Pacing Guard's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Pacely Step is free to download; Pacing Guard costs $4.99 up front. Pacely Step sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pacing Guard asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pacing Guard ships an update every 9 days, Pacely Step every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 5 level
Pacing Guard versus Pacely Step: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPacing GuardPacely Step
Price$4.99Free β€” better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 9 days β€” betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
MonetizationPaidβ€”
Best chart rank#155 β€” betterβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size7 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKim Syversentorankirite

In-app purchases

None

Pacing Guard

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Pacely Step

One-time1
  • Premium$3.99

Questions

Is Pacing Guard free?
Pacing Guard costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pacely Step free?
Pacely Step is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pacing Guard or Pacely Step have ads?
Neither Pacing Guard nor Pacely Step shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pacing Guard or Pacely Step?
Pacing Guard ships an update every 9 days, and Pacely Step every 2 months. Most recently, Pacing Guard was updated on October 14, 2026 and Pacely Step on October 14, 2026.

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