Comparison

WalkPace Pro vs Walking Buddy

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

Head to head
About

WalkPace Pro

This interval walking timer uses science-backed methods to improve fitness, strength, and cardiovascular health. Set your workout duration and interval lengths, then follow audio cues to alternate between brisk and easy paces. It integrates with HealthKit and works on iPhone and Apple Watch.

Highlights
  • Interval walking timer
  • Audio cues for pace changes
  • Works with music/podcasts
  • HealthKit integration
  • Apple Watch support
  • Siri Shortcuts
Features
Read full description

Get more from every walk — backed by research from the Mayo Clinic. WalkPace Pro is a simple interval walking timer based on the science of alternating fast and slow walking. Studies show this method — sometimes called Japanese walking — delivers better fitness, strength, and cardiovascular results than walking at a steady pace, even when total exercise time is the same. Just set your time, press start, and follow the audio cues. That's it. HOW IT WORKS • Set your total workout time (5–120 minutes) • Choose your fast and recovery interval lengths (1–10 minutes each) • Press Start and walk Clear audio cues tell you when to speed up and slow down — gently interrupting your music or podcast so you never miss a transition. Lock your phone and keep walking. WHY INTERVAL WALKING? Research published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that alternating 3 minutes of brisk walking with 3 minutes of easy walking significantly outperformed continuous moderate walking. Participants saw improvements in aerobic fitness, leg strength, blood pressure, and blood sugar control. A separate study found peak aerobic capacity increased 27% in sedentary adults after just 3 months. The protocol is simple, the science is strong, and you don't need to run. FEATURES • Audio cues that play over your music and podcasts • Works on iPhone and Apple Watch (standalone or synced) • Haptic feedback on Apple Watch • HealthKit integration — workouts saved automatically • Siri Shortcuts support • Background operation — lock your phone and keep walking • No account required, no ads, no tracking PERFECT FOR • Walkers who want better results from the time they already spend walking • Adults over 40 looking for a science-backed fitness routine • Anyone returning to exercise who wants something gentle but effective • People who find steady cardio boring and want more structure • Fans of the Japanese walking method who want a purpose-built timer No subscriptions. No complexity. Pay once, use forever.

About

Walking Buddy

Features
Read full description

Reminders that say how many steps to take and keep you moving through the day instead of one long walk in the morning or evening. Walking Buddy reads your steps from Apple Health, learns your usual pace, and nudges you when the day starts to slip. No account, no ads. STEPS THAT ADD UP See today's count from Apple Health on a ring with your goal, how far you are ahead of or behind pace, and where the steps landed hour by hour. REMINDERS SIZED TO YOUR DAY Instead of "walk more", each nudge tells you how many steps to take right now to stay on pace, and stops once the goal is done. Choose your active hours and days. Snooze a nudge or mark the day done straight from the notification. YOUR USUAL PACE Walking Buddy learns your typical day from the past four weeks and tells you whether today is ahead, on track or behind, with a projection of where the day will land. HISTORY THAT MEANS SOMETHING Week, month and year views, goal-met days, streaks with rest days that do not break them, and a Steps Log calendar back to your first recorded step. A weekly recap arrives every Sunday evening. ON YOUR APPLE WATCH Today's ring, steps to go and your pace on your wrist, with complications for the watch face and the Smart Stack. The watch app works on its own: it reads steps from the watch, keeps your goal, and lets you change the daily target with the Digital Crown. With the iPhone app installed, the goal stays the same on both. WALKING BUDDY PRO - Reminders on your schedule: every hour, twice an hour, fixed intervals, or your own times - Keep the nudges coming after the goal - Custom reminder messages - Streak protection: one missed day a week does not break your streak - Trends and All Time: four-week trend, this week, month and year against the last, the year as a heat map, typical day with weekday and weekend averages, and every year since your first step - Apple Watch: pace and steps to go on the watch face (rectangular and corner complications), your usual pace and the day by hour PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no analytics. Step data is read from Apple Health and stays on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Goals are stored locally. Walking Buddy is a pedometer built on Apple Health: it works with iPhone step counting and with Apple Watch data that syncs to Apple Health. Pro is a subscription, monthly or yearly with a 7-day free trial, charged to your Apple ID and renewed unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage it in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

WalkPace Pro4 screens
Walking Buddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Walking Buddy at daily against WalkPace Pro's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. WalkPace Pro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Walking Buddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WalkPace Pro ships an update every 2 months, Walking Buddy daily. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
WalkPace Pro versus Walking Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWalkPace ProWalking Buddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid FishRaphael Koebraam

In-app purchases

1 purchases

WalkPace Pro

One-time1
  • WalkPace Pro$2.49
2 purchases

Walking Buddy

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly: Reminders, Trends$1.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly: Reminders, Trends7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is WalkPace Pro free?
WalkPace Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Walking Buddy free?
Walking Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do WalkPace Pro or Walking Buddy have ads?
Neither WalkPace Pro nor Walking Buddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WalkPace Pro or Walking Buddy?
WalkPace Pro ships an update every 2 months, and Walking Buddy daily. Most recently, WalkPace Pro was updated on October 9, 2026 and Walking Buddy on October 6, 2026.

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