Comparison

Zone 2 Training Coach vs Steps Journey

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

Head to head
About

Zone 2 Training Coach

This app automatically tracks your Zone 2 heart rate minutes using your Apple Watch, helping you achieve your fitness goals. It provides insights into your cardio fitness, recovery, and progress over time, with optional advanced planning features.

Highlights
  • Automatic Zone 2 minute tracking
  • Heart rate zone synchronization
  • Live workout data on Apple Watch
  • VO2 Max and cardio fitness insights
  • Daily recovery scoring
  • Educational articles on fitness
  • Advanced weekly planning (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Zone 2 Training Coach answers one question every week: did you get your Zone 2 minutes? It reads your heart rate from Apple Watch, or another device that saves it to Apple Health, and counts every minute you spend in Zone 2, in workouts and outside them, like a brisk walk. You don't have to press start or log anything. Your weekly goal fills a ring on Home, and daily bars show how your week is going. WEEK-BY-WEEK PLANS 8 plans that build your Zone 2 minutes week by week, from a no-gym Walking Starter to the 3 Day Gym Plan for Fat Loss, the Fat-Burning 12-3-30 and Lift Heavy, Run Easy. Each day shows what to do: lift days exercise by exercise, Zone 2 days step by step with a starting incline, and one tap starts the session on your Apple Watch. The Walking Starter is free in full, and week 1 of every plan is free. ZONES THAT MATCH YOUR WATCH Zone 2 Training Coach uses the same heart rate zones as Apple's Workout app. On iOS 27 it reads your Watch's zones directly; on earlier iOS it estimates them the way Apple does. If you've had your zones tested, or your coach gave you numbers, enter your own. LIVE ON YOUR WRIST Start a Zone 2 workout on Apple Watch and get a big live heart rate, zone colors, a time-in-zone timer and a tap when you drift out of Zone 2. Your iPhone shows it live. Prefer Apple's Workout app? Send a Zone 2 workout there with a Zone 2 alert. TODAY A 24-hour heart rate and zone chart, your latest heart rate, and your Zone 2 minutes for the day, plus 7-day averages. CARDIO FITNESS See your VO2 max level for your age and sex, from Apple's Cardio Fitness estimate, compared with published reference data. IS MY ZONE 2 WORKING? Your Zone 2 minutes alongside your Cardio Fitness, resting heart rate and your speed at Zone 2 heart rate over time. RECOVERY A daily score from your HRV, resting heart rate and heart-rate recovery, compared with your own normal. LEARN Short, plain-English articles on Zone 2, heart rate zones and VO2 max. ZONE 2 PRO • Every week of all 8 training plans • Your next Cardio Fitness level, and a Zone 2 Coach that plans your week toward it around your schedule • Scheduled Zone 2 sessions with Apple Watch reminders • 3, 6 and 12-month progress • Full day-by-day history, 30 and 60-day averages, and 4 and 12-week trends • Custom weekly targets up to 600 minutes, and the Wednesday nudge • Apple Watch complication and home-screen widgets PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. Your health data stays on your iPhone. Zone 2 Training Coach doesn't sell or share your health data. Works with the heart rate in Apple Health. Apple Watch gives the most complete picture, and heart rate from other devices that sync to Apple Health counts too, such as Fitbit, Garmin, Whoop, Polar and Coros. Some features need an Apple Watch: Cardio Fitness (VO2 max), the Watch app and its live Zone 2 workouts, and complications. Some features need newer software: reading your Watch's own zones needs iOS 27, and the coach's natural-language wording uses Apple Intelligence where available. Zone 2 Training Coach is for general fitness and is not a medical device. Talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Steps Journey

Features
Read full description

Steps Journey turns your daily steps into a lifelong walk across the world — with gorgeous Home and Lock Screen widgets, a living goal ring, and the deepest, most private step trends on the App Store. Every number is read from Apple Health and processed entirely on your iPhone. No account. No servers. No ads. Nothing ever leaves your device. YOUR LIFETIME JOURNEY • Every step you have ever taken adds up to one great journey: 100 real routes, from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Camino de Santiago — all the way to the Moon • Climb a beautiful illustrated trail map and see how far you have come • Conquer a route and the moment is celebrated with fireworks, dated the day you did it POSTCARDS FROM YOUR JOURNEY • Every conquered route earns a hand-stamped souvenir postcard, postmarked with your conquest date • 100 collectible scenes: alpine lakes, lighthouses, night trains, deserts, the Moon • Flip them over, build the collection, share your favorites WIDGETS, YOUR WAY • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets in every size • A Journey widget that walks toward your next destination • Steps, distance, or flights — with week bars, a sparkline, or just the ring • Themed per widget, with an optional one-tap refresh A LIVING GOAL RING • An animated ring that wraps past 100%, just like you'd hope • Day streaks with a customizable flame — and a weekly rest day that protects them • A pace ghost shows where you usually are by this hour • An end-of-day projection tells you if you're on track MAKE IT YOURS • 20+ hand-tuned themes plus a build-your-own gradient studio • Six alternate app icons • Your theme flows everywhere — app, widgets, and share cards DEEP TRENDS • Monthly, yearly, weekday, and hourly charts, records, and lifetime totals • A calendar heatmap of your entire history • Health correlations: steps vs. sleep, resting heart rate, and weight • Walks detected automatically, a Year in Steps recap, CSV export WALK WITH FRIENDS • Challenge a friend with a simple shareable code — no accounts involved • Optional Game Center leaderboards, strictly opt-in PRIVACY YOU CAN TRUST • 100% on-device: your health data never leaves your iPhone • No account, no analytics, no third-party SDKs • No push notifications, ever ONE-TIME PRO UNLOCK — NO SUBSCRIPTION The heart of the app is free: the goal ring, streaks, widgets in every size, the entire Journey with its map and postcards, and your share card. Steps Journey Pro is a single one-time purchase — pay once, yours forever, shareable with your family. Pro unlocks the full theme collection and gradient studio, Pro ring styles, health correlations, the complete trends dashboard and heatmap, and every milestone. Download free, see your steps in seconds, and walk somewhere extraordinary.

Screenshots

Zone 2 Training Coach4 screens
Steps Journey4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Zone 2 Training Coach at every 4 days against Steps Journey's every 2 weeks. Zone 2 Training Coach also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Zone 2 Training Coach sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Steps Journey sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zone 2 Training Coach ships an update every 4 days, Steps Journey every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Zone 2 Training Coach versus Steps Journey: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZone 2 Training CoachSteps Journey
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJaron ShapiroRobert Erwin

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Zone 2 Training Coach

Subscriptions2
  • Zone 2 Pro$4.991 Month
  • Zone 2 Pro7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Zone 2 Pro$49.99
1 purchases

Steps Journey

One-time1
  • Steps Journey Pro$2.99

Questions

Is Zone 2 Training Coach free?
Zone 2 Training Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Steps Journey free?
Steps Journey is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Zone 2 Training Coach or Steps Journey have ads?
Neither Zone 2 Training Coach nor Steps Journey shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zone 2 Training Coach or Steps Journey?
Zone 2 Training Coach ships an update every 4 days, and Steps Journey every 2 weeks. Most recently, Zone 2 Training Coach was updated on October 28, 2026 and Steps Journey on October 28, 2026.

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