Comparison

Step Up Challenge vs Loser Buys

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

Head to head
About

Step Up Challenge

Compete with friends in live step challenges. Get instant updates when someone passes you on the leaderboard. Syncs automatically with Apple Health for effortless tracking and group goal setting.

Highlights
  • Live step competitions
  • Real-time leaderboard updates
  • Automatic Apple Health sync
  • Private, invite-only groups
  • Customizable challenges
  • Group and individual rankings
  • Milestone badges
Features
Read full description

Walking is more fun when you're competing. Outstep turns your daily steps into a live competition with the people who'll actually keep you moving, your friends, your run club, your coworkers, your family. Small groups, real leaderboards, and the one feature no other step app nails: knowing the instant a friend passes you. WHEN A FRIEND PASSES YOU, YOU'LL KNOW The moment someone edges ahead on the leaderboard, Outstep sends you a live update usually within minutes of their steps syncing STEPS SYNC AUTOMATICALLY Your steps come straight from Apple Health. No manual entry, no calorie counting, no clutter. Just steps, ranked. BUILT FOR GROUPS - Create private, invite-only groups that never expire - Always-on daily, weekly, and monthly leaderboards - Up to 8 friends free - React with a fire, muscle, or turtle to cheer each other on (or tell someone to speed up) CHALLENGES EVERYONE CAN WIN - Set custom challenges over any timeframe - Group Target mode: chase one shared goal together, so nobody gets left behind SEE WHERE YOU STAND - City, region, and country percentile ranking - Earn badges for milestones, streaks, and breakthroughs all free GROUP PREMIUM (OPTIONAL) Love it and want more room? One person can back the whole group. Group Premium unlocks up to 50 members, more concurrent challenges, longer challenge durations, and a full group analytics dashboard and it covers every single member at once. One subscription, whole crew. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS Delete your account and all health data anytime from Settings. No ads. Ever. Get your group. Get moving. Get Outstep. Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of service: https://outstepapp.com/legal#terms Privacy Policy: https://outstepapp.com/privacy

About

Loser Buys

Features
Read full description

Race your friends on steps. When the week ends, the lowest average buys the ice cream. Pick your period: every day, every week from any weekday (Wednesday to Tuesday works), or every month from any date. Your phone counts steps on its own, no watch needed, and Loser Buys syncs in the background. Everyone sees everyone's daily numbers, hand-typed steps are marked, and sick days are built in, so the result is one nobody argues with. HOW IT WORKS - Start a group and share the invite link. Friends tap it and land straight in the group. - Choose the round: daily, weekly or monthly, starting on any day you like. - Choose what the loser owes: ice cream, coffee, dinner, or a few options drawn at random. - Results lock after a grace window, so late syncs still count. FAIR BY DESIGN - Tap anyone to see their day-by-day steps. - Missing syncs, sick days, voided days and unusually high days are shown, never hidden. - Groups decide whether hand-typed steps count. - Score on raw steps, or on improvement against your own last 4 weeks so everyone has a shot. WORKS WITH YOUR TRACKER Your iPhone counts steps with no watch. Fitbit, Garmin, Oura, Whoop, Withings, Polar and others reach Loser Buys through Apple Health, which also stops a watch and a phone from being counted twice. ALSO INSIDE - Me: today's steps against your goal, streaks, and week and month charts. - Friends: a board of you and your friends for today, this week or this month. - Alerts when someone passes you, when the result is in, and before results lock. - The owes list, so everyone remembers who is buying. FREE AND PRO Free covers 3 groups of up to 10 people, with the last 12 results. Nobody ever pays to join a group, and there are no ads. Pro unlocks unlimited groups and people, full history and all-time records. Loser Buys reads your daily steps and walking distance from Apple Health. Only your daily step count is shared, and only with friends and groups you join. Terms of Use: https://getloserbuys.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://getloserbuys.com/privacy

Screenshots

Step Up Challenge4 screens
Loser Buys4 screens

Verdict

The call

Step Up Challenge and Loser Buys are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Step Up Challenge sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Loser Buys sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Step Up Challenge ships an update every 6 days, Loser Buys every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Step Up Challenge versus Loser Buys: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStep Up ChallengeLoser Buys
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (19 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings19 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB68 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperYousuf AbduljawadAman Kumar

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Step Up Challenge

Subscriptions9
  • Oustep Plus Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Group Premium7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Outstep Plus7 Days trial$24.991 Year
Show 6 more
  • Group Premium 100$49.991 Month
  • Group Premium Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Group Premium 250$109.991 Month
  • Group Premium 500$199.991 Month
  • Group Premium 100 Annual$449.991 Year
  • Group Premium 250 Annual$999.991 Year
3 purchases

Loser Buys

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Weekly3 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly14 Days trial$14.991 Year

Questions

Is Step Up Challenge free?
Step Up Challenge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Loser Buys free?
Loser Buys is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Step Up Challenge or Loser Buys have ads?
Neither Step Up Challenge nor Loser Buys shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Step Up Challenge or Loser Buys?
Step Up Challenge ships an update every 6 days, and Loser Buys every 9 days. Most recently, Step Up Challenge was updated on November 9, 2026 and Loser Buys on November 6, 2026.

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