Pacer vs StepHive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pacer
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Most step counters tell you you're behind at 10pm. Pacer tells you at 10am. Pacer spreads your daily step goal across your active hours and shows whether you're ahead or behind pace right now, on every glance. A 10,000-step goal isn't a midnight cliff. By 3pm you can know if you're on track. WHAT YOU GET • A live ahead/behind number on your wrist — "+420" or "-180", not a percentage. • Three watch-face complications: rectangular (steps + delta + pace bar), Pacer Steps (circular), and Pacer Delta (circular). • Custom active hours. Active from 10am? Winding down by 6pm? Set it once. • Gentle behind-pace nudges if you slip off pace PRIVACY Pacer collects nothing. HealthKit step counts stay on your watch — no servers, no accounts, no analytics, no third-party SDKs. DESIGNED FOR APPLE WATCH Built with SwiftUI and Swift 6 for smooth, battery-friendly performance. HOW IT WORKS Set a daily goal and an active window (default 9am–8pm). Every minute Pacer computes your on-pace target, a moving line from 0 at your start time to your goal at your end time. The delta between your actual steps and that target is your dashboard, your complication, your nudge. PERFECT FOR • Walkers who want nudges, not alarms • Shift workers with non-standard hours • Anyone trying to get their steps in for the day, every day
StepHive
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StepHive turns your daily walk into something social, motivating, and a little bit joyful. Track your steps, map your routes, get friendly AI feedback on every walk, and stay connected with the friends who keep you moving — on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Whether you're chasing a step goal, getting back in shape, or simply love a good walk, StepHive helps you show up every day — together with your hive. WALK & TRACK • See today's steps, calories, weather, and weekly, monthly, and yearly progress at a glance • Map every walk with live GPS — distance, time, pace, elevation, and heart rate • Pause your walk to chat with a neighbor without hurting your time or pace • Follow your walk live on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island • Snap geotagged photos along the way — they pin to your route map and save to your Photos • Walk a favorite route again and compare your time and pace ON YOUR WRIST • Check your step ring and start a walk right from your Apple Watch • Track a whole walk on the watch — route, distance, time, heart rate, and calories • Leave your phone at home; your walk syncs back to your iPhone when you're reunited SMART & PERSONAL • Get warm, personalized feedback on each walk — your pace, effort, and progress — with AI powered by Apple Intelligence, right on your iPhone and completely private • See how your walking pace compares for people your age • Track your weight over time with a simple trend chart WALK WITH FRIENDS • Add friends with a simple invite code • See yourself ranked alongside them on a friendly daily leaderboard • Cheer each other on with quick, personal messages • Watch friends' live walks on the map with Friends on the Move STAY MOTIVATED • Build a daily-goal streak and earn achievement badges — from your first walk to a full year — with a little confetti when you hit your goal • Gentle daily reminders to get your steps in — rotating, never naggy • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets showing your steps and goal progress • Set your own step goal and personal goals MADE FOR WALKERS • A free Music tab — pick a favorite album, a playlist, or your most-played songs from a card and tap to play • Friendly guidance on pace and healthy walking by age • Fully available in English and Spanish WALK SAFER • Choose safety contacts and share your location with one tap if you ever need help • (StepHive is not a replacement for your phone's Emergency SOS) FREE TO WALK StepHive is free to download and use — steps, friends, leaderboard, streaks, music, AI walk analysis, weight tracking, the Apple Watch app, reminders, and widgets are all free. Unlock GPS route mapping — track and map your walks, see your pace, save your history, and add photo waypoints — with a single one-time purchase. YOUR DATA, YOUR CALL StepHive only reads the health data you allow, and never shares it without you. Location is used solely to map your walks while you're walking. AI walk analysis runs privately on your device. Lace up, invite a friend, and join the hive.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: StepHive at Free against Pacer's $3.99. StepHive also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Pacer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#195 vs unranked). On 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
StepHive is free to download; Pacer costs $3.99 up front. StepHive sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pacer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Pacer ships an update every 2 months, StepHive fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pacer | StepHive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Best chart rank | #195 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aditya Gupta | David Ramer |
In-app purchases
Pacer
No in-app purchases
StepHive
- Unlock GPS Routes$2.99









