Comparison

Skate Plan vs Skates

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

Head to head
About

Skate Plan

Design, score, and visualize figure skating routines with official IJS scoring and visual path drawing. Sync elements to music and preview your choreography with animated routines. Ideal for skaters, coaches, and choreographers preparing for competition.

Highlights
  • Official IJS scoring with element validation
  • Visual path drawing on a rink canvas
  • Music synchronization with timeline view
  • Animated routine preview
  • Smart routine management
  • Export and sharing of routines
  • Comprehensive element library
Features
Read full description

Skate Plan – Design, Score, Share, and Coach Figure Skating Routines Skate Plan is a complete program‑building tool for figure skaters, coaches, and choreographers. Create competition‑ready routines with official IJS elements, check that your program is well‑balanced, project your score, and share it with your coach or students — all on iPhone and iPad. Build IJS‑Based Routines Skate Plan includes 120+ official ISU elements across Singles and Ice Dance. Add jumps from singles through quads, spins (Levels 1–4), step sequences, twizzles, dance lifts, pattern dance, and choreographic elements. A real‑time predicted base score shows how your routine is shaping up, with a full category breakdown. The smart jump‑combination builder validates rules automatically so your layout stays legal. Program Check Choose your governing body (U.S. Figure Skating or ISU), level, and program type. Skate Plan checks your routine against well‑balanced‑program requirements — element counts, jump repetition limits, required spin types, and duration — and flags anything that needs attention. Score projection shows a low, expected, and high Technical Element Score, including second‑half jump bonuses. Personalized Score Ratings Set your own realistic value for each element to project your score based on how you actually land jumps and execute elements. Switch back to standard IJS base values anytime. Visual Path Drawing Draw your skating path on a realistic rink and place elements exactly where they occur on the ice. The workflow is simple: pick elements, draw the path, refine timing. Music & Timing Import music from Files, Your music library or Apple Music. Automatic beat and tempo detection creates a rhythm timeline, and you can drag elements along the timeline to sync choreography precisely to the music. Audio Tools Cut, Trim, Fade and edit music to get the sound you need. Additionally you can merge multiple audio clips together to create a single audio file as needed. Animated Preview Watch your routine skate itself along your drawn path, fully synchronized to your music — ideal for coaches and choreographers reviewing choreography. Share & Export Share routines as editable Skate Plan files that open directly in the app, or export a PDF with an official‑style Planned Program Content sheet listing elements and base values. Perfect for skaters, parents, and training partners. Coach Mode Create profiles for multiple skaters, assign routines to each, and filter your list with a single tap. All your students’ programs stay organized in one place. Manage Your Routines See IJS scores on every routine card. Duplicate routines to build variations. Sort by duration, element summary, or last edited. Who It’s For Competitive skaters, coaches, choreographers, skating parents, and test‑level skaters — from a first Axel to a quad combination. Built with SwiftUI for iPhone and iPad, featuring intuitive gestures, smooth animations, and full offline use. Your routines stay on your device, and no account is required. Program Check requirements and score projections are planning aids — always confirm against current USFS/ISU rules and your officials. Download Skate Plan and design your next program with confidence. By using this app, you agree to Apple’s standard End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Skates

Track your figure skating progress with a detailed practice log. Log every session, mark skills as mastered, and earn badges for your achievements. Works offline and syncs privately via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Skill tracking with technique cues
  • Session logging and progress tracking
  • Customizable practice tracks
  • Freestyle mode for advanced skaters
  • Offline functionality
  • Private iCloud sync
Read full description

Skates is a skill tracker and practice log for figure skaters. From the very first steps on ice to spins, jumps, and turns, in any order. YOUR TRAIL Every skill is a stop on your trail. Work on more than one at once, mark each one done when it's truly yours, and watch the path light up behind you. Six levels per track, and you move at your own pace. EVERY SKILL, MADE CLEAR No guessing what "done" means. Each of the 143 skills comes with a clear technique cue and an honest check, so you always know what you're aiming for. LOG EVERY SESSION Note what you practiced and how it went. No streaks, no guilt just a record of your time on the ice that grows with you. You'll be able to see how many days / sessions it took to complete your skills. BADGES THAT MEAN SOMETHING Finish a skill and see exactly what it took: how many days, how many sessions. Hard work pays off, and Skates shows you the receipt. FREESTYLE MODE Already skating? Skip the roadmap. Freestyle mode unlocks spins, jumps, and turns with nothing gated. Track whatever you're working on, in any order. BUILT FOR SKATERS • Four tracks: First Steps, Basic, Adult, and Free Skate • Progress syncs privately through your own iCloud • No account to create, no data collected • Works fully offline at the rink Skates is a self-assessment tool for tracking your own practice. It isn't a substitute for a coach or an official skating program, and completing a skill in the app isn't a credential. SUBSCRIPTION Try everything free for 7 days, then $4.99/month or $18.99/year, or unlock forever for a one-time $29.99. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms: https://9m.software/legal/skates/terms Privacy: https://9m.software/legal/skates/privacy

Screenshots

Skate Plan4 screens
Skates4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Skate Plan at 18.6 against Skates's 26.0. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Skate Plan sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Skates sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Skate Plan against 5.0 for Skates. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Skate Plan ships an update fortnightly, Skates every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Skate Plan versus Skates: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkate PlanSkates
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAaron McdonaldBAASIL AZHER ALI

Customer experience

Skate Plan

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Skates

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Skate Plan

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Access to Skate Plan$0.997 Days
  • Skate Plan$14.996 Months
  • Premium Access to Skate Plan$19.991 Year
3 purchases

Skates

Subscriptions2
  • Skates Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Skates Annual7 Days trial$18.991 Year
One-time1
  • Skates Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Skate Plan free?
Skate Plan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Skates free?
Skates is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Skate Plan or Skates?
Skate Plan and Skates are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Skate Plan or Skates have ads?
Neither Skate Plan nor Skates shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Skate Plan or Skates?
Skate Plan ships an update fortnightly, and Skates every 3 weeks. Most recently, Skate Plan was updated on October 26, 2026 and Skates on October 6, 2026.

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